All posts in category Culture

Golden Oldie

A few weeks ago, I told my father that for some strange reason, I wanted to watch Troy again. I have no idea how I came up with it, but I just suddenly wanted to see it once more. Two or three weeks later, Troy was broadcasted on tv.

Speaking of coincidence! Maybe someone has taken pity on me for not going to Russia, and maybe he is trying to cheer me up by doing these little things that light up my day. I like it.

It’s not like I haven’t seen Troy before, I have seen it multiple times, but at an age when I couldn’t really enjoy it to the fullest, I believe. Of course I know the story and everything, but there’s more to movies than just the plot line. I wanted to see the images and hear the music and just watch a movie of which I know I will like it. So yesterday we watched it again, and we all enjoyed it here. There are so many stunning one liners, great comebacks and brilliant scenes. For example this quote:

“I’ll tell you a secret. Something they don’t teach you in your temple. The Gods envy us. They envy us because we’re mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again.”

Achilles says this to the Trojan girl he kind of stole and who becomes his lover. She was a servant in a temple.

Achilles is one of those characters who make this movie so great. He is so stubborn and doesn’t want anyone controlling him. He seems so good, but then kills Hector and treats him so badly, and you want to like him still. Then there is also his king, Agamemnon, such an asshole. Oooh, you just hate him for being greedy and brutal. But he’s got some of the best lines from the movie, and the way he says them makes them close to epic. (Then every son of Troy… shall die.)

In the end, they basically all die. Well, almost all of them. This is not exactly how the myth goes, but hey, at least the good guys don’t all survive. Greek mythology isn’t the one inventing the happy end after all!

There are many more examples and an IMDB page full of quotes, which I won’t share here – though I would like to. Let me just tell you that nothing compares to a proper Greek myth. There is barely anything you can’t find in these stories. They are so full of reall humans, real feelings, real reactions. Greek mythology, I think, can teach us way more about human nature than the Bible. I love those stories, and I like this movie a whole lot.

 

Which Golden Oldie do you want to see or read again?

13 Comments
by No Blog Intended on October 12, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Culture
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Posted by No Blog Intended on October 12, 2014

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2014/10/12/golden-oldie/

To tear a kingdom apart

Today I read Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel. This book tells Cromwell’s side of the downfall of Anne Boleyn. Together with him we live the day that lead to her execution.

Not that I’m obsessed.

I’m just curious… Anne Boleyn tore a kingdom apart, she managed to get a queen out forever, to cut the bond between England and Rome, and to be the first queen who was ever executed. That’s quite much for a young woman. Seven years she has been working her way to the top. With her French past (she was a maid of honour there) and her pleasant character she was said to be ‘exotic’, though apparently she also had a bad temper. When she came at court to serve the queen, she quickly got some admirers since she was seen as the most stylish and accomplished woman there. Then she caught the king’s attention, and there we go. For seven years she seems to have refused to become his mistress, she resisted his seduce attempts. That may have been what kept him going for her… I guess she was one of the few women to do that.

Eventually, Anne became a queen, but that success only lasted for three years. May the 19th, 1536 – Anne’s been beheaded. It was probably the lack of male heir she promised to give the king which opened up the path to downfall. We’ll never know for sure what happened and how it happened.

Anne Boleyn - image via Wikipedia

Anne Boleyn – image via Wikipedia

I find it so interesting to read about her. How did she do that? How could she become so important? That’s so intruiging. Some people just seem to have A Thing that makes them irresistible. Much like Cleopatra, who managed to seduce the two most important men of Rome at the time. Accounts say that she wasn’t pretty… But still she was so powerful and attractive.

I guess it’s not so much about looks, but more about a strong desire for power and the ability to charm people. I suspect that such abilites are something you are either born with or not. Of course you can learn how to do small talk, but to be able to get everyone at your feet, that must be something inside you that’s always been there. I think.

To me this is very intruiging. I know I’m not like the two women I mentioned here, but it can no harm to learn from them! (Though they both didn’t die a natural death.)

