On Wednesday November 11^th I joined other Cornell students in a talk lead by Professor Holly Case at the weekly Becker-Rose Café. The topic: the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe. I had been hesitant to attend, seeing it is a topic I to this day follow very closely, but I am glad I did, for she brought with her personal accounts and photographs from her visit to Hungary earlier in the fall.

She spoke of the country’s far-right Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, and the propaganda campaign he and his party have been using in an attempt to steer the general Hungarian population to fear the influx of refugees. The Two Tailed Dog Party and their comedic response to billboards tied to the campaign would be hilarious, if it weren’t for the circumstances; including slogans such as “Please excuse our empty country, we’ve gone to England!,” in response to the government’s, which included “If You Come To Hungary, Do Not Take The Jobs Of Hungarians.”

Among the most interesting things I learned from Professor Case’s talk was the support groups for volunteers. It was eyeopening for me to hear of volunteers, individuals I have always seen as positive, it-gets-better kind of people, creating groups to support one another when they found themselves in various states of depression over a situation many began to feel had no happy ending. I personally almost broke down, and heaven knows I have become an expert at suppressing and hiding emotions, when she mentioned how refugees had recently started taking and even requesting Bibles offered by missionary groups offering aid, though they had previously never cared for the book, because they had heard countries were only letting in Christian refugees, and they wanted to be sure to have something to identify them as such, just to seek safe haven.

The talk was quite honestly among the worst possible events I could have attended this semester, I already have far too many depressive issues to deal with, especially seeing it was on a topic I had, and still do, consider myself well versed in. That said, it was fascinating to hear Professor Case’s first hand accounts, even though I found myself most constantly on the verge of tears.

I know I am late in writing a response to Prof. Case’s discussion regarding Syrian refugees and how the country of Hungary is handling the situation, but with the advent of some current events, the timing could not be better. On Thursday December 10th, the first Canadian government plane landed in Toronto carrying 163 Syrian refugees. This is the first step in helping these people leave the bad situations occurring in their home country and restarting their lives in a different country. I believe that the refugees should be allowed to come here, but there should be a system in place where there is some sort of background checks/ screening process. These checks and screenings would not prevent someone from entering, but flags would be raised if there is any suspicion of possible skeptical behavior. This is a very difficult situation where key decisions have to be made. According to a U.S. News article “A Syrian passport was found near one of the assailants in the Paris terror attacks…The discovery has heightened fears that Islamic State group terrorists could exploit refugee routes and resettlement programs to position themselves for additional attacks.” If an attack were to happen on U.S. soil, then of course there will be uproar about the policies in place. They’ll say how could you let these people in when they do stuff like that. There are always some extremes that ruin it for the majority of good people. America was practically built by people who were leaving unfavorable conditions in their home country to come here and make a life for themselves and their families.

On November 11^th, the Becker-Rose Café hosted Professor Holly Case, who led a presentation and discussion about the Syrian refugee crisis. Over the past couple of months, I have taken notice about all of the news articles regarding the crisis. I remember reading many news articles about the deaths of many refugees as they attempted to flee Syria to other parts of Europe. Specifically, I remember reading the story of Aylan Kurdi, a three year old Syrian boy whose washed up body on the shore made headlines around the world. The young boy’s death demonstrated the seriousness of the Syrian refugee crisis. The graphic photo highlights how desperate people are to flee Syria and how parents are risking their lives as well as the lives of their families to flee. Over 300,000 people have fled Syria this past year, however the actual number is expected to be much higher than this.

I really enjoyed listening to Professor Case, and hearing her perspective after spending time in Hungary. She talked about the contrasting views Hungarians have. The propaganda goes as far as saying there is no crisis and soldiers wear masks and gloves when handing food to refugees. This can be dehumanizing in a way and has devastating effects on the psyche of refugees who are already struggling. The presentation however largely focused on the efforts of many Hungarians who are helping refugees. Professor Case had the opportunity to talk to some of these people and hear their stories. Listening to her talk about all of the people making great efforts to help strangers who are struggling is very heartwarming and sheds hope that one day the Syrian refugee crisis will no longer be a crisis and refugees will be able to seek asylum in other nations.

