Torsello, Davide - Pappová, Melinda: Social Networks in Movement. Time, interaction and interethnic spaces in Central Eastern Europe - Nostra Tempora 8. (Somorja-Dunaszerdahely, 2003)
Interaction, migration and change
244 Maruška Svašek Several villagers interpreted the Dutchman’s “good deeds” in a different way. One of them remarked: “Well, the guy is so rich... he’s just being strategically nice. In the end he is the one who profits and we are the ones who lose”. Hulshoff objected by saying that the villagers had no idea of his expenses. So far, the shoot had yet to turn a profit. Evidently, he was in a position to take such financial risks. He also admitted that he expected his money to be well spent. The Dutchman justified his presence in the village as a new owner through a specific subject-object discourse which was based on a mixture of capitalist, perceived "aristocratic", and kinship values. Firstly, he clearly approved of the functioning of the free-market economy, and regarded buying property in postsocialist Europe as a fundamental right. In his view, life should be enjoyed, and money should be (at least partly) used for that purpose. Secondly, in numerous cases, his ownership directly influenced the life and self-perception of other villagers. Hulshoff tried to "pacify” them through "good deeds” which he defined as an inherent component of large private ownership. Thirdly, he regarded his property as private property which would eventually be inherited by his children. The Social-Democratic view: The village as a growing community Unlike some of the villagers, the mayor Jan Veselý, who had himself sold a house to the Dutchman, did not disapprove of Hulshoff’s presence in the village. He stressed that it was financially advantageous to the community as a whole, and accepted Hulshoff’s claim to “patronage”. I I am not against Hulshoff’s firm. He actually contributes to the village. He gives us, the community, certain gifts. He renovated the chapel, he paid 70.000 crowns for an urban study, so...I don’t have problems with him. A few villagers do. His neighbour and a few other families do. My view is that we are a democratic country which is in a process of privatisation. Any investor is welcome as long as he sticks to the laws.