By the way, in the clips I have found on YouTube from the movie The Other Boleyn Girl, Anne is almost always crying. I cannot imagine a woman who has been fighting for seven years to be queen weeping all the time. While The Tudors Anne had stronger nerves and more dignity. I believe that that is way closer to the truth. You cannot get where she got when you’re emotionally so vulnerable.

15 Comments
by No Blog Intended on July 2, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture
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Posted by No Blog Intended on July 2, 2014

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2014/07/02/to-tear-a-kingdom-apart/

Evolution or No Evolution – is that even a question…

A while ago I stumbled upon a video which claimed to prove that evolution is real, or at least very likely. I decided to watch it, because though I do believe evolution is real, I don’t know any prove for it. Which might be good since I’m a firm believer. The video is not very long and explains it very well. You don’t have to be a science major to understand it. Clearly, since I am not one of those either. It’s interesting to watch.

 

As always I did what you should not do on Youtube: I scrolled down to read the comments. I picked out two completely different ones to show the contrast:
Evolution is a silly science fiction fairy-tale told by atheists in a sorry attempt to replace the true eternal word of GOD. All of the alleged so called evidence is imagined and can never be demonstrated or proven by visual assessment. They use their uncontrolled imaginations and delusions as their source of evidence.
If there IS a god of some kind then he obviously HATES humans, animals and the earth itself. Killing and suffering are non-stop on this planet, and have been for hundreds of millions of years. What kind of a cackling sadistic shithead would create such a world?
Obviously the first one comes from a creationist, the second one from an atheist. Now let’s take a closer look at both of them. The first person claims that evolution is the effect of imagination. He says it is ‘so called evidence’. Which I find pretty ironic seeing that the video does give a very good explanation as to why evolution is the most likely option. He also claims that this is all but an excuse to replace the true word of God. The scientist in the video states he believes in God as well. To me it doesn’t seem to be a thing of proving that God doesn’t exist. It’s about proving evolution is real.
The second comment is the opposite. I do agree for a part. If people really believe that God exists and created us the way we are today, then why did he make us such cruel creatures? He wants us to be good and forgiving, but if he’s so almighty then why did he give us evil? Isn’t it highly unlikely that someone  who created everything the way it is now would be happy with the result?
I also started looking around on Google to know more. And that is the moment where I got here. Someone asked if evolution is real. Someone answered in what seems a very logical and clear way. I think this part of one of the answers is something very interesting to keep in mind while talking about this topic:
A scientific theory is quite different from a fact. A theory doesn’t say THAT something happens (so the creationists are wrong here too), but attempts to explain HOW something happens. For example, the theory of gravity doesn’t say THAT gravity happens (we can see that much without any theory), but attempts to explain HOW gravity happens. Why do all massive objects exert a gravitational pull on each other? That’s what the theory of gravity seeks to answer.
The person saying this does believe evolution is real. Then there were other comments, like this one:
No, evolution is completely false. Although it doesn’t seam like it, but there really is not a single piece of evidence to support it. Scientists (BTW, creationists can be scientist too and some of the world’s greatest inventions were created by creationists (its all there, just search it)) who believe in evolution, when they see certain things, tend to just make the wrong types of assumption.
The typo there is not mine but his. Just sayin’.
Also this comment:
Absolutely not. Do you really believe we evolved from monkey’s or gorillas? (…) Is evolution logic? lets be honest. It is more logical for there to be a God than it is for us to form from a bunch of mollocules, or rain, or rock. and so on and so forth. (..) Not everything is meant for us to understand, but I know that God is real.
This was followed by the encouraging to read the Bible.
Of course.
But you see, this is the thing I hate. This girl from the comment above doesn’t seem to know what scientist say that evolution is. They don’t say we have evolved from monkeys, but we have a common ancestor. Seeing the physical similarities doesn’t make that so surreal. Plus: apparently 98% of our DNA is similar to that of a certain kind of gorilla. Plus: in the video above the guy clearly explains why it is so likely that we would share a common ancestor with the monkeys. That is one point that above all shows that this girl is not the one who should be commenting here.
Is evolution logic? Let’s be honest. It totally is when looking at the scientific facts, that as far as I know never claim that we have something in common with rain. Thank you very much.
Not everything is meant for us to understand – but creationist always need prove that is complete and cannot be ‘unproved’. They tend to say there is no proof for evolution.
On the other hand, what is their proof for the existence of God? Let me cite something I once read.
‘Everything that starts to exist has a reason. The universe started to exist. Therefore it has a reason. God exists’.
For people who throw away so much evidence because of little details that aren’t explicitly explained, I find this a sad way of reasoning. And that, people, is why I hate creationism. They close their eyes and just want to hear what they think is true. They don’t want to listen to anything else. They don’t to think about it. Why do they refuse to consider the fact that they might be wrong? I too have to admit that I’m not always right. But that’s okay as long as you are open to other opinions.
Also, they believe everything stated in the Bible is true. They believe a book. A book. With stories that you can never witness alive. How can they not see that that is a weird thing to do? I too could write a book. Why wouldn’t that one be true? And what evidence do they have for it to be true?
‘Because it is the Bible’ doesn’t count as evidence.
I do think it is possible to believe in God and evolution. It is possible that there is a God, but he’s clearly not almighty. Even if you believe he has created the world, then evolution might still be real. Maybe God finds it exciting to see how things evolve.
But above all you shouldn’t throw away clear indications just because you want to believe a book.
Via 9gag

