I was reading my RSS feed to the Economist today and went on a bit of rambling voyage through the web.
The article in question is “Hungary’s opposition: A nasty party.”
As I was reading, I happened upon a reference to a “Turul.” There was an illegal statue of one erected in Budapest and was then subsequently taken down — much to the dismay of the far right-wing political groups that helped put it up.
Never having even heard of such a bird while growing up I needed to Google it. One of the matches was the Curious Expeditions site. It has an interested history of the critter. In short, it’s a giant hawk and helped form the nation. Ultra-conservatives always seem to cling to nation-forming memes.
Exploring that site a bit more I went to the main Hungary page and found the song “Szomorú vasárnap” (Gloomy Sunday). It certainly is. The lyrics are somber to say the least. The English translation is pretty good, but not perfect.
Jumping back to the article in the Economist:
This week somebody scattered pigs’ feet among the riverside memorial, composed of metal shoes, that marks a Nazi atrocity in 1944 when Jews were driven into the waters of the Danube and shot. Outsiders worry about prejudice becoming respectable. The British Embassy, for example, is sponsoring a Music Against Racism event at a Budapest festival in August. Perhaps Mr Orban should put in an appearance.
Hundreds of bronze shoes and boots are lined up on the shore of the Danube commemorating the atrocities of the Arrow Cross party that was run by the Nazi regime during World War II. The stillness of the monument moves me whenever I see it. Connecting people to the place where these acts occurred. Jews were marched out onto the bridges and shot; or just simply weighed down and pushed in.
Desecration of this? What the hell? Standing on the shoulders of mad men.
It’s interesting because I was just over there a few months ago. Reading about the goings on there makes me wonder about people in general. People are so close-minded. Someone who doesn’t look like you, someone that doesn’t believe in the same things as you, must be trash.
Gloomy Sunday indeed.