4 ms·

Poland is hard-core Catholic, same as Italy, Austria, Croatia, and a few others. They are conservative to the core. Trying to lecture a Catholic about anything

Poland is hard-core Catholic, same as Italy, Austria, Croatia, and a few others. They are conservative to the core. Trying to lecture a Catholic about anything that has to do with sex, doesn't go down well. I've been living in Eastern EU (including Poland) for the past 5 years (I myself am from the West of EU). All of the former soviet block has a problem with homophobia. As much as I love the people and enjoy my time here, there is no way in hell I would want to be here as an openly gay person. At best you'd get beaten after leaving a club at worst you end up knifed. Young people are a lot better in this regard but people at my age (those who lived through the iron curtain) would never support LGBT. They see it as an attack on their identity and culture. Poland is also deeply divided - much more so than Germany or France. The only place I know which has more racism than the Eastern EU and which is also more divided is Britain.

ginko 7y ago
Listing Austria, the country that has been hosting the Life Ball for almost 3 decades by now in your list doesn't exactly strengthen your argument.
- wink 7y ago
  You might be confusing the really liberal city of Vienna with the rest of Austria, which is -in big parts- very different, less open, and to a large degree support the FPÖ party.
- DyslexicAtheist 7y ago
  go to the rural places in Carinthia, Styria (I recommend a dying town such as Eisenerz) which will probably change your mind.
  - ginko 7y ago
    Is there any country where that(more liberal city, more conservative countryside) isn't the case though?
    - DyslexicAtheist 7y ago
      most of the Austrian countryside is rich, they have a well working social safety net and great public health. many farmers have branched out decades ago into tourism and sustainable techniques (realizing they can't compete across EU with countries like Holland where everything is flat). Those who want to work mostly find work. The Austria I'm talking about doesn't see any tourists. It's more about of disposable income and people with very rigid skills losing their jobs to automation. It is not a rural/urban issue! Money doesn't make people happy but it makes dealing with misery a lot less stressful. A farmer might change their worldview because s/he suddenly has to serve and cater to tourists/guests with wildly different views. The mining worker in Eisenerz who hasn't gotten a pay rise in 2 decades might not be so open in their worldview. Both the farmer, and the mining worker live on the countryside. Then there are the Eastern European workers from Hungary and Czech serving tourists and being employed by the Hotels, restaurants and cafes. There is no "ghetto" or a "outsiders" vs insiders feeling anywhere. The bosses are happy, everyone earns.
thu2111 7y ago
The only place I know which has more racism than the Eastern EU and which is also more divided is Britain. You mean the country that: 1. Is the most racially diverse country in Europe 2. And which just elected a government with a historically huge mandate, partly because the opposing party was plagued by accusations of anti-semitism? That divided and racist country? Most people haven't lived in eastern Europe and would accept your views by default, indeed, I've never lived there either (have visited many times though). But if you really believe the UK of all places is the most racist and divided place you know then you can't really know Europe at all, or indeed what racism truly is, because that's the exact opposite of how it really is. Perhaps you are getting your views exclusively from German newspapers?
- DyslexicAtheist 7y ago
  > Perhaps you are getting your views exclusively from German newspapers? yes it must be all those German newspapers I read while I was living in the UK. /s I don't make armchair philosophy statements! my experience comes from living abroad since the age of 16 and never having stopped (e.g. never live in the same place for more than 5 years). So you can insinuate whatever, I _know_ what I experienced. Seriously the number of times British expats in Germany asked me "how I feel about the war", one guy even said once "aren't you ashamed of your grandfathers sins". He assumed I was German which isn't the case. This was the kind of Brits who have an open worldview. The type that actually leaves the UK to work abroad ... None of them bothered to learn the lingo and preferred to hang out with other English speakers rather than mix with locals. Not to mention the number of times they thought I was British and thought it was OK to make degrading jokes about foreigners. My mother lives in Spain. And I used to live in the South of France. Both places have a large British expat community. Not once have I seen the Brits integrating into the local culture. Instead they mix exclusively among themselves like some Raj ruling class. Rarely ever hanging out with the locals, despite themselves getting invited by locals, ... or while other foreigners would try to mingle with everyone else, Brits rather stay among themselves. They can't be arsed to learn another language either. I may sound like I hate Brits. Actually it is the most fascinating and funny people I know. But oh my god - it is an awful lot of work to make friends with them if you aren't native English speaker yourself. The only other people I know who keep treating you like an outsider even if you've been among their midst for years are the Japanese. I know not because "armchair philosophy" but because I'm married to one since >20 years! AMA

ginko 7y ago

Listing Austria, the country that has been hosting the Life Ball for almost 3 decades by now in your list doesn't exactly strengthen your argument.