Via 9gag

Also, creationists trying to defend themselves make a lot of typos. Man, even I am better at English and I’m not even a native speaker.
By the way, WordPress won’t allow any white space today. I’m sorry for the long, long text in just one part. That was not my intention at all.
24 Comments
by No Blog Intended on June 9, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture, Other
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Posted by No Blog Intended on June 9, 2014

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/evolution-or-no-evolution-is-that-even-a-question/

The 80s Revival

When I was 17, I was actually a pretty cool kid.

I might not have realized it back then, though I think I kind of did, since I didn’t want to become 18 then. I loved being 17. It meant freedom, free to do what you want because you’re young, and not yet the responsibilities that come along when you’re an official adult. So I guess I kind of knew that this age was brilliant. I don’t know though if I realized that I was pretty badass.

You know, I had the guts back then. I was the girl who wore fish net stockings to a catholic school. No doubt I was the only girl there in at least six years that did that. Supposedly people didn’t approve of that, but I just didn’t care. I liked the way it looked and I still like it, but don’t wear it anymore. Back then I was different and didn’t mind it the least. More the opposite. I’ve always wanted to be unique. The thing is, I just was unique over at my high school. Some people would call it weird – I can’t really disagree.

It took a long detour, but via other stuff I got in touch with 80 music back then. It was a discovery. A

What "gothic" has become for the people. Source

What “gothic” has become for the people.
Source

treasure I opened. It all started with the ‘gothic’ groups Within Temptation and Evanescence and a lot of drama. Oh my god I am so gothic. Life is tragic. I must be a fallen angel. That kind of stuff. But then I discovered what real gothic was and like that I dived into a world of good beats and mohawks. Thanks to a forum, appropiatly called ‘The Batcave’ (this was also the name of a club in London where a lot of new wave and 80s groups performed), I got to know more and more about it. Yesterday I wanted to go back to that forum, but apparently it’s been shut down due to lack of action. It made me a bit sad. It was the first time I put myself out there on the Internet. I didn’t have a blog or Facebook back then, so this was my first public account. Exciting. It made me admire a good mohawk (it’s a rarity still), it made me listen to a lot of good music. Music barely anyone knows by now. Along my discoveries: The Cure, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Cocteau Twins and more obscure things. Oh, and it made me like piercings. A whole lot. We all know that this effect never really left me.

80s

This makeup. YES. Source

Since those days I’ve always liked a good 80s beat and a good mohawk. You barely see that in the streets these days. Such a pity. I’m certainly way more open-minded than other people seeing what I have listened to (the best names to mention: Sex Gang Children, Alien Sex Fiend, Virgin Prunes) and what I like. I’m not the one who should judge… At all. So I don’t.