Due to politics and war, the words “immigrant” and “refugee” have been uttered numerous times in the past couple of months. In this Becker/Rose Cafe series, Professor Holly Case talked about the refugee crisis in Europe, specifically in Hungary. I came into the talk with a modest understanding of the current situation. I must admit that I was a little puzzled when Professor Case first mentioned the “Two Tailed Dog Party.” Based on her initial description of it, I thought that Professor Case was just joking around. The name of the party itself also made me believe that Professor Case was being facetious. It turns out, of course, that the Two Tailed Dog Party actually exists. Its objective is to speak out against the Hungarian government’s position on refugees, sometimes using satirical posters and billboards to convey its message.

The recent terrorist attacks in Paris and other parts of the world have placed the eyes of the global community on Syrian refugees. The United States has agreed to take in thousands of refugees. Some states, however, including my home state of Florida, have refused to accept these refugees due to concerns of national security (possible terrorist threats). Are these concerns valid or does the United States have a moral obligation to welcome those who flee persecution and war? Where do we draw the line between liberty and security? Does our sense of humanity have boundaries?

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ 40 And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ -Matthew 25:35-40

Last week, I attended Professor Holly Case’s discussion in the Becker-Rose Cafe Series. Professor Case discussed the topic of the migrant crisis in Europe, a major topic covered by the media. Before coming to the discussion, I only knew about the basic ideas of the migrant crisis. The discussion with Professor Case helped in filling the many gaps in my knowledge about the issue. Professor Case explained the topic very well by showing pictures she took of Hungary when she was there in September. Authentic pictures from the places with migrants made it seem more real to the audience, than just talking about it. I note the importance of pictures in the presentation because this is similar to the situation that most of Hungarians face. One of main things Professor Case discussed was how most Hungarians have never really interacted with the migrants. The migrants usually follow the same path, which means that unless you live in their route, there is very little chance of seeing them. The government is trying to use pictures to manipulate the population’s perceptions of the migrants. Professor Case showed many pictures of the Hungarian government posting on billboards that they will make sure no one will take away Hungarian jobs. In addition to that, the government does not allow media to publish pictures of migrant women and children. They want it to seem like most of the migrants are young males trying to take away Hungarian jobs. It is very interesting to see how social media is being used by governments. As an outsider it is easy for me to see through the manipulation but I wonder if it is very apparent to the average Hungarian. The talk made me think more deeply about how different people may perceive a situation. Although I don’t think we will be able to solve the problem soon, especially with the attacks in Paris, I am optimistic that the countries may find a policy to deal with this situation.

For the past several weeks, I have been following the Syrian Refugee Crisis on the news. I think that it is an incredibly heartbreaking situation and when I saw that there would be a Becker Rose Cafe covering the topic, I knew that I wanted to go. Professor Holly Case led the cafe and spoke specifically about Hungary’s role and response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis. I had known that many European countries were against allowing refugees into the country, but I hadn’t realized that Hungary had erected a physical fence to keep the refugees out. After learning this, I was again surprised that this action had been taken without the approval of the majority of the public. Most Hungarians want to help the refugees. Of the Hungarians that don’t want to explicitly help the refugees, the majority of those people aren’t significantly opposed to having them in the country. There is a very small group of people in Hungary that really don’t want any refugees in the country. I found this fact incredibly surprising but I’m glad that I am now aware of this.

Another fascinating aspect of Professor Holly Case’s cafe was when she talked about a Hungarian activist group called the Two Tailed Dog Party. Victor Orban is the conservative Prime Minister of Hungary and the Two Tailed Dog Party runs anti-Orban campaigns. The members of this party are against Orban’s refugee policies and their campaigns are very satirical. Unfortunately, this party has no intention of becoming politically involved. Rather they just make their opinions known. I think that since this party realizes the harshness of Orban’s policies, they should become politically involved especially since many Hungarians seem to support their opinions.

Overall this cafe was very enlightening. I learned a lot about the Syrian Refugee Crisis that I hadn’t known from just looking at news media outlets. It is an unfortunate situation and I hope that European countries work to humanely solve the issue.

This week’s Rose-Becker Café was an interesting one. Professor Holly Case, an associate professor in the Department of History here at Cornell, talked about the current refugee crisis in Hungary. Prof. Case began the discussion by talking about the idea of Spaceship Earth. Over the summer, Prof. Case visited Hungary, where she gained firsthand experience in interacting with people who really cared about the refugees passing through the country. There were many volunteers who spent hours passing food and supplies out to refugees. There was a man who came all the way from Switzerland to offer his help. She showed us pictures of some of these workers. One of the pictures – featuring an old man named Tibor – really stood out to me. Prof. Case said that Tibor personally handed out supplies to the refugees and embraced each of them. I could tell that everyone in the room was touched by his compassion for the refugees. I wasn’t expecting Prof. Case to share this collection of photos from her trip, but I’m glad she did – it was heartwarming to know that there are people out there who actually care about other humans and want to help those seeking refuge.

