Fraternity-Testvériség, 2006 (84. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2006-07-01 / 3. szám
56 and the Youth My parents never told me about 56 by themselves. Maybe, because during the “hot fair’ they were 4 years old kids yet. Again, my grandparents got around this subject as well. Today, I know why. As I grew up, now and again I remarked on some strange, real curious activities of my family members, which nobody satisfyingly could explain to me. For example, why is Grandfather listening to Free Europe Radio in the bathroom beneath pouring water, why Grandma starts coursing each time Janos Kadar appears on the TV-screen and why do we have to take several pictures off the wall, when they come check the mandatory gas-meters? Nevertheless, in my teenage years my view has been being expanded a bit. Although, I don't have to mention, this view has been influenced by educational politics of kadarian Hungary. By this time I started to realize: 1) what the point is behind some fabulous jokes of the popular comedian Geza Hofi, when he speaks about October 23rd, 2) who tortured my Great-Uncle until he turned into a young handicapped, or 3) why the Chief of District of the communist Party had forbidden my grandmother to leam a profession, so she had to go washing and ironing for money night by night. I yet was a pioneer. 1 yet had to wear school uniforms and blue ties. Compulsory 1 had to take part of Russian classes, to draw communist symbols in art class, to shape Lenin’s profile out of clay. I didn’t inquire what all this stuff is useful for, why these things are required. 1 didn’t know anything else. My family never discussed in front of me how many difficulties we had, because we refused joining the communist trade union. If I had not moved to Switzerland when 11, today I’d still have an unbalanced or partial view upon the revolution. Now, here starts the problem. I’m standing between two frontlines. Between Hungary and the Diaspora. Unfortunately, it seems, that this unprocessed 50 years had split up Hungarians three ways. Into a socialistic left side, a liberal right side and the rest into: a not likely to underestimate third layer. But who is in this third layer? The ones like me. Today’s youth, the younger generation of the motherland and of the diaspora. Those, who were not directly hit by the revolution. Whose parents hadn’t passed through terror. Those, who on one hand appreciate the heroism of the 56er freedom fighters and are thankful for their ever famous glory, but on the other hand are irritated by today’s public reporting. They are irritated by numerous contradictive opinions out of Hungary, by mistrustful descriptions of experiences and manipulated reports. My generation already has a superficial idea of the occurrences from 50 years ago. Unfortunately, the spacious part of the Hungarian youth either doesn’t inform itself optimally, or is simply afraid of getting informed. Truly, it is a kind of anxiety of their anyhow nebulous comprehension getting even more chaotic. In Hungary, history has being manipulated for 50 years. Networks and agents let files disappear, modify reports, try hard to wipe out uncomfortable parts of their history, according to whatever whose relatives are suspected to have done. In the West, we only hear about scandals, of which former spy went to become a powerful congressman, or of whose files were deleted through Zoltán Gal’s file incinerations back in 1989. And, even the sad fact isn’t anymore surprising, that the Hungarian public opinion about Imre Nagy, Pal Maleter, Zoltán Tildy or the Pongracz brothers is far from being identical. How should today’s youth know which historical version upon '56 is credible? Which one should today’s student trust? Who exaggerates, who is concealing what? As a Hungarian living in the west, I’m attained by the persuasive experience narratives, firsthand stories of former 56er freedom fighters, portrayals of fleeing through the border and the hard years of emigration. But who are they? What do they know about Hungarian societies in the west? How capable are they on building own opinions? What false view might some have upon us, Hungarians jerked to the west, our background, our beliefs? What today’s young generation wants to achieve is a sort of stepping ahead. A sort of concluding the past. As if the youth was tired of everlasting disputes, imputations and of steady rechecking old sins and accusations. They rather would like to make democracy livable, because for them the present is more significant. But it seems, like we couldn’t get ahead. We would likely finalize the past, but we feel: like this, it’s not possible. Maybe, like this it’s not even allowed. What in Hungarian circles is happening right now, is just diligence against the forgetting. Beneath that, there’s anger and perplexity. There is no recipe for conclusion. Whereas what is going to remain in the heads, that will be the view build in the heads of the recently mentioned third layer. Several different views in the heads of many million Hungarians of my age... by, Adam Szíjártó Page 17 Fraternity - Testvériség
