The Communist Museum
Today, I took a trip to the Communist Museum in Prague, a very interesting exploration of the Czech past concerning communism. It's a very sobering experience, to say the least. Anyway, as we have a tendency to announce and denounce such current events with a wave of a mouse, I thought I'd add a perspective that I picked up just from spending a little time in this establishment.
First of all, the place is run by an old guy that apparently has the goal of making sure people don't forget the evils of what was communism (he has all the symbolism and tons of the materials of that time, but his displays don't seem to have a very positive outlook on it). The museum is obviously well funded as it is in the middle of the busiest zone of Prague, sandwiched between two casinos (or one very big casino...still haven't figured that one out). The museum requires a lot of reading of displays, but other than that, it is hard to walk out of there without a different understanding of what communism was during the 1950s through the 1980s.
However, what I really wish to bring to your attention today is the last exhibit in the museum which was nothing more than a television and a vcr. Once turned on, you watched the televised instances where the Czech police turned on the Czech people who were protesting. It is bloody, mean and without any real comparison to anything I've seen in quite some time.
The last entry was 1989, the final week of communism in Prague. We all know this time as when they overthrew the communist government and everything was happy after that. But the scenes on the street during that time were horrible. Police officers were integrated with the protesters, and they would come out in masses (in civilian clothing) and just start beating the crap out of protesters for whatever reasons they apparently felt were significant at that time. One guy was severely beaten for begging to a police officer: "Please don't hit the women!"
What really caught my attention about this was the realization of when this happened. It was 1989. That means that many, and I mean MOST, of these people who had no qualms about beating their fellow citizens (some of these beatings made the Rodney King beating look like an acquittal), yet they are now melted right back into civilian populations as if nothing ever happened.
All I kept thinking was, how can people be so cold towards their fellow citizens? I mean, this wasn't about having to do it because you had no other choice. These people actually appeared to take great pleasure out of seriously hurting and arresting their fellow citizens. I saw one strike a protester in the face with a huge stick for handing him a flower.
I guess this is what worries me about my fellow people. How close are we to being able to be just like this? I really doubt that the only fear was due to communism. How many times have we in our own history observed something similar but turned the other cheek because it did not concern us, or it was those pesky Berkeley protesters, or I'm sure they had it coming for whatever reason they must have done what the did; or even my other favorite: they must have done something to deserve that or it wouldn't have happened?
Does anyone else ever find himself or herself worrying about humanity because of humanity itself?
Stumble It!
Today, I took a trip to the Communist Museum in Prague, a very interesting exploration of the Czech past concerning communism. It's a very sobering experience, to say the least. Anyway, as we have a tendency to announce and denounce such current events with a wave of a mouse, I thought I'd add a perspective that I picked up just from spending a little time in this establishment.
First of all, the place is run by an old guy that apparently has the goal of making sure people don't forget the evils of what was communism (he has all the symbolism and tons of the materials of that time, but his displays don't seem to have a very positive outlook on it). The museum is obviously well funded as it is in the middle of the busiest zone of Prague, sandwiched between two casinos (or one very big casino...still haven't figured that one out). The museum requires a lot of reading of displays, but other than that, it is hard to walk out of there without a different understanding of what communism was during the 1950s through the 1980s.
However, what I really wish to bring to your attention today is the last exhibit in the museum which was nothing more than a television and a vcr. Once turned on, you watched the televised instances where the Czech police turned on the Czech people who were protesting. It is bloody, mean and without any real comparison to anything I've seen in quite some time.
The last entry was 1989, the final week of communism in Prague. We all know this time as when they overthrew the communist government and everything was happy after that. But the scenes on the street during that time were horrible. Police officers were integrated with the protesters, and they would come out in masses (in civilian clothing) and just start beating the crap out of protesters for whatever reasons they apparently felt were significant at that time. One guy was severely beaten for begging to a police officer: "Please don't hit the women!"
What really caught my attention about this was the realization of when this happened. It was 1989. That means that many, and I mean MOST, of these people who had no qualms about beating their fellow citizens (some of these beatings made the Rodney King beating look like an acquittal), yet they are now melted right back into civilian populations as if nothing ever happened.
All I kept thinking was, how can people be so cold towards their fellow citizens? I mean, this wasn't about having to do it because you had no other choice. These people actually appeared to take great pleasure out of seriously hurting and arresting their fellow citizens. I saw one strike a protester in the face with a huge stick for handing him a flower.
I guess this is what worries me about my fellow people. How close are we to being able to be just like this? I really doubt that the only fear was due to communism. How many times have we in our own history observed something similar but turned the other cheek because it did not concern us, or it was those pesky Berkeley protesters, or I'm sure they had it coming for whatever reason they must have done what the did; or even my other favorite: they must have done something to deserve that or it wouldn't have happened?
Does anyone else ever find himself or herself worrying about humanity because of humanity itself?
Stumble It!
posted by Duane @ 6:10 AM
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