I found two details of Holly Case’s talk on the migrant crisis to be of particular interest.

The first, which Professor Case mentioned briefly near the end of her talk, is the newly arising division within the Jewish-Hungarian community. Professor Case mentioned that, somewhat counterintuitively, the Jewish community has split, taking two opposing sides of the debate. One faction, noting the amount of forced relocation in Jewish history, sympathizes with the Middle Eastern migrants and is happy to support their journey into Europe. On the other hand, the second faction feels that for the first time in their histories, due to the xenofobia surrounding the influx of migrants, that they are now seen as true Hungarians, rather than second class citizens; and thus, have taken a stance on the crisis that is characteristic of the right side of the Hungarian political spectrum.

Second, which was also briefly mentioned, was the fact that the aid of the migrants has in some sense taken the shape of a feminist movement. Because Hungarian society is a very patriarchal one, it is not uncommon for Hungarian men to refuse to do the household-like duties needed in aid work. (Organizing clothing, preparing food, etc.) This has caused a large gender-imbalance among the aid workers, and in one village, the aid operation was run entirely by women.

While these are two small anecdotes and they may not be entirely indicative of cultural change, it is fascinating to see how a culture can evolve in the face of a crisis, or at least abnormality.

Professor Case in the Department of History at Cornell gave an incredible illustration of the current refugee crisis occurring in the world with the specific case of the internal tensions in Hungary accepting Syrian refugees. This talk has become event more important and interesting as countries, especially Western countries, are currently opposed to accepting Syrian refugees due to the recent terror attacks.

Personally, the most interesting thing that struck out to me is the dedication of Professor Case to go out in the field at Hungary and see the situation for herself up and personal. The pictures that she brought back to show us can help tell the story even better. She began with the pictures that showed the government was against letting in foreigners, including the Syrian refugees. However, the “Two-Tailed Dog” political party was able to humor the government in putting up their signs of opposition to the government over the government signs. This showed the people’s personal opinion in allowing Syrian refugees to come to Hungary.

Furthermore, I found it amazing how the people went out of their way to help the refugees by providing water, food, and shelter. It was beautifully captured by Professor Case as she is also stood by these people and understood their reasons and stories about helping the refugees.

Thus, I thought the talk was incredibly moving to see how the people helped others in spite of the governmental control.

The refugee crisis is playing out, in large part, far from the US, and given the distance it’s easy for the situation to become somewhat of an abstraction to us. Through media coverage, we understand the numbers of people moving, the dangerous and often tragic conditions of their travel, the pressure on European governments (and our own) to look for a solution, the security questions raised and debated (especially now following the Paris attacks). One small point that stood out to me in the talk was that one (or maybe more, I can’t remember) of the volunteers in Hungary that Prof. Case had spoken to felt a similar kind of abstraction. Despite having worked many long days handing out food, water, and other necessities to passing migrants – a face-to-face interaction that you might expect to concretize their understanding of the migrants and their situation – they still felt as though the migrants were kind of anonymous individuals just passing through. Part of the reason for this feeling was that they were so busy preparing and distributing the meals that they really didn’t spend any considerable time with the migrants (and even if they had, language barriers likely could have prevented them from communicating meaningfully with them). So even to those providing assistance along the migrants’ path, the migrants themselves could remain a kind of abstraction, or somehow removed. I think this is troubling. Distance from a problem only makes it easier to choose inaction in response. Maybe there is potential for media coverage of migrants’ stories to help bridge that gap.

On Wednesday’s Becker-Rose café, Professor Holly Case of Cornell’s Department of History gave a talk about the refugee crisis in Europe. As part of her summer, she went to Hungary to see how the recent events have impacted civilian lives in addition to understanding the situation of the country in more detail. She provided images of her trip to Hungary, which varied from government vandalism to support groups that welcomed refugees with open arms.

Professor Case started off with the description of a political group named the ‘Two-Tailed Dog’ party. While the party is affiliated with politics, members often work to make fun of government decrees. In fact, if the government put up new signs, members of the ‘Two-Tailed Dog’ party would cover up the text within hours of the sign being erected. In addition, the party is known to make a mockery of government politics and often attempt to ‘humor’ the situation, but help to advocate for freedom and expression. However it is precisely of these mock parties that Hungary is also in a political dilemma. In fact, it’s hard to say present day which political group in Hungary has the most influence.

