The Czech Mentality - Part 3 - Other ObservationsIn the final article of a series examining the national mindset, Ondřej "Vickey" Vykydal tackles a few of the criticisms often leveled against his fellow Czechs
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Miserable? Czechs see themselves as neither rude nor miserable. They like smiles, but not when they're forced. Artificial smiles from a service person, who smiles at everyone in case they lose a customer, are considered stupid -- worse than being miserable or unwilling. Plebeian In Czech history, the richest people have generally been the nobility, occupiers, the church, the owners of non-Czech (German/Jewish) companies, Nazi officials, Communist officials, speculators, asset-strippers, and sportsmen. With the exception of the occasional king, clergyman, footballer or ice hockey player, they've rarely been people who really loved the country. The Czech elite -- mainly writers, composers, entrepreneurs, and academics -- never had positions of authorities -- even those who didn't move abroad. In the Czech view, the super-rich are suspicious, haughty, snobby, arrogant, spoiled, fussy, and rude. Rude Service Služba, the Czech word for service, comes from sloužit, which, as well as meaning to serve, also means to be a lackey. For a long time, the verb "to serve" was synonymous with humiliation by the authorities, akin to cleaning someone's shoe with your tongue. Czech work involves producing output -- in agriculture, industry, medicine, or at school. If you work in an office or as, say, an assistant at a solarium, you'd be better off saying that you were "employed" in that position rather than that you "work" there. Czechs are used to looking after themselves and many women are still impressed by a man who can do things for himself, with as little outside assistance as possible. Czechs use services only when they're absolutely necessary. When Czechs go abroad, they won't just ask anything of anyone, but carefully choose the questions they need to ask. It's rude to yap on at people in your own language, asking questions you could easily find the answers to yourself. It seems silly to come to a hotel reception desk, in the center of a city of over a million people, and ask where the nearest grocery is. That makes Czechs grumpy. It's rude to ask for information that you could just as easily find on a nearby sign. It's rude to talk loudly on the tram -- people aren't interested! Loud discussions are for when you're among people with whom you have something in common, or at a rock concert or the pub. If you complicate your shop assistant's life with your extra requests, they'll get their revenge tomorrow, and make your life more difficult! Westerners who are used to more developed levels of service are often considered spoiled, fussy, cheeky, and arrogant. It makes Czechs worry that in 10 years' time, when they attain a Western standard of living, that they'll be like that. Many Czechs, especially in the country, are embarrassed when someone gives them too much service. Peasant Intellect The houses in riverside Bohemian villages are usually some distance from the water. During 2002's floods, most were untouched or only partly damaged by the rising waters, while Prague residents' newer weekend cottages, built on riverbanks, were completely destroyed. The villages hadn't experienced floods of such magnitude for generations but selský rozum (peasant intellect) told the locals where to build their houses. --- Many Czech fairy tales -- probably most of them -- have more or less the same plot: A boy from the country breaks a princess's heart (or a country girl breaks a prince's heart.) Ordinary people, represented by the fairy tale's hero, are seen as decent, principled people, blessed with selský rozum, while the nobility, represented by the princess, are seen as a bunch of rude degenerates who have no idea about the problems of daily life. Xenophobia The Czechs never had colonies and this has never been a multicultural society. They tend to view the world in an old-fashioned way, along national lines. The current British and French trend of apologizing to those they have colonized is difficult for Czechs to understand. Just as a woman will never be a man, and a man will never be a woman, a Czech will never become a Bangladeshi and a Bangladeshi will never become a Czech. A Bangladeshi still attracts attention on the street. Although turning your head to look at him might, from a Western point of view, be seen as racism, for Czechs it's perfectly natural. They know they would attract the same sort of attention in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Being Average and Ordinary Czechs live in the center of Europe, in a country with a fairly average population density, mostly in medium-size towns. During Communism, a lawyer, a laborer, a teacher, and a farmer could sit at the same table in a pub, drink beer and have a conversation. For starters, their salaries were similar, and Czechs -- so often under someone else's rule -- tend to be in cahoots with one another! Czechs still need that community. A Czech student wouldn't sue another student for cheating. If you give your classmate trouble -- complicating his studies by suing him -- he'll get his revenge tomorrow, and make your life more difficult! Community is more important than rivalry. But being average doesn't mean that Czechs are unable to take on big challenges, otherwise the country wouldn't have the second highest gross domestic product per capita among former Communist countries. As I said before, Czechs work towards a higher level of comfort only if doesn't cause them too much discomfort to get there. Living an average lifestyle gives Czechs a feeling of community. You have more friends, spread across a wider cross-section of society. And it broadens your horizons, giving you more empathy with your fellow citizens, and better social networks. A polarized society creates conflict and crime, but if you get along with people from all walks of life, you're never far from the Czech values of hominess, ordinariness, and a trouble-free existence. Final Word "Hello Britain, hello Sweden, hello Tanzania, hello Paraguay... Can you see the mountain range in front of the crater? Yes, we're behind that. "I'm coming round for coffee on Sunday -- or you can come to my house. But it's Monday now and I'm going to work, to make my life more comfortable. "Let me be. No arguments or conflicts, OK? "Thank you. See you on Sunday." READERS' COMMENTS "I enjoyed your articles very much. Well written and informative. I hope you have intentions of tackling some other issues in the future. I know that some of the printed brochures from various tourist bureaus could benefit from your insight regarding their comments on 'what to expect when visiting Prague.'"
George Volak September 26th, 2007 "Czech preference for self-sufficiency is entirely admirable in a world where tying ones shoelaces seems to require to use of about twenty electronic gadgets. But i must ask: how does this jusitify a punative attitude towards people who may genuinely require help? It seems that even calling on help from those departments whose job is to serve, namely the police, doctors and civil servants is an act punishible in itself. I guess czechs are required to solve their own crimes, put out their own fires and treat their own cancer. To ask anyone else to do it would be simply rude and stupid."
ephraim goldin September 28th, 2007 "OMFG: where do I sign the petition that says 'Sign here if you agree on 100 percent?' Excellent stuff...and oh-so-true..."
Czech Daily Word September 28th, 2007 CZECH MENTALITY Part 1 - Geography | Part 2 - History | Part 3 - Other Observations • The views expressed in this article are the author's own and don't necessarily represent the views of Prague TV or Real Time Productions |
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"Its easy to make all kinds of excuses like it is part of their mentality or their culture. Just spend a few days with a Czech who has lived abroad for a few years and watch the steam come out of their ears. It bothers them allot more because it is THEIR culture and country and they cannot stand to see their people behave like this."
lost
September 25th, 2007