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talkpoliticsHey U, fellow spoonfed talkingpoint-regurgitating TV-zombies curious, reasonable folks! Check this out, yo.
The Brits have an awesomER sense of humor than ourselves, huh!? "Scores of Bulgars and Romanians are landing in our backyard, disguised as rain-drops. Run for your lives!" That's what one Elwin Mail tweeted a while ago. Another witty UKanian remarked, "I heard some noise outside. I thought it was the darned Buggers and Romanians. Turned out someone was dragging the garbage container. Duh!" And how about this: "The bus station is crammed with Bulgars & Romanians! Run to your homes! Lock the doors! Keep your daughters indoors!" Another one said, "Right from day one of the year, my flat was literally flooded with Bulgarians and Romanians demanding social aid. Please advise?" A pic of an emptied room lay displayed below that horrific statement. "I ain't scared of Romanians & Bulgarians, I'm rather scared of those guys up there in Glesga" (they mean Glasgow, obviously). They sure know why.
That's right, folks. That's how some Britons are reacting to the hysterical threats of their leaders that opening up the EUnian borders to Romanian and Bulgarian workers (Jan 1, 2014) would result in a mass invasion of dirty unwashed aliens with unpronounceable names who talk funny into the precious UKania.
Did it happ'n? Guess what? T'was all a lie. Dust in the air. One big stinking story. Just as everyone here knew well in advance. But don't let that get in the way of a perfectly sensationalist narrative! If it could buy some votes.
They didn't even get their shit straight.
Note the fucked up geography out there. Anything else you need to know?
Reminds me of the way people over here in historical Kazanlak, Central Bulgaria, recently reacted to the authorities' intention to build a shelter for the Syrian refugees there. "Hey, this is the Valley of Roses, our trademark landmark, our national treasure! This isn't a place for Syrians! Putting Arabs among our precious roses is unthinkable!" Etc, etc. I wish someone had the guts to ask those morons what the name of our "trademark" rose is - yeah, that one which has brought the fame and prosperity of that valley in the heart of the country. Tell you what: it's "Rosa Damascena". The Rose from Damascus. Ya know? DAMASCUS. The capital of Syria. The smelly flower was brought from there in the 16th century. So much with your fear-induced ignorance, folks - time for some enlightenment through a ton of lulz!
The way we Bulgars don't seem to care what Syria of the 16th century was like, the Britons don't know jack shit about what it was like here in the 4th century (ya know, that time when they were still wearing furs, telling stories of pixies among themselves, and fighting off naked tattooed savages from the north). Here, if you dig a pickaxe into the dirt somewhere, anywhere, you'd instantly clank against a gold mask of a Thracian king. Up there in the foggy Albion, you'd come across the occasional iron Viking speahead most likely.
The way it looks, the world is now standing at a crossroads. The whole universe now has just two options, folks! One: let our people live and work wherever they want, and in return, bring those Brits over here to bake their pinky asses at our seaside, and check out our Thracian gold in the museums if they so much desire to get enlightened. And two: Britain keeps using Bulgarians and Romanians as scarecrows to frighten their subjects; while we keep scaring our populace with Syrians. In turn, Sofia keeps scaring itself of "provincialists" (yep, that's a thing here; and the city-vs-village dichotomy has long been a major divisive line in BG, among many others). The villagers will be scared of Gypsies, the Gypsies of fanatical wannabe-nationalists, the nationalists of evil America, America of evil Russia, Russia of evil Islamists, and Islamists would be scared of nothing - because whatever shit happens, 72 virgins would still await them up there in Heaven, just bathed in rivers of honey and wine. (A caveat: their sex remains undisclosed just yet - but don't tell 'em that).
The world's big fear of the alien is built from countless little tiny fears like these.
It's no coincidence that the turning of the new year was marked by both the fear of aliens, and the mocking over that fear. The world has been swinging between these two states for a while: opening and shutting itself to the new and the unknown, accepting and rejecting the alien, swinging back and forth, understating and overstating the dangers, always standing at a crossroads, stuck in a constant overall state of impasse.