Beyond political troubles, Hungary has also been active in wanting to help the refugees in Syria. A collection of the photos that Professor Case presented featured workers who genuinely cared about the ongoing crisis. Despite government criticism in letting in immigrants to Hungary, Professor Case made and met friends who gave out food, water, and shelter for those who seek refuge. I found it fascinating to see such a contrast between the government and the country’s people. On one hand, it seems that the Hungarian government did not want to get involved with the ongoing crisis and consequently decided to not participate by offering aid while the citizens of Hungary were more than willing to help these refugees.

I had not expected to see such hospitality and it was heart-warming to see that there are people out there actively helping those in need.

In the light of disturbing events that have taken place in recent days, this cafe event is very relevant to current affairs and events that are transpiring around the world. Given recent increases in expression of xenophobia, the topic of Syrian refugees is one that is likely being discussed by members of many governments as I type this review. Specifically, in my home state of Illinois, there has been a statement from the governor stating plans to prohibit the influx of refugees at this time; however, aldermen of the city of Chicago have stated that they are still willing to accept any refugee. The support of refugees from some government officials has created a feeling of security for some Muslim citizens and for incoming refugees. This secure feeling and support is already tearing down the wall of fear and discomfort between Muslim and non-Muslim people that a group of terrorists attempted to build last week. Unfortunately, this acceptance and comfort does not exist for all refugees. In Eastern Europe, there is an enormous influx of refugees. Certain governments have decided that they cannot physically handle such large numbers of refugees and have begun to shut down their borders. This is what the cafe series event focused on specifically. One of the most intriguing topics was the different models of human existence on Earth. There is the spaceship model, which says that Earth is a spaceship and humans can only use the resources available to the ship; the other model is the life raft model. This model explains the Earth as a life raft, and it can only support a certain number of people. If too many people are using the resources of the life raft, then the entire life raft will sink. While both are being used by certain individuals in power to defend their legislative decisions, it is difficult to concretely state that one of these is the correct approach when looking and humanity’s role on this planet.

Last Wednesday, Professor Holly Case spoke on the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe, focusing specifically on Hungary, which has come under international criticism for erecting a fence in order to keep refugees out. During the discussion, there were three things that stuck out to me. The first is that prior to the erection of the fence, it was primarily Hungarian people who were reaching out and offering aid to the refugees as they entered Hungary. For a country that erected a fence to keep the refugees out, I hadn’t expected the public to have been so welcoming and helpful.

Secondly, Case stated that a large number of Hungarians wanted to either help the refugees, or were at least indifferent about them; the people who wanted to keep the refugees from entering the country were in the minority. Again, because Hungary is part of the Western tradition which abides by democracy, I assumed that public support must have been in support of keeping the refugees out; however, it appears it was a decision made by the government, not by the people, but rather for the people.

The third and final thing that stuck out to me was that the Two Tailed Dog Party, a political activist group that opposes the restriction of refugees entering the country, doesn’t actually want to take on a governing role. The Two Tailed Dog Party is fine with criticizing the government and advocates for different governing decisions, but it doesn’t want to actually enter the political arena. Although I believe that the content of their campaign is meaningful, the campaign itself seems empty if they aren’t willing to make an active attempt to change the political situation. The advice that I would offer the Two Tailed Dog Party is to “be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Since they want the political environment and governing decisions to change, they should try to change them by entering into politics.

In light of Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris, it seems that the international community may dial back its criticisms of Hungary’s refugee decisions. Now other nations are having serious discussions about whether they too should continue to allow Syrian refugees into their country. Ultimately these discussions center on a government’s responsibility to protect its citizens from potential harm on the one hand, and the human obligation to help those in need on the other. Which responsibility takes precedence for a government? It will be interesting to see how these tensions play out in the coming months, and how those decisions will affect the strength and unity of the European Union.

The Syrian Refugee Crisis is a cause close to my heart. It was a pleasure to hear Professor Holly Case talk about the issue and provide so many interesting perspectives on it and also explain the Spaceship Earth world view analogy. A mass relocation brings about controversial politics in play as often times the citizens of the host country can have very strong opposing views. As in Hungary, the prime minister Victor Orban has taken a harsh stance on allowing refugees and works to gain support for his view.

