You wrote about a topic that has been on my lips for the past two years, started with informal research done in my neighborhood in a post-industrial Southern Romanian town. From that research, what I found the most fascinating was the reluctance to read, to engage in the literary or poetic arts. Whenever the topic of books came up, which was seldom, because drunk cursing seemed more fun, all would express a strong repulsion towards the words inscribed on the pages binded between paper covers. It felt like a scream louder game, the first one affirming that he detests books, to end up with the last one condemning them and asking me sarcastically what is there to benefit from them? A failure of the Romanian education system? Easy to blame it all on it, but with the only available forms of entertainment in one’s small town being the bottle, the cigarettes and the slots, no wonder people turn away from intellectual pursuits.
I agree that there are multiple factors converging here. I wonder what was it that moved people -- you, for example -- to look at other things (let's say books). Was it a person? A role model? A context? Because we could always start to multiply these contexts.
BTW, people like Ruxandra 4fara15 are very interested in how to bring us close to books, and take down as many barriers to access as possible: https://www.instagram.com/4fara15/
I have been following her work for the past years and it is very admirable what she does! I remember looking at this photo essay in one of the Scena9 magazine - maybe the first issue - with the obsession of the Romanians with their television. It must be the center of the room, we must pay a great deal of attention to it, there must be one in the kitchen, in the bedroom. Now things are changing, but when we were growing up, that is how I remember the things being. And another small detail I recall is the way people would use the bookshelves they would have at home, often displaying their alcohol in there!
Interesting topic, Cristi, thanks for showing such a powerful or powerless perspective of men nowadays.
Both men and women live different roles than they were told they would. we need to support each other to understand this shift. only together we can evolve even individually. us against you/ men against women/ men against men mindset will bring even more struggle in our growth.
how can we be more transparent about how we feel about the identity with the gender roles?
Thank you for this posts. In my 38 years of reading books and press articles, this is the first time I've felt "seen", as if somebody was describing my own real-life experience.
I feel this needs to be read by more people in Romania, it would be great if it was also available in Romanian.
Thank you!
You wrote about a topic that has been on my lips for the past two years, started with informal research done in my neighborhood in a post-industrial Southern Romanian town. From that research, what I found the most fascinating was the reluctance to read, to engage in the literary or poetic arts. Whenever the topic of books came up, which was seldom, because drunk cursing seemed more fun, all would express a strong repulsion towards the words inscribed on the pages binded between paper covers. It felt like a scream louder game, the first one affirming that he detests books, to end up with the last one condemning them and asking me sarcastically what is there to benefit from them? A failure of the Romanian education system? Easy to blame it all on it, but with the only available forms of entertainment in one’s small town being the bottle, the cigarettes and the slots, no wonder people turn away from intellectual pursuits.
I agree that there are multiple factors converging here. I wonder what was it that moved people -- you, for example -- to look at other things (let's say books). Was it a person? A role model? A context? Because we could always start to multiply these contexts.
BTW, people like Ruxandra 4fara15 are very interested in how to bring us close to books, and take down as many barriers to access as possible: https://www.instagram.com/4fara15/
I have been following her work for the past years and it is very admirable what she does! I remember looking at this photo essay in one of the Scena9 magazine - maybe the first issue - with the obsession of the Romanians with their television. It must be the center of the room, we must pay a great deal of attention to it, there must be one in the kitchen, in the bedroom. Now things are changing, but when we were growing up, that is how I remember the things being. And another small detail I recall is the way people would use the bookshelves they would have at home, often displaying their alcohol in there!
Interesting topic, Cristi, thanks for showing such a powerful or powerless perspective of men nowadays.
Both men and women live different roles than they were told they would. we need to support each other to understand this shift. only together we can evolve even individually. us against you/ men against women/ men against men mindset will bring even more struggle in our growth.
how can we be more transparent about how we feel about the identity with the gender roles?
by speaking up on and on; putting on the table with calm argumentation what we see as "wrongs"
Thank you for this posts. In my 38 years of reading books and press articles, this is the first time I've felt "seen", as if somebody was describing my own real-life experience.
I feel this needs to be read by more people in Romania, it would be great if it was also available in Romanian.
Means a lot, Andrei. Thank you for reading.