As all the participants who posted their contribution for this week's task, I am also a Caucasian Slovene. I come from Nova Gorica, a town situated on the Italian border, and as far as I can trace, all my relatives come from different parts of the Primorska region. So I would not only classify myself as a Slovene but also as a "Primorec" because I have lived there my whole life. However, even now, when I spend most of the week in Ljubljana, I have no difficulties blending in, since Slovenia is very small and sometimes the only real factor for figuring out where people originate from is their accent.
Living next to the border also means that from an early age I have experienced not only the Slovene culture, but also the Italian; a blend which definitely also shaped my identity. My colleagues from other towns near the border will probably agree with this notion.
I belong to a family of four, I have a brother who is nine years younger than me. Although we get along very well, it is undoubtedly true that because of the age gap, we were never really interested in the same things and even now when he is a little bit older, we still are not very alike. Sometimes we even joke that we are complete opposites, which is of course not entirely true, but we do have certain personality traits that clash (for example, he is very outgoing, sporty and does not enjoy reading, why I am a more introverted bookworm).
I found it quite a challenge to think of some subcategories I would put myself into because I have never thought of that before. I don't like to classify myself since I like a lot of different things, some of which do not have a common denominator. But if I have to think of some, I would definitely say I am a bookworm and I appreciate other art forms as well (mostly film and photography). Travelling is one of my greatest passions and I especially love exploring old towns and cities, getting lost in their rich history. I have always been drawn to everything British from their humour to their books, films, and TV, tea drinking, and, of course, their language. I am pretty sure I lived in a small cottage somewhere in the English countryside in one of my previous lives. I am also interested in science as long as it is presented to me in a way that does not include too many complicated calculations and formulas, which I am horrible at. I am one hundred percent a summer person and enjoy the sun and heat much more than snow and cold. Those who know me will definitely be able to confirm that complaining about the cold and the lack of sunlight is one of my favourite things to do during the bleak winter months. Now that it's finally getting warmer, I am also getting happier. :)
As we have discussed in our classes especially when talking about place and gender, there are numerous factors that shape our identity and perception of the world. Since the Earth nowadays is smaller than ever, we are no longer detached from people of different nationalities, races, and cultures. Although humanity does have a dark past of suppressing difference and trying to assert a dominant, "superior" culture, we have now come to a point where the only way forward is accepting difference, following the principle "live and let live." Unfortunately, all around the world, people are still being marginalised for who they are. We don't have to go outside Slovenia to see that: in the past few months, several conservative activists, as well as the officials at the Catholic Church have been spreading lies about homosexuality trying to topple the law legalising gay marriage. It is sad to see that even in 2015 we still have people who are unwilling to accept the fact that there is no one right way to live but that the future lies in plurality.
As I was browsing through our lovely blog and reading our posts and responses I decided to comment on Jure's post, because we spend a lot of time together and because I can identify with several of the points he has made in his entry.
ReplyDeleteLike Jure, I also belong to a family of four. I have a sister who is younger than me by 5 years, and although we have grown closer over the years and have a loving relationship the age gap Jure describes is nonetheless present. My sister and I share some interests (such as enjoying going to concerts, dancing, a love of films, series, and music etc.) which manifest in different ways (for example I prefer Salsa, she enjoys Croatian pop music.) but we also have many differences (like in Jure's case my sister also does not share my love of books and reading).
As for my roots my story is slightly different. I was born in Slovenia (a town named Jesenice to be exact) and I am a Caucasian female. My mother's side of the family originates from Slovenia and has lived here all their lives but my father's side of the family (more specifically my great great grandfather) came from the Czech Republic. I recently discovered that he was a Czech baron who was banished from his country and moved to Slovenia. Unlike Jure, who comes from the Primorska I come from Gorenjska which is located in the North West of Slovenia and is surrounded by mountains and geographically very close to both the Italian and Austrian border. However unlike Primorska which is primarily influenced by Italian culture, Gorenjska is more connected to Austria. This is why more people (myself included) also speak fluent German.
As for labels I am, again, inclined to agree with Jure. If I had to choose one clique to belong to I could not decide. I simply like too many things and have too large a number of interests to be satisfied with one (or even five) labels. Furthermore I believe that labels only create animosity and separation, do not promote acceptance of diversity and they can cause you to miss out on life's many pleasures.