However, other Hungarians such as the Two Tailed Dog political party has been very anti-Orban and has been working against government propaganda satirically. Xenophobia is an unfortunate reality the Syrians refugees have to face and it is especially sad that the hostility is state-sponsored. Interestingly enough, this divide on whether refugees should be allowed can also be seen throughout the various posts on this blog by Rose Scholars themselves.

We live in the 21st century, at a time when the internet connects all corners of the earth in less than a second. And it has been decades that we have been able to travel long distances within hours. Our space technology allows us to see the earth as a single blue marble where life thrives. Yet it’s our man-made borders and cultures that separate us.

Professor Holly Case’s discussion about the migrant/refugee issue in Europe struck a special chord for me. We live in a country that is considered the melting pot of many cultures, and its success is built on providing a haven for those who seek freedom and a better life. It is not hard to imagine what things may be like in areas of the world where xenophobia is much more wide-spread.

The strife created in large parts of the middle east, especially in Syria and Iraq, has led a lot of individuals and families fleeing war and persecution to migrate to other countries just to survive. And Hungary is at the cross-roads of this migration, a transit country between East and West for refugees. Hungary’s conservative prime minister, Victor Orban, who was previously struggling due to various corruption scandals, seems to have found a way to galvanize support by taking a harsh stance against allowing refugees to enter Hungary. Professor Case’s discussion prompted me to read more about Mr. Orban. He refers to the clearly helpless migrants seeking refuge as “looking like an army”. The following quote says it all: “We do not know who these people are, what their plans are, how they wish to maintain their own ideals, and we do not know if they will respect our culture and laws. This is an unregulated, uncontrolled process, the definition of which is invasion”. In all this mayhem, it is good to see that signs of compassion still exist among some Hungarians. For example, the mock Two-Tailed Dog political party has been running anti-Orban campaigns, which include billboards saying “Sorry for our prime minister”. Of course, focusing on Hungary ignores the fact that this is a European problem. With the backdrop of prejudice/fear that Europe will be overrun by Muslims that is being pushed by the nationalist parties, it is harder for humanity to shine through. The recent tragic terrorist attacks in Paris will only add fuel to the burning fire of xenophobia in Europe by giving rise to more nationalistic fervors. I still hope love and compassion will ultimately triumph.

And in case you were wondering, for me home is where humanity is!

Professor Holly Case came to the Becker-Rose Cafe Series and talked to us about the Syrian refugee crisis. Specifically, she focused on the role that the country of Hungary has played in dealing with this crisis. She described that in the summer of 2015, several parts and many individuals of Hungary were extremely devoted to the cause of providing food and shelter for these refugees. In one town, a building was stocked and manned 24 hours a day by volunteers, who provided nourishment for refugees who passed through. However, even in a relatively small country like Hungary, there exists great disagreement in regards to how open and accepting the nation should be to aiding these refugees. She discussed how some within Hungary subscribe to the Spaceship analogy, which I think can be interpreted in several ways, but in this case, I believe the idea is that with a finite set of resources within a country, only so many people can be sustained, before the Spaceship becomes devoid of resources.

The professor also discussed how there often exist external forces that can greatly shape a country’s decision-making. For example, she described how many of the construction projects within a nation like Hungary are in fact heavily funded by the European Union, and thus the EU can apply pressure towards nations who don’t engage in humanitarian activities. Overall, I think whether a specific country should or should not aid refugees has to be linked to the availability of resources. The resources of a nation must first satisfy the survival needs of its citizens. I think the Spaceship analogy does have some merit in this regard, but if there does exist resources to support those in dire need, it is obvious and humane that aid is the right course of action.

I went to Professor Case’s talk on the refugee crisis expecting to hear a narrative focusing on the xenophobia of a national government, the compassion of a select few volunteers, and the determination of crowds of people who have been touched by inhuman atrocity. And all of these were indeed components of the situation, but I was surprised to discover the involvement of other sentiments and perspectives.

One of the recurring characters, so to speak, was the Two-tailed Dog Party, a band of absurdists who mock the political status quo in Hungary. A recent campaign of theirs involved the creation of doppelgänger billboards that mocked the xenophobic fear-mongering of the ruling party’s original versions. As amusing as these stunts are, they also reflect a sense of impotence haunting those who oppose the regime of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. When a party that calls itself Politics Can Be Different fails to offer meaningful change, it is completely unsurprising that disillusionment sets it. And yet people still refuse to accept the status quo, leading to the organization of such groups such as the Two-tailed Dog Party, who are less about supporting positions than laughing at the maddening wrongness of the positions that have been offered.