For some, the world has reverted to the time when their side/country/group was the greatest power of them all. For others, it has speeded up way too much away from that point, and they feel as if they're hanging over the precipice, but they still want to pretend that they're in control, that they've got the upper hand and the high ground.
Such a chaos can't be sorted through arguments of the past. Otherwise it'll all forever remain at the stage where IRA/UK peace negotiations were at some point, where someone said, "Yeah, it's all fine and nice, but do you remember what you did back in the 13th century?", only to return to Square One yet again. Such a chaos of fear and ignorance, where people are easily swayed one way or another with just a few mere rumors and untruths repeated a hundred times, can only be sorted through open talks. And through looking forward, rather than constantly citing the past as an excuse.
I know, it all sounds too abstract. But it's true. Until people realize that they're being manipulated too easily, we won't be having nice things.
And when the day finally came, Twitter reacted the only way it knew how: by taking the piss.
The Brits have an awesomER sense of humor than ourselves, huh!? "Scores of Bulgars and Romanians are landing in our backyard, disguised as rain-drops. Run for your lives!" That's what one Elwin Mail tweeted a while ago. Another witty UKanian remarked, "I heard some noise outside. I thought it was the darned Buggers and Romanians. Turned out someone was dragging the garbage container. Duh!" And how about this: "The bus station is crammed with Bulgars & Romanians! Run to your homes! Lock the doors! Keep your daughters indoors!" Another one said, "Right from day one of the year, my flat was literally flooded with Bulgarians and Romanians demanding social aid. Please advise?" A pic of an emptied room lay displayed below that horrific statement. "I ain't scared of Romanians & Bulgarians, I'm rather scared of those guys up there in Glesga" (they mean Glasgow, obviously). They sure know why.
That's right, folks. That's how some Britons are reacting to the hysterical threats of their leaders that opening up the EUnian borders to Romanian and Bulgarian workers (Jan 1, 2014) would result in a mass invasion of dirty unwashed aliens with unpronounceable names who talk funny into the precious UKania.
Did it happ'n? Guess what? T'was all a lie. Dust in the air. One big stinking story. Just as everyone here knew well in advance. But don't let that get in the way of a perfectly sensationalist narrative! If it could buy some votes.
They didn't even get their shit straight.
Note the fucked up geography out there. Anything else you need to know?
Reminds me of the way people over here in historical Kazanlak, Central Bulgaria, recently reacted to the authorities' intention to build a shelter for the Syrian refugees there. "Hey, this is the Valley of Roses, our trademark landmark, our national treasure! This isn't a place for Syrians! Putting Arabs among our precious roses is unthinkable!" Etc, etc. I wish someone had the guts to ask those morons what the name of our "trademark" rose is - yeah, that one which has brought the fame and prosperity of that valley in the heart of the country. Tell you what: it's "Rosa Damascena". The Rose from Damascus. Ya know? DAMASCUS. The capital of Syria. The smelly flower was brought from there in the 16th century. So much with your fear-induced ignorance, folks - time for some enlightenment through a ton of lulz!
The way we Bulgars don't seem to care what Syria of the 16th century was like, the Britons don't know jack shit about what it was like here in the 4th century (ya know, that time when they were still wearing furs, telling stories of pixies among themselves, and fighting off naked tattooed savages from the north). Here, if you dig a pickaxe into the dirt somewhere, anywhere, you'd instantly clank against a gold mask of a Thracian king. Up there in the foggy Albion, you'd come across the occasional iron Viking speahead most likely.