wink 7y ago
You might be confusing the really liberal city of Vienna with the rest of Austria, which is -in big parts- very different, less open, and to a large degree support the FPÖ party.
DyslexicAtheist 7y ago
go to the rural places in Carinthia, Styria (I recommend a dying town such as Eisenerz) which will probably change your mind.
- ginko 7y ago
  Is there any country where that(more liberal city, more conservative countryside) isn't the case though?
  - DyslexicAtheist 7y ago
    most of the Austrian countryside is rich, they have a well working social safety net and great public health. many farmers have branched out decades ago into tourism and sustainable techniques (realizing they can't compete across EU with countries like Holland where everything is flat). Those who want to work mostly find work. The Austria I'm talking about doesn't see any tourists. It's more about of disposable income and people with very rigid skills losing their jobs to automation. It is not a rural/urban issue! Money doesn't make people happy but it makes dealing with misery a lot less stressful. A farmer might change their worldview because s/he suddenly has to serve and cater to tourists/guests with wildly different views. The mining worker in Eisenerz who hasn't gotten a pay rise in 2 decades might not be so open in their worldview. Both the farmer, and the mining worker live on the countryside. Then there are the Eastern European workers from Hungary and Czech serving tourists and being employed by the Hotels, restaurants and cafes. There is no "ghetto" or a "outsiders" vs insiders feeling anywhere. The bosses are happy, everyone earns.

thu2111 7y ago

The only place I know which has more racism than the Eastern EU and which is also more divided is Britain. You mean the country that: 1. Is the most racially diverse country in Europe 2. And which just elected a government with a historically huge mandate, partly because the opposing party was plagued by accusations of anti-semitism? That divided and racist country? Most people haven't lived in eastern Europe and would accept your views by default, indeed, I've never lived there either (have visited many times though). But if you really believe the UK of all places is the most racist and divided place you know then you can't really know Europe at all, or indeed what racism truly is, because that's the exact opposite of how it really is. Perhaps you are getting your views exclusively from German newspapers?

DyslexicAtheist 7y ago
> Perhaps you are getting your views exclusively from German newspapers? yes it must be all those German newspapers I read while I was living in the UK. /s I don't make armchair philosophy statements! my experience comes from living abroad since the age of 16 and never having stopped (e.g. never live in the same place for more than 5 years). So you can insinuate whatever, I _know_ what I experienced. Seriously the number of times British expats in Germany asked me "how I feel about the war", one guy even said once "aren't you ashamed of your grandfathers sins". He assumed I was German which isn't the case. This was the kind of Brits who have an open worldview. The type that actually leaves the UK to work abroad ... None of them bothered to learn the lingo and preferred to hang out with other English speakers rather than mix with locals. Not to mention the number of times they thought I was British and thought it was OK to make degrading jokes about foreigners. My mother lives in Spain. And I used to live in the South of France. Both places have a large British expat community. Not once have I seen the Brits integrating into the local culture. Instead they mix exclusively among themselves like some Raj ruling class. Rarely ever hanging out with the locals, despite themselves getting invited by locals, ... or while other foreigners would try to mingle with everyone else, Brits rather stay among themselves. They can't be arsed to learn another language either. I may sound like I hate Brits. Actually it is the most fascinating and funny people I know. But oh my god - it is an awful lot of work to make friends with them if you aren't native English speaker yourself. The only other people I know who keep treating you like an outsider even if you've been among their midst for years are the Japanese. I know not because "armchair philosophy" but because I'm married to one since >20 years! AMA