Complimenting this sentiment are the results of a survey mentioned by Professor Case that found that more Hungarians were concerned with emigration than immigration. Such feelings can be represented by a man from a border town who expressed a fear that one day nobody will live there because they will all have moved somewhere else. Post-Cold War optimism has given way to years of disappointment. Perhaps the most surprising conflict between the waves of refugees and the Hungarian citizenry is one of optimism. While the refugees come with hopes for a better life, many a Hungarian seems to look sadly at these newcomers as tragically idealistic. I was expecting something sad, but not this brand of melancholy.

Last week’s Becker/Rose Cafe about refugees began with spaceships. Professor Holly Case explained the Spaceship Earth world view, which concerns the use of limited resources and the world’s moral obligation to act harmoniously given those resources. A group currently in serious need of any and all types of resources is the Syrian refugees. This crisis has prompted many countries to open their borders to Syrians in need of new homes. However, the mass relocation has not come without controversy. The Hungarian government does not necessarily hold the Spaceship Earth ideology as it is unwilling to lend its resources to those non-Hungarians in need. Billboards have been made which tell foreigners to respect Hungarian jobs, culture, and laws. A significant point that was brought up by professor Case is that those signs are written in Hungarian, which means they are really meant for Hungarians to see and understand. The country’s government wants to instill in its people a jingoistic, cultural preservationist philosophy. Hungary should have the right to maintain its policies, but many people, even within the country itself, whole-heartedly disagree with the messages presented to them. The Two-tailed Dog Party is one such group of people that does not hold this belief in conservation. The so-called Party is a satirical faction that makes its own political posters, graffitis the streets, and, most importantly, pokes caustic fun at the government. They vandalize oh-so-important government billboards and spread a more accepting message. While back and forth discussions on these sorts of issues are important to have, people should not lose sight of who are in immediate need of help — the Syrian refugees. I think the administrative authorities have no right to enforce their xenophobia and must ultimately let the population decide on whether they think their past is more important than others’ futures.

The United States has probably experienced more immigration over the past 200 years than any other country, and as such, we are used to the debate around immigration and its positives and negatives. For Europe, however, the Syrian Refugee Crisis poses an immigration problem of unprecedented level in those countries and it is difficult to know exactly how Europeans feel about the issue and what it signifies for them. Therefore, for me, Professor Holly Case’s talk was particular valuable because of her ability to give perspective on this, at least from the point of view of Hungarians. One of the most intriguing things I thought she mentioned was the metaphor that has been used to sum up the spheres of thought on the issue, that of the Spaceship and the Life Raft. The idea of the Spaceship was that the fates of all people are tied to one another so it is best to share resources whereas the Life Raft represented the concept of a finite amount of resources and space that can either be shared among some people or none at all. Professor Case further added that the split between these two camps of thought had actually become so divisive that people were breaking off friendships because of differing views and no moderate view about the issue seemed to exist. In my opinion, while the people U.S. may have some similarities in the way they view immigration, the subject has not nearly been so divisive at least in recent years and described in terms of survival. I believe that it is perhaps not only the newness and scale of this issue in Europe that has driven people to these extreme viewpoints, but also the relative size of the problem. Whereas the U.S. is an enormous country that is very heterogeneous, each European country is relatively small and has a culture and people that have been there for millennia. Professor Case also remarked that most Syrians that arrive in Hungary usually do not stay there and most Hungarians do not actually come into contact with migrants, and yet the issue is still the most important topic in the country at the moment, signifying that this will most likely be an important issue for all Europeans for the foreseeable future.

This week’s speaker was Professor Holly Case who shared with us the stories of the people she met while she visited Hungry. I could not believe that so many people pass through hungry looking and hoping for a something better. Professor Holly explained that there are many different views on the refugee crisis. While many soldiers wear gloves and masks to avoid all contact with the refugees some people have taken a more humane approach and welcome the contact by hugging and shaking hands with the refugees.

Professor Holly also talked about the two-tailed dog party which was created to mock the national government which is trying to close Hungary’s boarders. Many Hungarians are concerned because they want and need to do business with the surrounding countries and making movement between them difficult impairs their ability to travel and get their business taken care of.