The way it looks, the world is now standing at a crossroads. The whole universe now has just two options, folks! One: let our people live and work wherever they want, and in return, bring those Brits over here to bake their pinky asses at our seaside, and check out our Thracian gold in the museums if they so much desire to get enlightened. And two: Britain keeps using Bulgarians and Romanians as scarecrows to frighten their subjects; while we keep scaring our populace with Syrians. In turn, Sofia keeps scaring itself of "provincialists" (yep, that's a thing here; and the city-vs-village dichotomy has long been a major divisive line in BG, among many others). The villagers will be scared of Gypsies, the Gypsies of fanatical wannabe-nationalists, the nationalists of evil America, America of evil Russia, Russia of evil Islamists, and Islamists would be scared of nothing - because whatever shit happens, 72 virgins would still await them up there in Heaven, just bathed in rivers of honey and wine. (A caveat: their sex remains undisclosed just yet - but don't tell 'em that).
The world's big fear of the alien is built from countless little tiny fears like these.
It's no coincidence that the turning of the new year was marked by both the fear of aliens, and the mocking over that fear. The world has been swinging between these two states for a while: opening and shutting itself to the new and the unknown, accepting and rejecting the alien, swinging back and forth, understating and overstating the dangers, always standing at a crossroads, stuck in a constant overall state of impasse.
For some, the world has reverted to the time when their side/country/group was the greatest power of them all. For others, it has speeded up way too much away from that point, and they feel as if they're hanging over the precipice, but they still want to pretend that they're in control, that they've got the upper hand and the high ground.
Such a chaos can't be sorted through arguments of the past. Otherwise it'll all forever remain at the stage where IRA/UK peace negotiations were at some point, where someone said, "Yeah, it's all fine and nice, but do you remember what you did back in the 13th century?", only to return to Square One yet again. Such a chaos of fear and ignorance, where people are easily swayed one way or another with just a few mere rumors and untruths repeated a hundred times, can only be sorted through open talks. And through looking forward, rather than constantly citing the past as an excuse.
I know, it all sounds too abstract. But it's true. Until people realize that they're being manipulated too easily, we won't be having nice things.
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 13:49 (UTC)Unfortunately, populism will always gain credibility as long as there's a considerably large segment of ignorant people around.
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 13:53 (UTC)Student loans to Bulgarians and Romanians frozen (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/10461099/Student-loans-to-Bulgarians-and-Romanians-frozen.html)
Because there's some "suspicious" surge in enrolling in UK colleges, let's axe all Bulgarian and Romanian students who already are enrolled.
Those guys are geniuses!
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 14:39 (UTC)Thank the gods for the folk who take the piss out of provincial attitudes. Satire was invented to hold our leaders (and the lowest common denominator opinions which they often espouse) to account. But that doesn't mean that such parochial attitudes won't win votes and influence people.
Alas, in a democracy one cannot force folk to have reasonable opinions based on evidence, compassion, or common human decency, as you may be finding out vis-a-vis the current Syrian diaspora.
As Juvenal would no doubt opine, if only we could educate our ignoramuses forcibly, hey?
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 17:15 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 17:19 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 23:22 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 17:15 (UTC)http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/10/french-minister-swiss-vote-immigration (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/10/french-minister-swiss-vote-immigration)
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 17:50 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 18:00 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 11/2/14 01:10 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 17:47 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 18:00 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 17:57 (UTC)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign-born_population_of_the_United_Kingdom
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 18:24 (UTC)Or are you of the opinion that being brown and a former subject of the Empire invalidates residency? Because this is one hell of a strange comment, which could be taken a number of ways.
Folk from the Indian sub-continent often speak English as a first language, have been subject to laws based on English common-law, and have cultural connections which extend back over many generations. Less so with Eastern Europeans.
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 18:31 (UTC)You're welcome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_history_of_Cyprus#Cyprus_as_a_Protectorate).
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 18:34 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 18:38 (UTC)> And Cypriots have had a large community in Britain for many years
I'm glad for them. And so have Bulgarians, particularly in North London.
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 19:58 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 20:36 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 18:35 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 19:36 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 19:43 (UTC)I agree with your last bit: the moment when enough will have been said on issues like these is very far in the future and remains hidden from sight for the time being.
