A Bit of Sadness: Things the US MSM Doesn't Talk About

My existence here is so absolutely life-giving and energy-giving that I can barely describe how amazingly wonderful it is. I try so hard to tell the people that are around me how much they are doing for me, and it often feels like they don't believe me or believe in their life-affirming energy.

So because my everyday is overwhelmingly positive, it makes me so sad that current happenings here are so ridiculously negative. Specifically, the horrifically hateful right-wing nationalism that has been rearing it's ugly, ugly head in this corner of the world lately. Some flava from recent headlines:

• Bitter Blood Boils Between Neighbors (Budapest Times)
• Slovak, Hungarian leaders Fail to Thaw Icy Relations (Deutsche Welle -- one of my new favorite news sources, btw)

First off, a suggestion for Ján Slota: STFU. You're really an embarrassment to a lot of people. On Monday, in the car, we drove past where you insulted the Hungarian foreign minister -- disgusting. Also on Monday, and in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, on a holiday commemorating protests against the Nazis and the beginning of the Velvet Revolution (thus, a holiday celebrating nonviolent protests -- lovely), nationalist groups even farther to the right of Slota protested against immigration and were openly racist. A stinger? While watching this bullshit on the news, I made the comment that effectively, I was an immigrant here, these people should be against me as well, and the response was something like, "but Maria, you're a student, blah blah ..." subtexts: "You're not a gypsy. / You look like us so we're not against you."

I am so sad and angry about such things. But there is some goodness from a Slovak Spectator editorial:

"Whenever a political leader, not to mention one who leads a party which is part of the government, lets out steam by calling other nationalities robbers and villains, there will always be a handful who will take it as an inspiration and might one day choose to go out into the street and attack people for using a different language or having a different skin colour."

The thing is, this is true for everywhere, not just Slovakia. Disaffected white males: quit feeling sorry for yourselves and find something more productive to do -- love will always triumph over hate, so just submit now.