A proper mohawk

Then I turned 18, inevitable, and though I never stopped liking this music, I stopped listening to it so frequently and found new groups and new genres and it all stapled. I cannot stick with one specific kind of music. It’s only now, three years later, that all of sudden I started digging in that genre again. And oh, how I love it! It’s like talking to an old friend again. I missed these things without realizing it! All these songs that stuck with me when I was 17, suddenly I found them again and it was awesome. I’ve been having a little 80s party the last few days. I know I should be studying, but doesn’t that go better with some badass background music?

Mohawk meisje

Both proper mohawks via this site. Just discovered, such a great collection!

Certainly one of the best parts of this ‘re-discovery’ is that I realized I truly like this music. I didn’t listen to it just for the sake of being unique and different, I listened to it because it’s my thing. That’s good to know. In my opinion it makes the younger me even more awesome, for just doing what I liked instead of trying to fit in or trying to standout. Maybe I don’t have to try to stand out at all. Maybe I’m just naturally the weird kid. That’s fine with me 😉

PS: I never died my hair black (I want to be blonde until I go grey), nor did I sport a mohawk. I’ve got four earrings and that’s as far as piercings go. I did wear a lot of black though, which I still do. That’s a tough one to eliminate.

Last but not least, one of the first songs that drew me into this kind of music and which I will always like. Plus, it’s the Sex Gang Children. Now you can tell everyone you know them.

13 Comments
by No Blog Intended on June 2, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture, Life, Music
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Posted by No Blog Intended on June 2, 2014

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2014/06/02/the-80s-revival/

Violence is violence

I just saw this video and was kind of shocked… But I know I’d probably respond the same way. We still see women as the more vulnerable sex and men as the strong sex. Does that have to influence the way we see violence though? I think not.

9 Comments
by No Blog Intended on May 27, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture, Life
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Posted by No Blog Intended on May 27, 2014

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/violence-is-violence/

To Curve or Not To Curve

Last week I got to hear that I look so thin three times. It had been a long time again since I got to hear this. When I was younger, I was used to these remarks. People also asked me if I even eat. Yes, I do. I’ve got friends who sometimes forget to eat, but I can’t do that. I need my food, every two hours if possible. Otherwise my stomach starts to growl and that’s embarrassing. I like to eat. It shouldn’t be the finest, best thing I’ve ever eaten. Give me French fries and I’m one happy girl.

I just have amazing genes. For those who don’t believe it exists: it does! I’m certainly not the kind of person who is capable of dieting. I can’t say no to things I want, unless they really harm me or something. I’m one of the few lucky girls who can eat literally everything and don’t get fat. The downside to that is that people think I cannot judge other people. ‘You’re not fat!’ ‘You can’t judge that, you’re thin’. Plus the remarks on how thin you look. I mean, I know they don’t mean that in a bad way, but it kind of gives the impression that you don’t look good. Thin people could have anorexia. Thin people could be sick. Naturally thin is not often seen as a real option. I don’t think I look sick though. For a long time I was even convinced I had muscular legs. Then I saw a picture of me and thought ‘oh… they are thin indeed’. They are muscular though. Without muscles they would look scary indeed.

Source

I’m not sick and yes, I eat. I’m lucky to have a body like this. I’m happy with that. But then, there are always people who say that real women have curves. So you’re not a good woman when you don’t have curves. Honestly I think this is made up by people who were in fact jealous but didn’t want to admit it and then tried to make non-curvy women the bad ones. So yeah, apparently I’m not a real woman. You can not be thin and curvy, unless you’ve been cut in and filled up with nasty stuff. The people who say that often pretend to be those who defend the ‘real beauty’ thing. You know, ‘all women are beautiful! Because real women have curves!’ Eh, yeah right. This curves thing also serves as an excuse to be overweight sometimes. Most people don’t think that is attractive, simply because it’s not healthy. People fall for healthy looking people, with good teeth, good skin and shiny hair. Healthy people can reproduce, and that’s the whole point. This is why obesitas isn’t considered beautiful. This is also why very thing people aren’t considered attractive. But now I’m speaking of the really sick ones or those with an eating disorder (because I really hope I’m attractive of course!).

Real women can be curvy or not curvy at all. The form of your body doesn’t make you ‘real’ or ‘not real’. Stop trying to force a new beauty ideal upon us this way. What is truly important is being healthy and happy and NOT trying to look like the ideal people try to force upon you.

