Random Country Opinions Day 9: Belarus

[Hash]

Freedom Country (FC) vs. Horrible Country (HC).

Day 1: Cape Verde: 88.9% positive
Day 2: Namibia: 81.3% positive
Day 3: San Marino: 94.1% positive
Day 4: Slovakia: 85.7% positive
Day 5: Monaco: 58.3% negative
Day 6: Cuba: 50.0% negative
Day 7: Sweden: 73.9% positive
Day 8: Mozambique: 55.6% negative

[Nhoj]

horrible country for sure.

[GMantis]

A misunderstood country. FC on balance, though they are too heavily dependent on Russia.

[minionofmidas]

A misunderstood country certainly, not quite as bad as we make out quite possibly, but "FC on balance"? Not quite following you there. (Thinking of the country aka state - nothing against the people.)

[ottermax]

One of the most horrible countries in the world.

[k-onmmunist]

HC. Down with communism.

[Keystone Phil]

Like many other Eastern European countries, Belarus scares me.

[Stranger in a strange land]

I'm going to have to vote HC here

[GMantis]

Like many other Eastern European countries, Belarus scares me.

What's so scary about it? And which other Eastern European countries scare you?

[Keystone Phil]

Like many other Eastern European countries, Belarus scares me.

What's so scary about it? And which other Eastern European countries scare you?

It just seems like Eastern Europe is one of the "darker" areas of the world. The languages scare me. The cultures seem very secretive (reminding me of the Soviet Union days).

[GMantis]

Like many other Eastern European countries, Belarus scares me.

What's so scary about it? And which other Eastern European countries scare you?

It just seems like Eastern Europe is one of the "darker" areas of the world. The languages scare me. The cultures seem very secretive (reminding me of the Soviet Union days).

Again you show your ignorance and xenophobia.
What is so scary about Slavic languages? They are certainly more melodious than English (though not Italian, I grant you).
Eastern Europeans are in general much more hospitable than Western Europeans for example. You shouldn't judge other countries by their former governing system (especially since you feel insulted when anyone mentions Italy's government).

[Keystone Phil]

Again you show your ignorance and xenophobia.

Haha, dude, calm yourself. I'm certainly not ignorant of these countries or their cultures. I know a good deal.

I don't have Eastern Europeans. I'm used to them being portrayed (fairly or unfairly) a certain way. What I do actually know about them, I simply don't like. It doesn't make me ignorant or a xenophobe. Some people don't like specific cultures in Italy (Sicilians, for example). Big deal. I'm not necessarily calling those people xenophobes. Some people just don't like certain things.

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It just sounds scary to me. I don't know how else to explain that.

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I'm sure they are. I'm just afraid of they stereotype that I'm used to (especially among Eastern Europeans in my area). You know, like the stereotypes that I'm sure you have no problem feeding into with certain Americans. I'm sure it's ok for you to dislike the "Deep South hicks."

 

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Dude, give me a break. I'm tired of clearing up your misleading statements. No, I don't feel insulted whenever someone mentions the Italian government. If anything, I've agreed that it has been a mess (I recently made a topic about the instability there). What I defend Italians from is this idea that they're a silly background culture that can't govern themselves at all.

[GMantis]

Again you show your ignorance and xenophobia.

Haha, dude, calm yourself. I'm certainly not ignorant of these countries or their cultures. I know a good deal.

I don't have Eastern Europeans. I'm used to them being portrayed (fairly or unfairly) a certain way. What I do actually know about them, I simply don't like. It doesn't make me ignorant or a xenophobe. Some people don't like specific cultures in Italy (Sicilians, for example). Big deal. I'm not necessarily calling those people xenophobes. Some people just don't like certain things.

You don't like their language because it sounds scary? This is a dictionary definition of Xenophobia.
And sorry, you are ignorant. Western society is far more "secretive" (whatever that's supposed to mean) than the one in Eastern Europe.

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I'm sure they are. I'm just afraid of they stereotype that I'm used to (especially among Eastern Europeans in my area). You know, like the stereotypes that I'm sure you have no problem feeding into with certain Americans. I'm sure it's ok for you to dislike the "Deep South hicks."

No, I don't feed into these kinds of stereotypes, as I've stated before. This is mostly because I can understand being unfairly stereotyped by people by you.

[Keystone Phil]

You don't like their language because it sounds scary? This is a dictionary definition of Xenophobia.

I don't have an unconditional hatred for the places or people though. Sorry if my dislike for the sound of their language makes me a xenophobe. 

