William Penn Life, 2015 (50. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2015-11-01 / 11. szám
Did you know they're Hungarian? While doing research about George Pataki, my apu mentioned another Pataki who may have appeared on television and the silver screen more often than the former governor of New York. Although the name Mike Pataki may not sound familiar to you, he had roles in hundreds of movies and TV shows from the I950’s until his passing in 2010. Born in 1938 in Youngstown, Ohio, Mike’s father was Hungarian-born. Mike attended Southern California University where he studied drama. His television credits include The Twilight Zone, The Flying Nun, Bonanza, McCloud, All in the Family, and perhaps most notably, as a Klingon in the “Trouble with Tribbles” episode of the original Star Trek. He also appeared in many movies with his most memorable role being that of the Soviet boxing administrator Nicoli Koloff in Rocky IV. He directed the film version of Cinderella and did voiceovers for several commercials and animated television shows, including Batman and Ren and Stimpy. Pataki appeared in many “B” horror movies, often times portraying vampires. Most likely, Mike Pataki is one of those actors whose face you recognize but whose name you don’t know...and who just happens to be an American-Hungarian. Manhattan-or, at least how they were historically. Nowadays, the world is diverse, and Hungarian-Americans no longer live in communities where their neighbors and coworkers are Hungarian. They will marry people who are likewise not Hungarian. So, how does our community solve the "problem" of exogamy, the practice of marrying outside of one's ethnic group? I use the quotation marks because I do not know if it is a "problem" in the strictest sense, nor am I convinced that any of the "solutions" listed below are satisfying in any meaningful way. But, here are the ideas that I've come up with, and I'm eager to hear what you, the readers, think. I. Promote endogamy (marrying within one’s own ethnic or social group) among young American- Hungarians. This solution is straightforward—essentially, encourage your children and their grandchildren to bring home a nice Hungarian boy or girl. Let's be honest: according to recent census figures, Hungarian-Americans Tibor's Take comprise only 1.5 million of all Americans. Assuming that 33 percent of them are of marriageable age, that's 500,000 people spread out across the United States. Those are pretty slim pickings for anyone out there. Even if numbers weren't an issue, is promoting endogamy really our best policy? My father, who is as ardent an American Hungarian as they come, didn't advocate such a course when the time came for my sister to marry, nor before I proposed to my fiancée. He didn't even mention the ethnicity of my sister's significant other nor mine. If he had, he would have been on unsure footing because he himself would not have taken his own advice. This course of action is a rather unsatisfying solution, and let's be honest, even if we were to advocate such a course, would young American-Hungarians listen? Probably not. I know I wouldn't; I'd tell someone to stuff it if they said that I should marry a Hungarian girl instead of my intended. 2. Practice “symbolic endogamy.” The other course that comes to mind is the one that I will adopt in my adulthood—promote my Hungarian heritage, pass on its lessons and tales and foods to my children, and hope that they find their heritage as important as I and my siblings do today. One prerequisite, of course, is to have a spouse who is willing to participate in this effort, so that learning Hungarian heritage is a practice that binds the house together, instead of dividing it. In this way, I think that i "symbolic endogamy" is the better course. If Hungarian heritage is important to you, marry someone who is willing to go along with you to Magyar events and festivals and is willing to put up with your garlic breath after eating kolbász and Székely gulyás. You can also strike a bargain with your mate-both spouses will promote and cherish the heritage of the other. I know I will...Southern barbeque is tasty! When the time comes for me to raise children of my own, I'll encourage them to do the same thing so, even if my great-great-grandchildren are only 3.375 percent Hungarian by blood, they will still know the Magyar part of their ethnicity and will cherish it as much as they do any other part. I think that's the best we can hope for. / Éljen a Magyar! Tibor II Tibor Check, Jr., is a member of Branch 28. Let's hear your take If you have any questions or comments about me or my column, please email me at: silverkingl937@ yahoo.com, or drop me a letter in care of the William Penn Association, 709 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. William Penn Life 0 November 2015 0 7