34 Comments
by No Blog Intended on May 20, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Beauty, Culture, Life
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Posted by No Blog Intended on May 20, 2014

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2014/05/20/to-curve-or-not-to-curve/

Side Effects

Note: fear no dance clips or dance talk! I will only talk about the weird things you start to do when you are a dancer. Because it affects your life in the weirdest way… I have been dancing for twelve years now, and let’s take a look at the weird habits I’ve got now thanks to that.

1. Looking at feet and legs and having full conversations about them

Nice feet and legs are important in dance. Archy feet are admired. So you can easily spot dancers: when you hear someone having an entire conversations on feet, it’s prettyy safe to say you found him. Plus: as a dancer you tend to look at legs and feet, whether they belong to a boy or girl, and judge them by how they’d work out in dance.

2. Random arm movements

My arms are my weak spot in dance, so I tend to train movements when I’m not using them. Mostly when I’m studying or moving from spot A to spot B. My family is used to that by now, but I sometimes forget that I shouldn’t do that when there are other people around…

3. Moving from spot A to B by pirouettes

Or arabesques. Or piqués. Or whatever. It’s very hard not to throw in some moves when you get the chance. Though just like the arm movements, you should watch out where you’re doing that…

4. “I can’t have short hair, how am I supposed to tie it up in a bun then!?”

Look. This is a nice leg and a good foot. Not hyperflexible, but with a nice line. From Pointe Magazine I believe. Ekaterina Kondaurova.

5. Appreciating the smell of hairspray

It’s the smell of performances, so it’s a good smell, because performing is fun. I really like the scent, though I’m probably one of the few people in this world…

6. Turning out your legs when waiting in line

Why not train your turn out when you get the chance, right? Turnout is not as easy as it looks. So when you’re waiting in line, it’s the perfect setting to train it. Unless you don’t like to get weird looks, that is.

7. Having an extended knowlegde of classical music and French

It’s not unusual to like classical music, but as a classical dancer, chances are high that you know more about it than your neighbour, to name someone. You hear it so often, dance to it, see performances with it, it’s just a common thing. Right?
Everything in ballet has a French name, so wherever you live, you will know a bit of French.

8. Judging music on it’s ‘danceability’

I tend to like music when I can dance to it. I know I like music a whole lot when I really, really, want to dance to it. That’s why dubstep is a no-go for me. You can only dance it to it when you’re high or drunk, which I am not. So what’s the fuss about then? I also see movements in my head when hearing music. Thinking about dancers can keep me busy until I fall alseep. Making up random choreographies to the music playing in my head. It’s very calming.

They should put a warning on dance. ‘Affects your life in a serious way!’

So what are your hobbies and what weird habits have you got because of them?

Inspiration came when discussing feet over here.

25 Comments
by No Blog Intended on April 22, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture, Dance, Life
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Posted by No Blog Intended on April 22, 2014

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2014/04/22/side-effects/

We will not die on our knees

Said by an inhabitant of the Warsaw ghetto, as recorded by Marek Edelman, who was there and one of those who lead the uprising.

The jews in the ghetto of Warsaw knew that they would die soon. They knew that resistance would not help. They had few weapons, some of them self-made, some of them smuggled inside. It would never be enough to save them, to change the situation, to actually help. But though they were the weaker party, they did do harm to the Germans. They were not as weak as the German believed and killed quite a few. In the end many died there during the rising, others were deported. The ghetto vanished. But like Anna Heilman said: ” I don’t think it was a question at that point of Jews fighting Germans. It was us not going without resistance.”

I find that so touching. Can you imagine being strong enough to do this? Would you still fight if you knew you would die anyway? Maybe that’s even the best trigger to actually fight. Still my admiration for these people is immense. Dignity is the last thing they can take from you. Whatever happens, if you are strong enough you can still maintain your dignity and decide that you will not let yourself be killed without fighting. Never just give in.