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I doubt that but there's no way for either of us to prove the other wrong. Again, it's all about how we see it on an individual level.

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You've never once felt that way towards a certain type of people ("hickish southern Americans" in particular)? Sorry but I find that very hard to believe. You may not feed into the stereotype vocally (I really don't either) but I'm sure you've felt a certain way before.

[GMantis]

You don't like their language because it sounds scary? This is a dictionary definition of Xenophobia.

I don't have an unconditional hatred for the places or people though. Sorry if my dislike for the sound of their language makes me a xenophobe. 

Phobia is generally defined as irrational fear or hatred. Xeno means foreign. Connect the dots yourself.

And sorry, you are ignorant. Western society is far more "secretive" (whatever that's supposed to mean) than the one in Eastern Europe.

I doubt that but there's no way for either of us to prove the other wrong. Again, it's all about how we see it on an individual level.

You know, I speak from a personal experience. I've lived for several years in Germany and the UK, probably much more than the entire time you've spent in Eastern Europe (have you actually ever been there? Or has someone close to you ever been there?) It is an individual opinion, I agree, but unless I'm very much mistaken, yours comes from woeful misinformation.

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You've never once felt that way towards a certain type of people ("hickish southern Americans" in particular)? Sorry but I find that very hard to believe. You may not feed into the stereotype vocally (I really don't either) but I'm sure you've felt a certain way before.

I've felt so sometimes, I admit, but I'm generally loath too believe too much in stereotypes. As I've told you, I have experienced them myself.

[Keystone Phil]

Phobia is generally defined as irrational fear or hatred. Xeno means foreign. Connect the dots yourself.

I don't get what's so irrational about my fear. It's not even really a fear; it's a dislike. Sue me.

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I've been to Greece and Turkey (don't know if we can really consider those countries "Eastern" and/or "European"). I'm not getting the stereotypes from my experiences in those countries. I'm used to what I've personally seen in the media and from actual Eastern Europeans. Just don't call me ignorant.

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And I've experienced stereotypes, too. That doesn't mean I don't fall victim to believing some of them or that I'm immune from disliking certain aspects of certain cultures.

[GMantis]

I've been to Greece and Turkey (don't know if we can really consider those countries "Eastern" and/or "European"). I'm not getting the stereotypes from my experiences in those countries. I'm used to what I've personally seen in the media and from actual Eastern Europeans. Just don't call me ignorant.

I wouldn't call you ignorant, if you weren't inviting it. You are judging an enormous region on what you've seen on the media, which is rather ignorant on this issue and on a few Eastern Europeans, with most of them being unrepresentative of the average people in their home countries (where are most of these East Europeans you've seen, by the way?).
Sorry, I don't want to insult you, but this irrational attitude against Eastern Europe is very prevalent and very annoying. You could at least tell some things you dislike instead of using vage generalities.

[Keystone Phil]

with most of them being unrepresentative of the average people in their home countries (where are most of these East Europeans you've seen, by the way?).

They're mainly Polish, Ukranian and Russian. NE Philly has a very strong Eastern European population in certain areas.

I do wish to note that plenty of others said that they aren't just "afraid" of countries like Belarus but come out and actually said that they hate the country. However, I'm the only one being called out. Just pointing that out.

[GMantis]

with most of them being unrepresentative of the average people in their home countries (where are most of these East Europeans you've seen, by the way?).

They're mainly Polish, Ukranian and Russian. NE Philly has a very strong Eastern European population in certain areas.

I do wish to note that plenty of others said that they aren't just "afraid" of countries like Belarus but come out and actually said that they hate the country. However, I'm the only one being called out. Just pointing that out.

You said you feared the whole region. Also they mostly refered to the government.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Very misunderstood, but certainly not a shining beacon of freedom and democracy.  Near the bottom of the list as far as eastern Europe is concerned.

[Keystone Phil]

with most of them being unrepresentative of the average people in their home countries (where are most of these East Europeans you've seen, by the way?).

They're mainly Polish, Ukranian and Russian. NE Philly has a very strong Eastern European population in certain areas.

I do wish to note that plenty of others said that they aren't just "afraid" of countries like Belarus but come out and actually said that they hate the country. However, I'm the only one being called out. Just pointing that out.

You said you feared the whole region. Also they mostly refered to the government.

I think many also refered to crime in their respective home countries.

And I don't really fear the whole region.

[Iosif]

The only country in Europe that still has the death penalty.

Negative by default.

[Tender Branson]

Like many other Eastern European countries, Belarus scares me.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/world/europe/05bulgaria.html