At the last Cafe, Professor Holly Case gave a talk about the current political situation in Hungary pertaining to differing viewpoints on the refugees from Syria and her own experiences from her travels there in the summer. It was fascinating to hear a first-hand account about many of the people involved in the migration of refugees, from the volunteers who worked long hours to provide food for the travelers, to the random, kind-hearted people who took the initiative of traveling from their own European countries to transport supplies and aid to those they saw as fellow human-beings in need of support, to the refugees themselves, who pass through Hungary in droves in search of a more promising future, bringing little of their past along.

What people often hear about in the media is a story of pity. It’s certainly true that these people are leaving everything they know behind and that they need as much help as possible to rebuild their lives. But what people often don’t recognize is how much of a burden these new-comers can be for the host country. The two perspectives Case shared encompasses two broad views. The “spaceship earth theory” states that, succeed or fail, the entire human race is in this together, ultimately sharing limited resources and hurtling through space towards the same fate. The “life raft theory,” on the other hand, postulates that certain segments of the population must perish for others to survive. Not everyone will fit on the life raft. Inevitably, some will drown. Though brutal, this theory was adopted by the ruling political party in Hungary who thinks that their hard-earned resources and achievements are not necessarily to be shared. One must consider this point of view not as inhumane, but logical. This is especially the case when one realizes that refugees come to a new country empty-handed, demanding housing, food, jobs, heath care, and every other amenity that citizens worked hard to earn. All of a sudden, thousands of people show up asking for the same rights and privileges, though they have done nothing but burden the people native to the country by forcing them to share their resources. Furthermore, it becomes difficult to take pity on the refugees when one hears accounts of blatant sexism and violence towards natives. These aren’t usually reported in our news, but having family in Europe, it’s interesting to hear the other side of the argument, which can definitely be justified.

It was intriguing to gain insight into this very relevant topic. I think it’s important to remember that issues are rarely black-and-white, and that when differing viewpoints are strongly defended, there’s usually a good reason behind both arguments. Yes, Syrian refugees are in need of help, but perhaps other perspectives should be remembered too.

This week, we had the pleasure of listening to Professor Holy Case, an associate professor in the History Department at Cornell. Her presentation regarded the refugee crisis that is occurring in Hungary today and the trends that have led to its movement overtime. What was most interesting was the way in which she presented the information to us. Throughout most of her first hand accounts, many of the story’s were told so sarcastically that it was hard to believe that these events were even occurring. But that was the point, the European government was addressing the issue in such an incredulous way that the country could only make sense of it through mockery. Professor Case informed us about one of Hungary’s joke political party called the Two-Tailed Dog Party, which solely exists to ridicule the government and its efforts to control the refugee crisis. Many billboards had messages on them with statements laughing at the government’s inability to control their party’s messages from getting out to the public; one billboard said “It is in vain that you tear down this message, for underneath you will find the same one”.

A lot of fear was attached to this crisis, to the point where walls and fences were constructed to prevent the refugees from entering Hungary entirely. Luckily, some groups did go out of their way to assist these families by providing them food and treating them as humans. It just seems so unrealistic for a government not to be interested in helping innocent, scared civilians find asylum in their country when they have nothing left to return to. Although there are various precautions that need to take place, I still feel as though is it our human responsibility to assist others when they most need it.

It was a pleasure listening to such a humble, incredibly intelligent, and compassionate professor explain her life work to us. I can only imagine how difficult it must be at times to have to witness the injustice that may be occurring in East Central and Southwestern Europe. Its relevance to today and the immigration issues that the United States faces each year has caused me to wonder how any government decides on who to take in, for what period of time, and for what reasons.

This week’s Becker-Rose Café guest speaker was Professor Holly Case, a professor specializing in modern East-Central and Southeastern Europe studies.  She shared with us her knowledge of the current refugee crisis in Hungary.

Professor Case explained that the influx of refugees is creating confusion and hostility among citizens.  This fear makes the effort of working with asylum seekers and migrants more difficult.  Many citizens are not very likely to help the refugees.  There have been fences constructed to prevent refugees from entering the country and violence erupting in multiple places.

Professor Case also touched upon the Hungarian Two-tailed Dog Party, a joke political party created to mock the national government.  Political extremists are exacerbating the crisis further.  There is no clear majority between opposing political parties.

However, there are some good people who are trying to cooperate to help the refugees.  While some soldiers wore face masks and gloves and kept their distance from the refugees, some other citizens interacted more personally with the refugees and directly handed them food and embraced them.