I’m currently writing a paper on the Polish resistance in the Warsaw ghetto, which is incredibly interesting and inspiring as well. But while reading about this, I also realized that we’re always close to doing this again. I don’t know if you heard about the Wilders thing in the Netherlands? He’s the radical kind of politicians and he actually screamed in front of many people: “Do we want more or less Moroccans?” To which the people screamed back: “Less! Less!” This is so dangerous. It’s easy to say one group of people is bad, but this is pure racism. Even if there are many Moroccans in the Netherlands who end up in prison, or should belong there – I don’t know if this is the case! – then it is still racism. You cannot state that they are all bad. Generalizing is the worst thing you can do. People will end up not giving any Moroccan a chance because ‘they’re all bad’. When not given a chance, what should these people do? Eventually they will have no more choice to prove that they are okay people. And surely there will be bad people amongst them, just like there are bad people amongst the Dutch people.

We should be all aware of the danger of this kind of things. We should never let something like World War 2 happen again. There will only be things to regret afterwards. So hopefully all these people who screamed ‘Less! Less!’ will realize that they are ignoring an important part of the Moroccans living there who are actually good, hard-working people. Hopefully we will not end up generalizing and blaming one scapegoat for all the problems. If there are problems, do something about it in a constructive way instead of blaming and screaming.

And hopefully we will all find the courage to stand up when it’s needed, even when it’s a minor thing happening. We should all have more courage to do the right thing sometimes. And remember: we should not die on our knees!

 

More Polish history here.

14 Comments
by No Blog Intended on April 4, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture, Life
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Posted by No Blog Intended on April 4, 2014

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2014/04/04/we-will-not-die-on-our-knees/

I need your help – a memory thing

Guys, I need your help. Recently a childhood memory came back to my mind and since that moment I have been wondering, wondering, but I cannot find the roots. The memory I’m talking of is a scene from a movie. I don’t know why I remember that particular part, but apparently it had an impact on me, since I only remember that. I must have been seven at the time or something…

So, I think the scene is from a Cleopatra movie – though I am not sure why I even think that. In this scene, the woman sits there among her servants. She wants to drink, so one of the servants takes the chalice (it was more of a chalice than anything else) and takes a sip – she’s the kind of servant who has to ‘test’ the food to see if it’s been poisoned. She then takes a cloth and cleans the edge of the cup. Then the woman who I believe was Cleopatra asks her why she did that. When the servant doesn’t answer, she commands her to drink again. The servant doesn’t want to at first but then drinks and dies – she tried to poison Cleopatra. Then the scene changes and there are white curtains blown by the wind.

This is what I remember from the movie, but so far I haven’t found this scene yet. I would love to see it again though, to see how much of my memory is true and why it had such an impact on me that about 12 years later on I still remember this. Can you please help me out?

Whether it's from this movie ornot, it's still an impressive dress she's wearing. Source.

Whether it’s from this movie ornot, it’s still an impressive dress she’s wearing.
Source.

Edit: it was in fact the movie of the picture – Cleopatra from 1963! And my memory turned out to be quite wrong. I remembered it really differently. The basics are the same, but the clothes, the setting, the angle were all different. It’s nice to see it again though, and it seems to be a good movie as well. Thanks to everyone helping me out on this one! You rock!

41 Comments
by No Blog Intended on March 26, 2014  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture, Other
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Posted by No Blog Intended on March 26, 2014

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2014/03/26/i-need-your-help-a-memory-thing/

Getting things straigth: Ukraine and Crimea

Unless you live under a rock, you must have heard about what has been going on in Ukraine. Tension has been rising a whole lot, revolutions, referendum and so on. It’s headlining in the news for quite a while, but still it seems like a lot of people have no idea what this is all about. What’s the fuss about and why is Crimea suddenly a problem? Someone even recently posted on Facebook that ‘poor Ukraine was now ruled by nazis and an outdated boxer’. Of course that’s the shortest way to get a Slavic studies student mad. I feel like many people don’t really know what’s going and why, so maybe it’s useful to give a quick but hopefully clear insight in the current situation.