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 18:43 (UTC)Cultural/historical heritage is too weak an argument for selectively blocking citizens of particular countries, especially ones sharing EU membership, from entering.
Let's just name things with their names and admit that this is all being done for the sake of gaining cheap political points through worthless, irrational, groundless and outright idiotic populist rhetoric.
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 20:03 (UTC)No, but there are treaty obligations, which are true for Bulgarians and Romanians too.
However, sometimes the nationalist imbeciles in every country hold the sensible to ransom: 'twas ever thus.
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 20:40 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 21:14 (UTC)The only time we've been decent and behaved nobly this past half-century is with the East African Asian expulsions of the '60's and '70's: and this doesn't diminish our shame by much.
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 23:24 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 23:29 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 11/2/14 01:32 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 18:45 (UTC)But to entertain your bizarre argument, immigrants from former colonies are always welcome, but immigrants from Eastern Europe are not? You wouldn't mind paying benefits to 100 million Indians if they all decided to come over from your ex-colonies?
I'm not of the opinion that anyone's residency should be invalidated, nor did I ever express that opinion. I'm only wondering why it is that <1% of the immigrant groups are now reason for hysteria while the other >99% don't seem to have a problem.
I do agree that anyone seeking residency should speak the local language, but as a matter of fact that's kind of irrelevant to the whole argument that eastern europeans are stealing your jobs/benefits/lifestyle/whatever.
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 18:55 (UTC)They contribute to the economy by working harder than most Britons and doing jobs no one else would, they pay higher taxes, and there's no evidence that they're sucking on the government's teet than the locals.
But what do facts matter when we've got history and the press on our side.
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 19:14 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 19:14 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 19:17 (UTC)If the rules applied evenly to all, then that would've made some sense. And I'm not even starting on the most basic EU principle of freedom of movement, which the British seem so eager to dismiss, while still reaping all the benefits from being part of the Union. You can't both eat your cake and have it, you know.
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 19:24 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 20:33 (UTC)So why mention folk from the sub-continent?
I would agree with you that we haven't been either consistent or noble about our dealings with folk from Bulgaria or Romania, however I find it rather odd that the first point of comparison you should choose to make would be with folk from Asian former British colonies, which for your information also have had prejudice extended towards them from the British.
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 21:04 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 18:23 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 18:28 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 20:44 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 19:00 (UTC)I'm really not sure which public is more, ehm, amazing - the British or the American one.
(no subject)
Date: 10/2/14 19:18 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 11/2/14 02:17 (UTC)We want all the benefits of free trade/globalization/amalgamation without all the bullshit associated with it. The trouble is the truth of the matter; that no system is perfect.
Our histories are chock full of tariffs and other barriers of trade in order to protect our economies, then we free up trade in order to acquire wealth through trade. With our populations of people it's no different.
Nations of immigrants don't want fresh immigrants stealing all our jobs even as we were thankful that our recent ancestors arrived with $20 in their pocket and had to work for cheap in order to get to their place of great prosperity today.
Skilled politicians can score points on both sides of the argument (it's just a matter of knowing their audience). It's not even manipulation (which by definition bends opinions to whatever the manipulator wants) but rather just pandering to pre-existing conditions and profiting from them. If the public is fearful of X then sure as hell the skilled politician is against X.
But the prevailing trend of the last century has been creeping towards amalgamation. It used to be simply alliances for military advantage. Empires seem to have an expiry date when their protectorates become burdens. A military alliance is best utilized in a defensive posture, rather then offensive. But an economic agreement generally benefits everyone who signs the contract. At least that's the theory.
Of course there will always be resistance. And that protest has inertia, and snowballs when the spoils of mutual-agreement are not immediately apparent to all.
As a politician or as media, they have to take a position. Really difficult to be fair and balanced. Easier and more immediately rewarding to be for or against this issue. A balanced approach is chickenshit. It's especially brave to talk both sides of their mouth, changing position according to individuals.