Professor Case’s talk made me wonder if human rights activist groups such as the newly established Amnesty International on Cornell’s campus might be able to take a stand and raise awareness for the refugee crisis.  Perhaps if people were more knowledgable about the current situation, they might be more willing to unite together and work towards change.

This week, the guest was Holly Case, and she spoke to us about refugees and the situation in Hungary.  She spoke about how many people crossed the border, went through Hungary, and to other places.  She also mentioned the political parties in Hungary and how their views were so extreme from one another, resulting in no change in the status quo.

It surprised me that there didn’t seem to be much of a majority between the parties.  Neither one had a clear advantage over the other in power.  And what surprised me about that was the sheer number of people who seemed to be helping the refugees.  In my mind, helping people is what is important, and the fact that other people don’t necessarily see that bothers me.

This talk really engaged me and made me very interested in what I could do as an individual person to help refugees wherever I can.  They deserve our help.

When I open the news, there are articles upon articles of detailing the horrors of the Syrian refugee crisis, of families torn apart, of tensions between countries. Today, Professor Holly Case talked about the horrors of the refugee crisis, but she also shined light on the amazing, kind-hearted people who unite the community together to help these refugees. The story of Tibor really stood out to me. The picture of Tibor showed man in his 60’s, wearing yellow volunteer/helper vest, and who was hugging a refugee. Tibor, Professor Case, explained was different from the soldiers that were wearing face masks and gloves and throwing sandwiches to the refugees. Tibor believed in the human connection, the human touch. Thus, he would personally hand each refugee their food, and embrace them with a huge hug before they continued their journey. Professor Case also talked about the group of Chrisitan ministers who would hand out food and water, and the Scripture to traveling refugees. She talked about the man who drove all the way from Switzerland to bring food to the refugees. I really enjoyed Professor Case’s talk because it not only focuses on the atrocities of the Syrian refugee crisis but it talked about the kind-hearted people who came together as a community to help.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees streaming into Europe, fleeing war and desolation. Nations reeling from the influx of displaced people with nowhere to go. Cultures colliding as people are forced to mix with the foreign and unknown. Professor Holly Chase shed some light onto the refugee crisis in Europe, specifically in Hungary, which is on the path from the Middle East and much of Europe. How does Hungary react? Accept them all, without question? Provide some measure of help, while retaining boundaries? Outright rejection? Crises like this cause enormous confusion- who knows what is best? What does “best” even mean? Can vastly different groups all find a common benefit? Interestingly enough, they can also bring a stark clarity. Some react to concerns like the mass fleeing from the Middle East into Europe with fear: In Hungary, Prime Minister Vitctor Orban fills the state-controlled media with fear-mongering articles about how all the immigrants are terrorists bent on uprooting the hard-earned Hungarian way of life. The government builds a fence a hundred miles long to physically block refugees from entering their borders. Others react with love and altruism, rushing to these same borders to provide worn out immigrants with necessary food, warmth, and advice. They drop whatever else was going on in their lives to support those in a place of desparate want, without expecting anything in return. Divides between those determined to maintain life as they wanted it and those willing to lend a hand to those in need start to form. Selfishness and selflessness begin to separate in a clearer way, which may not be apparent in ordinary circumstances. Still others, particularly the Two-Tailed Dog Party, seek to break the constant anxiety by satirizing the government’s attempts at pushing fear by pulling pranks. Although they don’t offer answers specifically, they provide a platform where visionaries can potentially emerge and break the controlling hold of the powers that be. Even if they don’t define have a specific game plan, they offer a message of hope: “We can do this together”.

I find it interesting to put myself in the place of a Hungarian living in a refugee-trafficked area (or should I say previously-trafficked, now that there’s a fence along the border). What would I be doing? Would I be willing to make sacrifices to support those who I could, or would I tenaciously hold onto ideas of MY rights or MY entitlements? Would I encourage those who have journeyed long and are flagging or would I mock them for seeking an unrealistic utopia? To bring it closer to home: how am I helping those around me who are in need right here, right now? They may not be as visible as hordes of refugees, but they are still there. Need may not even be physical. Do I take time to cheer up people who are feeling depressed or anxious? What if it somehow jeopardizes my schedule or my plans? Selfishness vs. selflessness. It’s a dichotomy of thought, feeling, and action that’s always there. Maybe the amount I think about it sheds light onto which side I often fall…