So, here we go. First things first: it’s best to start with the protests in Kyiv. The first big protest after the Orange Revolution in 2005 started when Yanukovich decided to not accept the Association Agreement and Free Trade Agreement with the European Union. People started to protest because they wanted a closer European integration. They were being repressed really hard. Then a whole lot more people started protesting against this violent repression and against the corruption, abuse of power and violation of human rights (1). The protest weren’t only and above all pro-Europe. Though this belief seems to be well spread, it’s not the entire truth. As far as I know, these people above all wanted the country to change for the better. This doesn’t necessarily means there had to be a big bond with the EU. I also read that most people in Ukraine, or amongst the protesters were disappointed with Europe because they didn’t help when things got worse and worse.

Because that’s what happened. But the protesters didn’t give in, kept going and then, in late February, the president’s party lost its majority and Yanukovich had to flee. Elections were planned for May 25th. I don’t know if you have seen the pictures of Yanukovich’s house, but that’s insanity. The man apparently felt like a modern emperor or something, having golden toilets and everything. That’s what power seems to do to people. It’s only a short way to abuse.

So, Yanukovich fled, a temporary parliament is now working. Elections will be held. And then Crimea becomes a problem. This is also a big one. First, you have to know something more about its background, which is now very important.

Crimea is a peninsula. It’s officially Ukrainian for as long as that will last now. It was annexed by Russia in 1783. At that moment, the people living there were the Crimean Tatars. Then it became Russian. Under Stalin’s regime, these Tatars have been deported, all of them, because they would have collaborated with the nazi’s. Of course, a lot of them died. Ukrainian and Russian people took over their villages and went living there. Only in 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed, they started to return in big numbers, claiming back their ground. In 1954 Khrushchev have it to Ukraine. At that moment of course it didn’t matter that hard, because everything was Soviet Union still. Many Russians though see it as a historical mistake.
Right now, the majority of people living there is Russian, followed by Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars.

Knowing all this, I believe it’s easy to understand why everyone is seeing Crimea as ‘theirs’. Everyone sort of has a point there. But now, because of the new parliament in Ukraine, the Russians at Crimea started feeling it as a threat. From what I’ve heard that is because of what the news tells them. Apparently they really believe their lives are in danger. Their reaction is protesting. They are even putting black crosses on the doors of Crimean Tatars, like back when they were being deported. Last Sunday there was a referendum on what should happen to Crimea, and apparently the majority voted for a ‘reunion’ with Russia.

Are these numbers real? Maybe not entirely. But seeing that the majority there is Russian, and the people not in favour tried to boycott it, it’s very likely that a majority voted for that. Maybe not 93%, but still. Of course it has to be known that at the moment, all they get it Russian news and Russian channels. This has undoubtedly a big influence on what they are doing.

Are they in danger? I don’t really think so. Ukraine is a country with quite many Russians, personally I dont’ think they would throw them out just like that. Will there be war? Maybe between Ukraine and Russia, Europe helping Ukraine out is unlikely I think. Ukraine is probably to weak to have a war, so I don’t think it will get to that point. But who knows…

The most important things to remember are these:

  • The protests in Kyiv weren’t only about getting closer to the EU, they were against corruption and abuse of power in their own country.
  • Because of its history, it’s quite logic that everyone wants to claim Crimea. You can never say it only belongs to this or that country, because it’s too complicated.
  • Crimea is currently taken over by Russian channels and news. This triggers the behaviour of the Russians there.
  • This is a very difficult situation that is way too hard for us to judge all too easily.

Please be smart enough not to go running around saying that Kyiv is becoming all nazi-like, or that Crimea is Russian, or that they all want to get a member of the EU. Things are very complicated up there and we need to keep our judgements for ourselves now. We will just have to wait and see what happens, and we can only hope there will be a peaceful end… But I’m afraid we’re still far from there.

I’m not an expert at this, but I am aware of the history and current situation of Ukraine and Crimea. This post is above all to give a better background. If anything is wrong, don’t hesitate to let me know. I hope that this will clear out some things for you!

 

(1) http://www.rferl.org/content/protesters-police-tense-standoff-ukraine/25241945.html

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by No Blog Intended on March 18, 2014  •  Permalink
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Posted by No Blog Intended on March 18, 2014

https://noblogintended.wordpress.com/2014/03/18/getting-things-straigth-ukraine-and-crimea/

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