"Friendly Divorces", Czechs and Slovaks
Otto Mann
Written by
Rudi Stettner
May 31, 2009
Link: http://www.rantrave.com/Rave/Friendly-Divorces-Czechs-and-Slovaks.aspx
When a couple you know gets divorced, there is an uncomfortable period
of adjustment. She reassumes her maiden name and each of them start
batting their eyes at new "significant others." My pro forma response
when hearing of such decouplings is usually to say "What a pity. Sorry
it didn't work out." It is truly rare for me to congratulate someone
who has informed me of his or her divorce. The spouse of a control
freak and wife beater would be a notable exception. There are small
clubs and support groups dotting New York City named after certain
legendary serial spouses. But I am not speaking of such exceptional
individuals. Marriage is serious business. Divorce should be a last
resort. I know many children of divorce, including my own mother. It
should be a last resort.
One divorce that still troubles me is not of a human couple but of a
country. To this day, I do not understand why the Czechs and Slovaks
could not have worked out their differences. From 1918 until 1992,
they enjoyed a hyphenated common identity, with the exception of World
War Two. They have different languages which are so close as to be
mutually intelligible. The Czechs had a bit of a condescending
attitude to the Slovaks. I used to know Czechs who spoke of the
Slovaks as though they were country bumpkins. Some of the best 60's
Czech rock came from Slovakia. They have some cities well worth
visiting and some great music. So I really don't see any reason to be
snooty.
I am a big fan of Czech music. Even the tame, officially sanctioned
music of the communist era is good after some slivovitz. As much as I
admire Vaclav Havel, the imprisoned dissident who was the first post
communist President of Czechoslovakia, I do not share his fondness for
the famous Czech band "Plastic People of the Universe". To me they are
like very dry wine. Pretending to like them demands more acting skills
than I have.
My favourite bands of the divorced Republic of Czechoslovakia are
Divokej Bill from the Czech Republic. They are considered punk and new
wave with a dash of folk. They derive their name from Willd Bill
Hickok of American wild west fame. They are good with slivowitz, Czech
Pilsner or just plain.
The Slovaks had a flowering of great bands in the 1960's. One of them,
the Beatmen actually sang in English and became a brief European
sensation. They sound a lot like early Beatles. I wish there could be
American top hits in Slovak or Albanian. Since Slovaks and Albanians
listen to plenty of English language music, it seems only fitting to
return the courtesy. Unfortunately, such cultural reciprocity is a
feature of this web site that does not yet characterise the American
cultural mainstream.
I am including with this posting songs by Divokej Bill and also a song
by the Beatmen. Google and Youtube will provide additional resources
for those who are curious. I hope my readers will check them out. (No
pun intended.)
kujebak
Of course none of the things mentioned above have
anything to do with the breakup of the Czecho-Slovak
state in 1993. The reasons for the breakup were strictly
economic. Slovakia benefited greatly during 40 years
of common communist political rule for reasons that
are basically the same as those that are now causing
capitalism and free market take a back seat in the go-
vernment-led effort to pull the U.S. (and the world)
economies from the brink of a 30's-style economic dis-
aster. During the 40 years of centrally-planned socialist
economy Slovakia received disproportionate amounts
of resources and investments relative to the size of
its contribution to the overall economy These decisions
were made for purely ideological reasons set in the
same ideas which underlie many of Barack Obama's
current economic measures, ideas which spring from
the Marxist concept of "economic justice". In real world
economic justice can only be provided by the govern-
ment taking control of allocating economic resources
away from the free market. The so-called economic
justice can only be achieved when resources are div-
vied up on basis of need, rather than productivity.
After WW2 Slovakia was a backward, impoverished
region, which would have taken many decades to de-
velop economically on its own - time the communist
ideologues, the people in charge of building a socialist
utopia, a Soviet-style Five Year Plan at a time, simply
did not have. So much for an introduction to economic
philosophy ;-) After 1993 this economic inequity could
not, of course, continue, and Slovakia had to assume
most of the internal, and external debt for its commu-
nist-era monetary infusions, which would have plunged
it into guaranteed economic misery. Under the presum-
ption Slovaks would be in better economic position
under their own monetary control, a deal was struck
between two post-communist leaders (Meciar and
Klaus) to dissolve the union of Czechs and Slovaks
completely, including the heretofore common econo-
mic and monetary system. As a result Slovaks ended
up with a substantial debt to the Czech treasury, which
was the cause of a lackluster economic growth for more
than a decade following the breakup.
