(The comment was too long and had to be cut. So here's more rambling to reply to and add to the building replies.)
So how was it like in Hungary when you were younger? I've been rewatching old Hong Kong martial arts films that I'd seen when I was younger. I wish there were more to be found, but I can't afford to go out and buy these right now. It's interesting because I realize just what I missed when I was younger. There were even attempts to reference history, and one was about a Chinese doctor at the turn of the century fighting Westernization even as he knew that China had to assimilate to some degree to participate in the modern world. In the movie, it's like a distant history, but then I realize that this person died in 1924 and that my father was born less than a decade later in 1932. There was no running water. Could I ever imagine a life like that? It's probably the same with these horribly rich Republicans who are ruining our country and sending people off to war. It's the same as people who have never experienced discrimination and so they can't entirely imagine it or perceive it when it happens. If we ever met, it'd be a happy occasion, but maybe it'd be a surprise too. I don't know how many Asians there are in Hungary. I'm sure there are some because Hungary's in Eastern Europe, and Budapest really is a big enough city to have tourists from all over the world. But at the same time, it's different _knowing_ someone. Suddenly things become more real. Something that is a page in the history books if it's even included becomes real. No, I'm no better than these other people. How would I know about the troubles in Hungary unless you mentioned them? Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't easily have the resources. But what makes it interesting is that I know you and am interested in your life and what happens in your country. After all, I could similarly be interested in the happenings of China, whatever those are at the moment, but I don't know anyone there. I don't correspond with anyone via email. And even with Hong Kong, I knew two young girls from Hong Kong, but they were so young that there was no sense of the place. Like you say about the youths in Hungary, there's a more normalized capitalistic culture. They're watching LotR movies and worrying about their exams and how tall they are. There's no sense of place for me. I could be emailing with Romulan teenagers and the main difference would be in the pictures they send or post online. One of the books I remember you mentioning was Spock's World. Yeah, books like that help paint a picture of a place. Beleriand, Middle-earth, and Vulcan all seem more "real" to me than Hong Kong or China. I've never been there. But through reading, I can experience something so I experience a little bit of Hungary when I read your posts and your frustrations. I can imagine 3rd century China better than I can modern China because I've read literature (in translation) referencing that time period. Can you imagine that when I first joined the LotR and Silmarillion world I didn't imagine meeting so many people from so many different parts of the world? Finch sent me a calendar with pictures of Netherlands once. Suddenly, it mattered and it was interesting to me. It's the same with Hungary. When I see pictures of Budapest, I think of you. My world has grown as a result of knowing you.
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So how was it like in Hungary when you were younger? I've been rewatching old Hong Kong martial arts films that I'd seen when I was younger. I wish there were more to be found, but I can't afford to go out and buy these right now. It's interesting because I realize just what I missed when I was younger. There were even attempts to reference history, and one was about a Chinese doctor at the turn of the century fighting Westernization even as he knew that China had to assimilate to some degree to participate in the modern world. In the movie, it's like a distant history, but then I realize that this person died in 1924 and that my father was born less than a decade later in 1932. There was no running water. Could I ever imagine a life like that? It's probably the same with these horribly rich Republicans who are ruining our country and sending people off to war. It's the same as people who have never experienced discrimination and so they can't entirely imagine it or perceive it when it happens. If we ever met, it'd be a happy occasion, but maybe it'd be a surprise too. I don't know how many Asians there are in Hungary. I'm sure there are some because Hungary's in Eastern Europe, and Budapest really is a big enough city to have tourists from all over the world. But at the same time, it's different _knowing_ someone. Suddenly things become more real. Something that is a page in the history books if it's even included becomes real. No, I'm no better than these other people. How would I know about the troubles in Hungary unless you mentioned them? Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't easily have the resources. But what makes it interesting is that I know you and am interested in your life and what happens in your country. After all, I could similarly be interested in the happenings of China, whatever those are at the moment, but I don't know anyone there. I don't correspond with anyone via email. And even with Hong Kong, I knew two young girls from Hong Kong, but they were so young that there was no sense of the place. Like you say about the youths in Hungary, there's a more normalized capitalistic culture. They're watching LotR movies and worrying about their exams and how tall they are. There's no sense of place for me. I could be emailing with Romulan teenagers and the main difference would be in the pictures they send or post online. One of the books I remember you mentioning was Spock's World. Yeah, books like that help paint a picture of a place. Beleriand, Middle-earth, and Vulcan all seem more "real" to me than Hong Kong or China. I've never been there. But through reading, I can experience something so I experience a little bit of Hungary when I read your posts and your frustrations. I can imagine 3rd century China better than I can modern China because I've read literature (in translation) referencing that time period. Can you imagine that when I first joined the LotR and Silmarillion world I didn't imagine meeting so many people from so many different parts of the world? Finch sent me a calendar with pictures of Netherlands once. Suddenly, it mattered and it was interesting to me. It's the same with Hungary. When I see pictures of Budapest, I think of you. My world has grown as a result of knowing you.