From: tr2g+@andrew.cmu.edu (Thomas Richardson)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.romanian
Subject: Re: R. Tomescu's opinion.
Date: 14 Nov 92 05:22:04 GMT
 <1992Nov5.025539.23178@dartvax.dartmouth.edu>  <1dabcrINN4k3@agate.berkeley.edu><1992Nov5.181117.5338@dartvax.dartmouth.edu>
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

Dan Popa writes, in response to Radu Tomescu,

>     I perfectly agree with what you said. Unfortunately many Romanian
>people do not think that any reconciliation is necessary, and many
>Hungarian people think that we are the only one responsible for this...

This is true, but it is at least something if Hungarians and Romanians,
even only intelligent emigrees, can talk reasonably on the network. It
may not be much, but it is better than nothing: Much of Europe seems to
be returning to the futile and senseless, ways of nationalism and
xenophobia. This seems to be happening even in 'rich' western countries
such as France, Germany and Austria....(for instance Yehudi Menuhin's
recent comment which began 'The Germans, unlike Latin races...' See
clari.news.europe). Once people close their minds, and think of other
nations as 'them' - mere collections of photocopies of the national
stereotype, rather than composed of individuals - then Europe will once
again be plunged into war.

On the more general point, I think that by the end of the twentieth
century, after two world wars, European nations should realize that
trade and mutual cooperation will 'maximize utility'.... Surely it
should be clear to the Hungarians, living in Hungary, that border
changes will have no benefit (to either party) other than enormous
economic loss... (Wait and see how much economic benefit Russia reaps
from its Dniester occupation!) 

Having taught English in Romania I was amazed that it was hard to
initiate class discussion on sex, drugs, women's rights....(fairly
explosive topics in many classrooms) but a small article, which I handed
out, discussing the character of Vlad Tepes, and links that he might or
might not have with the story of Dracula produced an enormous reactions.
The whole class began to tell me, very passionately and seriously, that
he was 'cruel but just', and that 'Dracula' was a Hungarian or German
slander of this heroic leader....(in fairness to the class, Monty Python
also produced a pretty large discussion!).
 
I found it very hard to understand how a man who has been dead for 500
years could be in the slightest bit relevant to modern Romanian
students... I said, perhaps a little cynically, that Vlad Tepes was only
relevant to modern Romania in so far as he might provide a source of
tourist income (I subsequently see that a Hungarian company has set up a
Dracula tour - admittedly visiting the more picturesque rather than the
historically accurate locations.)
 
Perhaps I have too much of an English attitude to history, but the
vigour with which my students tried to convince me of their position led
me to suspect that much more than academic questions of history were at
stake.
    
I know that historical figures are part of a nations culture, but I was
still somewhat shocked... If somebody said to a class in Britain, 'Henry
V was a terrible man, and not a valiant conqueror of the arrogant French
at Agincourt,' (as he really was (joke)), most of the class would say
'So what?', or 'Who?', or 'Did he fight the French?', (Or, 'You mean
'Henry V' was a real person, not just someone dreamed up by Kenneth
Brannagh....')

Sorry to go on about this for so long, I got slightly carried away... I
should also add that there were a few Hungarians in my classes, who
presented a different view of Vlad Tepes, stressing that his mentor
Hunyadi (I hope I remembered that correctly I may have confused two
names), was Hungarian.

[While on the subject, I see from the New York Times Review that Francis
Ford Coppola's latest Dracula film, includes a 'sequence in Transylvania
shortly after Constantinople's fall to the turks in 1462. Dracula
[appears as] the bravest knight in all Transylvania'!]

Anyway to go back to the original point, it is most heartening to see
some intelligent, calm discussion between Hungarians and Romanians....

Cheers!

Thomas Richardson
Philosophy Dept
CMU
Newsgroups: soc.culture.romanian