Photo: George Calin via feeder.ro
Simply put, because I'm not a hypocrite.
I'm not one of the disenfranchised people that initially started the protests and that fought the riot police. I'm not one of those directly affected by the state cuts. I don't believe President Basescu is the mother and father of all evil (in fact, I think the opposition is worse).
I am not a member of the system, nor am I entirely outside of it. I make a (pretty decent) living by selling dreams and by validating big egos. I work in advertising and marketing-related fields where I see people as consumers and art as an industry. I visit an expensive dentist and have access to good quality health care that I afford to pay for. I maintain a lifestyle where I afford paying for 1 piece of handmade bonbon more than other people pay for a full-size chocolate tablet. I'm spoiled, and so are most of my friends.
But it's not, entirely, about that. Rather, I can't join a protest whose purpose and objectives I can't understand. I can't join a protest where people are protesting for literally hundreds of different reasons. I can't join a protest just because it's cool.
That's not to mean I have no reasons to be unhappy about the current state of affairs in Romania. On the contrary. Things like:
- the perverse relationship between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Romanian state, the Church's funding of its operations from the national budget and the building of the horrible National Redemption Cathedral
- the overall Christian-Orthodox religious debauchery in the country, its pressure on non-believers, its attack to dominate all aspects of public and private life;
- the lack of support for small & medium businesses;
- the lack of support for individual economic initiative, and discouragement of anyone who is not an "employee";
- Romanians' hate against minorities, no matter their kind, shape or form (from LGBT people to different ethnics, religons etc); basically, Romania's hate against being "different";
- Romanian banks' predatory practices, which are bankrupting families all around the country;
- a taxation system that is still absurdly complicated;
- a horrible under-financing of the arts;
- and the list could go on and on and on.
all of the above are things that directly lower my quality of life.Things that frustrate and annoy me.
But for none of the points above will people go out to protest. Or, to refine it a bit - a large majority of those protesting in the last few days in Bucharest would never go out to protest in favour of any of the points above.
And while I may agree with their demands, and while I may understand and have sympathy for their grievances, it's not reciprocal, and it ends there.
For those looking for a bit more context, please read this piece in the Economist and this one in the Guardian.
4 comments:
esti un papagal.
Mi se pare ca gresesti. Pentru ca tu nu iesi in strada pentru punctele scrise de tine cu bullets-uri, si pentru ca altii ies pentru ale lor, tie iti da dreptul sa stai in casa. Tu alei ca punctele alea sa nu fie indeajuns de importante ca sa iesi in strada, pentru ca altfel ti-ai fii facut frumos o pancarda cu vrem banii de pe catedrala bagati in scoli si spitale, si iti garantez ca iti faceai o oarecare audienta. Dar, alegi sa iti justifici musca de pe caciula cu o sinceritate ambigua. Cum poti tu, rezolva punctele sublinniate de tine?(cu care sunt 100% de acord btw) Adica pornesti de la premiza ca nu o sa ai acces la diferiti politicieni carora sa le trimiti o litsa cu cereri si ei o sa-ti faca viata mai placuta, chestie cu care sunt de acord. Asa ca , ce faci ? Mie sincer, mi se pare ca tocmai reciprocitatea de care nu dai dovada e problema. Si multa lume a spus asta, ca defapt e in principal o problema de mentalitate sociala, si ca nu avem spirit civic ca popor. Pai daca nu iese si Gioco in strada sa imi sustina mie pancarda, eu de ce sa o sustin pe a lui? Eu abia astazi am facut sinapsa, ca motivul pentru care as iesi (dupa cum spunea si mama lui Kreti, am nevoie de unul) este solidaritatea. Parerea mea este ca diferitele partide care ajung putere nu fac decat o nuantare minima intre cacat si fecale, din punct de vedere al calitatii conducerii, oricum e TOATA lumea suparata pe toata clasa politica, deci o sa fie scandal oricum ai face, si asta nu se schimba decat daca se schimba regulile jocului. Nu zic hai sa dam foc la chestii sau impuscam parlamentul, ci din contra, sa ne educam noi noua, simtul civic de a iesi in strada pentru problemele care nu apar pe to-do list-ul politicienilor, si care ne sunt bagate pe gat de Biserica etc. Mi se pare ca gresesti, pentru ca ar trebui sa ii sustii pe necunoscutii aia cu toate felurile de probleme (unele autentice, altele dubioase) ca sa iesim cat mai multi cat mai des cand e vorba de ceva major. Pentru ca noi ar trebui sa conducem, nu "aia" de la putere. Tu ai facut o alegere de a le da lor si mai multa putere pt ca tie iti este confortabil. Si mie mi-a fost la fel, pana cand am facut sinapsa, si maine daca mai e ceva eu ies. Si te-as astepta si pe tine, si pe prieteni.
draga alex
sincer, ma bucur ca tie ti-e bine si iti cumperi bomboane confectionate si ai asigurare medicala si scrii despre probleme precum biserica si business-urile mici si mijlocii. dar cred c-ai putea fi mai atent: cand peste 90% dintre cei din jurul tau traiesc aproape in pragul saraciei nici tie nu ti-e de fapt bine on the lond run. oamenii vor cumpara faina ieftina la sac si companiile nu vor mai plati mii de euro pentru campaniile din care te rasfeti tu. un om care-si permite sa stea acasa si sa scrie un blog cu o audienta ok ar trebui sa-si asume un pic mai multa responsabilitate fata de societatea si oamenii printre care traieste. nu cred ca vrei sa traiesti intr-o tara saracita si cu infractionalitate si mai crescuta decat deja e.
OK - so everybody got hung up on my bon-bons.
I agree that the protests in themselves are a good thing - nothing in my entry suggests otherwise. I just tried to make a point about why I didn't go out to protest - and that is not because I can afford premium sweets.
I know so many people in the country aren't doing ok. I know there're many things wrong in the country - I have written about a few of them myself.
I also tried (and apparently failed) to make the point that I think it's a bit hypocritical to go join now a protest that really has very little relevance for each one of us personally and has the tiniest chance of success (today as I write this comment it really seems a lost cause, and it has been so for more than half of its existence), considering that in the past there have been so many other occasions to protest against things that are wrong (starting with the gay pride parade and ending with protests against the education law or against the cathedral etc), protests which, had they been better attended, might have had a chance of actually making a difference. Especially after the violences, the protests at Universitate have become such an idealized thing - it's like hipsters have finally discovered protests and protesting and civic spirit, because all those things are suddenly cool, even though the relevance of this protest has been decreasing daily.
I didn't go out to protest because I didn't believe in these protests. And apparently neither do all those who comment above (I doubt any of you has been there daily for even 15 minutes). That doesn't make me a bad person. Nor does it mean I disagree with the protestors and their demands.
And as a personal note - I volunteered for 7 years at Save the Children Romania from 13 to 19 - it was pure volunteering that brought me no financial benefits and that I didn't use to create a career; I have always went out to the protests that I felt were relevant to me; I have had direct access to politicians and always asked the tough questions. I've been engaged in volunteering and protests since before I knew that boys' penises could be used for other things than peeing.
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