On non-liberal values in Hungary
By: Tibor Hargitai
Tags: Liberalism, Politics, Europe, Hungary, Society

What a year! I say so after a for me rather tumulous, stressful year, of which — as many other — I am happy it’s over. But that’s not the point here. Let’s talk a bit about the social anxiety that the Hungarian government party has been fostering over the years in Hungary.

Democratic erosion in Hungary has further geared up. It is not only the erosion of democracy, but also its hateful and negative rhetoric has reached new highs.

One of the most appalling such happenings took place in September. Prime minister Orbán’s reaction to a children’s book recently published, which features a culturally diverse and sexually inclusive set of protagonists, was the following: “Hungary is a patient, tolerant country as regards [to] homosexuality. But there is a red line that cannot be crossed, and this is how I would sum up my opinion: Leave our children alone.” This “gay propaganda” does not have a place in Hungary.

Furthermore, prominent Fidesz politicians have equated the EU with the Gestapo, warned for European liberals nostalgia for Communism, or “a liberal is nothing more than a communist with a university degree”. That last quote comes from Prime Minister Orbán himself.

Orbán likes to talk about the importance of the community, also enshrined in the Hungarian Constitution — no longer called a constitution, but “Fundamental Law”. Below a statement from a speech by PM Orbán in 2019:

In a liberal system, society and nation are nothing but an aggregation of competing individuals. What holds them together is the Constitution and the market economy. There is no nation — or if there is, it is only a political nation… When there is no nation, there is no community and no community interest. In essence this is the relationship between the individual and society from a liberal point of view.

If Hungary’s non-liberalism is based on the community, as the below clause from the Fundamental law of Hungary shows, and liberalism is not built on a sense of community, then Orbán’s government gets closer to Communism — the part where class distinctions are eliminated — then the individualist liberal opposition and “West”.

Article O) Everyone shall be responsible for him- or herself, and shall be obliged to contribute to the performance of state and community tasks according to his or her abilities and possibilities.

Hungary’s defence of Christian traditions and Hungary’s glory are from a different age, and sound painfully outdated in a world which is necessarily globalising and where the necessity to cooperate on the EU-level is absolutely crucial. On the issue of gender and family values, I am completely incapable of understanding the added value of promoting “traditional Christian family values”, where family is solely between a man and a woman.

It actually reminds me of the movie American Beauty, where Spacey’s neighbour is this very tough anti-gay military guy, who towards the climax of the movie comes to believe that Spacey’s character is gay as well, and approaches Spacey in his most vulnerable moment. The underlying fear of appearing weak and an outcast by society is very present in this scene.

The neighbour in American Beauty

The screenshot is taking from a website which talks about social anxiety and defines that as: “a persistent fear of one or more social…situations in which the person is exposed to…possible scrutiny by others. The individual fears that he or she will act in a way…that will be embarrassing and humiliating.” In fact, that is exactly the kind of anxiety which the outdated ideology of Hungary nourishes.

And, come November 2020, one of the founding members of Fidesz is caught naked at a gay orgy in Brussels. Needless to say, that was an utter embarrassment for Fidesz. One of their own gay! Yikes! But what should it matter really? If this MEP had been able to be openly gay, he probably would have had a much more pleasant, or at least honest, life. Being honest to oneself, in my view, is one of the most important missions in life, adding to a sense of fulfilment. (My biggest problem with the MEPs decision to take part in this orgy is the spread of covid-19, and the clear violation of Belgium’s corona restrictions. Very irresponsible indeed, especially for a prominent politician.)

Therefore, Hungary’s anti-immigration, anti-gay, Christian conservativism breeds hatred, limits Hungarians’ ability to be who they really are or want to be, and breeds social anxiety.

Taken at face value, the issue of gender is a profoundly cultural one. Therefore, as a final thought on this for today, I recall Harari’s — author of the book Sapiens — differentiation between a female and a woman. Being male or female is biological, being a man or woman is cultural. The below table illustrates the point very well. Whereas the biological features of the female have not changed in the last 2000+ years, women today hold a very different position in Athenian society.

Harari’s categorisation sex versus gender https://erenow.net/common/sapiensbriefhistory/37.php

Hungary’s cultural-ideological pursuit to curb the status of women, non-heterosexuals and non-Hungarians leads to a narrow-minded and short-sighted view of what it means to be an individual, in Hungary.

While I am aware of the troubled history of Hungary (more on that later), and while I recognise that it is actually rather difficult to really become who you truly are, what the Hungarian government party is further developing is a society where citizens suffer from social anxiety, and where citizens are taught to hate others (Muslims, refugees, George Soros, Ference Gyurcsány, and liberals). That leads to sadness, frustration, cynicism — bad.