The reason Slovakia benefited economically from
40 years of centrally planned economy
Karel Kriz
<599bfadf-d2a9-48a0...@r31g2000prh.googlegroups.com>,
kujebak <kuj...@eudoramail.com> wrote:
Lot of this is nonsense just warmed up a bit. Comparing the current
economic situation in the US with the breakup of a tiny central European
country some 20 years is pure bullshit. There are no comparisons here,
none, zilch, zero. But if you really want to use the phrase "economic
justice" which has nothing to do with the price of fish, yes I guess a
forced comparison is the way to go.
Lame! As is the original post which had no focus either. And nothing to
say. Oh God, don't you recognize crap when you see it?
K
K
kujebak
> In article
> <599bfadf-d2a9-48a0-99f3-fd3e0b4ce...@r31g2000prh.googlegroups.com>,
>
> - Show quoted text -
¿Que pasa, Carlito? Mucho tiempo sin escuchar. ¿Cómo
estás? Espero mui bien ;-) Anyhoo, where am I comparing
the *breakup* of Czecho-Slovakia (or whatever else it called
itself at the end) with the current economic situation? As usual,
no counter arguments. Only opinions. The content of the ori-
ginal post is irrelevant. Only the writer's befuddlement over the
cause of the breakup. Would you care to contribute something
material on this point? But of course not. As usual ;-)
Karel Kriz
<0941b573-60dc-4bd7...@w35g2000prg.googlegroups.com>,
kujebak <kuj...@eudoramail.com> wrote:
> �Que pasa, Carlito? Mucho tiempo sin escuchar. �C�mo
> est�s? Espero mui bien ;-) Anyhoo, where am I comparing
> the *breakup* of Czecho-Slovakia (or whatever else it called
> itself at the end) with the current economic situation? As usual,
> no counter arguments. Only opinions. The content of the ori-
> ginal post is irrelevant. Only the writer's befuddlement over the
> cause of the breakup. Would you care to contribute something
> material on this point? But of course not. As usual ;-)
It's like GIGO (Garbage In - Garbage Out) There's not much to get
material about. Anyway, thanks for asking. Feeling good, washing with
Zest, bowel movement regular, erectile dysfunction in remission. Is that
too much information? Maybe...Life is good, but no stimulus cash for me
yet. I just never qualify for any handouts...So personal stimulus has to
come from other sources - but that would be telling.
K
kujebak
> > estás? Espero mui bien ;-) Anyhoo, where am I comparing
> > the *breakup* of Czecho-Slovakia (or whatever else it called
> > itself at the end) with the current economic situation? As usual,
> > no counter arguments. Only opinions. The content of the ori-
> > ginal post is irrelevant. Only the writer's befuddlement over the
> > cause of the breakup. Would you care to contribute something
> > material on this point? But of course not. As usual ;-)
>
> It's like GIGO (Garbage In - Garbage Out) There's not much to get
> material about. Anyway, thanks for asking. Feeling good, washing with
> Zest, bowel movement regular, erectile dysfunction in remission. Is that
> too much information? Maybe...Life is good, but no stimulus cash for me
> yet. I just never qualify for any handouts...So personal stimulus has to
> come from other sources - but that would be telling.
>
>
> - Show quoted text -
I wouldn't count on any "stimulus cash" :-)
Medicare won't even pay for hearing aid.
Seriously.
High Miles
>
> I wouldn't count on any "stimulus cash" :-)
> Medicare won't even pay for hearing aid.
> Seriously.
>
>
Hey - someone in the Fed sent me two hundred and fifty
bucks late last month.
I thought everybody who filed a tax return was supposed to
get a kick back.
D
kujebak
Not this time. Giving back taxes to those who pay them to stimu-
late the economy is not in vogue any more. Your 250 bucks was
Obama's Social Security stimulus handout. In lieu of your annual
raise. Looks like you've been had too :-)
High Miles
Nothing new.
We all recognize the sensation.