I wholeheartedly agree with Jure's statement that our identities are a kaleidoscope of interests, likes, dislikes, opinions, hobbies, and relationships, and am therefore appropriately outraged and heartbroken by how we (as a society) are constantly trying to establish a 'master clique or label' and forcing people to conform to it. (I am looking at you and your support of homophobia, Slovenian Catholic Church.) If I had to choose a label for myself (just for argument's sake) I would choose the word 'ACCEPTING' or 'ACCEPTANCE', because I think it best describes the kind of person I am and aspire to be every single day. That is why intolerance bothers me on a very deep level, and I am constantly trying to stop it if or whenever I encounter it. It is 2015, and I think it is time for the planet to evolve into a nicer, more accepting place. :)
Jure: in many respects, this was like reading the description of my own identity ... :) Well, minus the "Primorska" identity and complaining about the cold. I love the cold.
DeleteTanja, I really like the fact that you decided to define yourself by being accepting. It is a topic we've been talking a lot lately and that's exactly my point: only talking and not doing anything in this direction. Being accepting can be and often is a conscious decision, something to strive for - it is a step in the right direction, but it is a very difficult step that takes a lot of willpower and consistency.
Yes, if (and that's a big if) globally people were more accepting, we would have a more peaceful planet. Labels can be used against people, but understanding identity markers can also help us understand difference, and perhaps accept it, without discrimination.....
DeleteI can completely relate to the general feeling of this post on the importance of being accepting. However, something I notice more often than I would like, and bothers me profoundly is the notion of accepting only the people somebody approves of. This is especially frequent among people commiting their lives to being accepting such as the people found at our very faculty. But perhaps I notice it here more than elsewhere. It is, frankly, disgusting to see people claiming to be accepting and then extending that acceptance only to the "approved" ones.
DeleteHmm...it is disturbing when people or institutions we trust, betray that or disappoint us with attitudes or behaviors. One reason why the scandals in the Catholic Church have been so upsetting, is these are the people we expect to behave with utmost integrity and compassion. Alas, human behavior is not always predictable~
DeleteYes, maybe because our future lies in plurality, the dominant culture is threatened....The women's movement had the same backlash, as did the Civil Rights movement of African Americans. Here, the LGBT population is gaining rights, but not before some push-back.
ReplyDeleteIt's worth noting that much of the globe's unrest has to do with lack of tolerance for difference, so it's not a trivial idea to think about. What makes us afraid of others unlike us? If we knew the answer, we could eradicate racism and any ism that causes war and personal destruction.
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DeleteWe actually discussed the possible reasons for intolerance once among ourselves. The conclusion we have reached is that it is probably innate but not in the sense of treating certain groups as inferior because of their skin colour (for example) but because of the fact they are different and might pose a threat. This must have been the case once - when encountering a person with a different skin tone for instance, the self-preservation instinct had to kick in and warn you to be wary of this person who is different. Later, unfortunately, this turned into institutionalised racism and I believe that nowadays because of globalisation this 'instinct' is disappearing, but the institutionalised racism is still deeply ingrained in many societies. Speaking from personal experience, I encountered this when travelling back home from Stockholm. The security guards at the gate before boarding the plane only glanced at most Caucasians' passports, while they detained quite a few Arabic-looking individuals and even families.
DeleteBecause this notion of 'terrorism' is so pervasive in our society, I also thought of terrorists when I saw a man with a turban on my plane, even though I don't consider myself racist and I quickly dismissed the thought. The fact remains, however, that even we, who accept difference, have almost a subconscious reaction to certain groups of people because we have been exposed to a lot of negativity presented through the media.
Herein lies the problem I believe we do not address enough - being fed stereotypes on a daily basis through the media which in turn perpetuates intolerance.
Well said! I agree that we consume media that is not always reliable or trustworthy. In this day and age, with such a buffet of news to choose from, it actually takes more due diligence to get at the truth.
DeleteI had an similar experience on a bus recently. The driver was Arab and playing music that I associated with fundamentalism - this struck a chord of fear for me, but it was probably completely ungrounded in anything except stereotypes. Shame on me.