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Location: Kowaniec, Nowy Targ, Podhale. 666 m n.p.m.
355 posts, read 977,486 times
Reputation: 497
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Quote:
Originally Posted by patrix542
you dont know what you're talking about. I'm gay and Polish... Poland is one of the most homophobic countries in Europe and its no better than even the worst US state when it comes to tolerance.
Try walking down the street holding your bf hand... you will get stared, get nasty comments or even get beaten. + Polish people are against adpotion by gay people and against gay mariage.
I love Poland but no one will tell me that its ok to be gay in Poland because i know from my own experience that is not and the only reason why i will never go back to poland is because of lack tolerance.
Some recent surveys
61% of the Polish population wouldn't mind if the prime minister was openly homosexual:
54% of the population nowadays is in favour of civil partnerships for homosexuals. Indeed, when it comes down to marriage, still a solid majority opposes it, but as you may well know, marriage in Poland is still mainly a church thing for most people. My own personal view on this is that the Catholic Church have every right to not marry gays, as it's against their beliefs, but the state should be above that and marry anyone who is in a solid relationship and wishes to get married regardless of gender of the parties involved.
Or a link to the latest Eurobarometer, which places Poland roughly in the middle of the EU-27 countries when it comes down to discrimination against homosexuals, and actually, at the low end of the scale for all other forms of discrimination:
Of these countries i'll have to say the Czech Republic. Its the most advanced of the former communist states behind the Iron Curtain and is the most Westernized in terms of its culture. Its also in the European Union with open borders with Germany and Austria and is a member of NATO and an ally of the US and Great Britain. It probably has the least Soviet influence left, while the Russian influence is still very heavy in Ukraine, Hungary, etc.
It seems in Europe the further east you get the more depressing it is especially the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia. Yeah I think they left Bosnia, Kosovo, Russia off the list, along with some semi-European places like Chechnya, Georgia, Armenia, etc that are sometimes considered part of Europe, and part of Turkey is in Europe too. A lot of Europe actually is pretty bad....just in the U.S. when most people think "Europe" they only think of Western European countries like the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, etc never Eastern Europe.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,076,059 times
Reputation: 11862
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Lennox 70
Of these countries i'll have to say the Czech Republic. Its the most advanced of the former communist states behind the Iron Curtain and is the most Westernized in terms of its culture. Its also in the European Union with open borders with Germany and Austria and is a member of NATO and an ally of the US and Great Britain. It probably has the least Soviet influence left, while the Russian influence is still very heavy in Ukraine, Hungary, etc.
It seems in Europe the further east you get the more depressing it is especially the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia. Yeah I think they left Bosnia, Kosovo, Russia off the list, along with some semi-European places like Chechnya, Georgia, Armenia, etc that are sometimes considered part of Europe, and part of Turkey is in Europe too. A lot of Europe actually is pretty bad....just in the U.S. when most people think "Europe" they only think of Western European countries like the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, etc never Eastern Europe.
Yeah Europe is way more diverse than America, Belgium is a world away from Serbia.
The fact that most people where you live classify these countries as Eastern European means nothing but that they're wrong. The list includes countries that are not eastern European (Czech Republic, Hungary, etc), and excludes countries that are eastern European (Greece, Cyprus, etc). The only thing that countries on the list have in common is that they are post communist. OP's intention seems to me was to identify the post communist countries, NOT eastern European countries, and therefore the name of the topic does not make sense.
I've never heard of Greece described as Eastern European, usually Southern Europe or Mediteranean. In most atlas, Cyprus is under the Asia section since its geographically in the Middle East, very close to Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. Yes Greeks settled on the island, but Europeans also settled in the Americas and Australia. Just the part of Turkey that Cyprus is close to is Asian Turkey, well east of Istanbul.
The former Czechoslovakia is Eastern European to me but I have some friends from the Czech Republic....now they consider themselves to be Central Europe, but Slovakia and Poland to be eastern. Well Slovakia IS to the east, as is Poland. The Czechs do seem to look more west than east, and are pretty much integrated into the EU, while Ukraine and Belarus are still very much under the Russian sphere of influence. In terms of older culture aside from the Cold War, I know the Czechs and Poles are Catholic vs Eastern/Russian Orthodox and use the Latin alphabet vs Cyrillic.
When Czechoslovakia was one country it stretched much further to the east. I definitely do not see Poland as Central European, nor do I see Hungary as such. I think the Balkans can be their own category really like Croatia and Bosnia and Kosovo. I would say central Europe includes the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany, though Germany is also Western. East Germany was an Eastern European country but unified Germany isn't.
I don't think the OP mean ex-communist cuase then they would have had to include Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the rest of Soviet Central Asia plus the Caucasus states. Some maps do place parts of Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan in Europe for some reason.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,076,059 times
Reputation: 11862
^ Czech Republic and Hungary were part of the Eastern bloc but culturally they're as much like Germany as they are like the core Slavic nations of Poland, Serbia or Ukraine, Russia. Central Europe could fall into Western or Eastern Europe depending on how you divide Europe.
Greece shares similarities with the Slavic world - Orthodox Christianity, Cyrillic script...
Location: Kowaniec, Nowy Targ, Podhale. 666 m n.p.m.
355 posts, read 977,486 times
Reputation: 497
Quote:
Originally Posted by Trimac20
the core Slavic nations of Poland, Serbia or Ukraine, Russia.
Actually, according to legend, the "core" slavic nations were founded by the three brothers Lech, Czech and Rus' - where Rus' means Ruthenia, modern-day Ukraine.
The "core" slavic nations would be Poland, Czechia and Ukraine... Modern Russia could actually trace it's origins back to Swedish Vikings.
Actually, according to legend, the "core" slavic nations were founded by the three brothers Lech, Czech and Rus' - where Rus' means Ruthenia, modern-day Ukraine.
The "core" slavic nations would be Poland, Czechia and Ukraine... Modern Russia could actually trace it's origins back to Swedish Vikings.
except the fact that Croatia is not considered to be an Eastern Europe and Hungary actually is in EU not only Czech republic, same for Lativa and all 3 Baltic republics..... I´d pick Latvia or Estonia
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