Deutsch
English
FrançaisSub menu: Home
Home / Index of Authors
Mihailescu, Vintela
Subscribe to receive the texts of "Mihailescu, Vintela" as RSS feeds
2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Turn signals only for losers
Motorists in Bucharest are using their turn signals less and less, notes Romanian anthropologist Vintilă Mihăilescu. In the weekly Dilema Veche he explains why this is no trifling matter: "'Respect' and 'trust': this is precisely what is lacking both in Bucharest's traffic and in Romanian society as a whole. People don't indicate because they couldn't care less about those around them. They simply don't exist and you don't owe them anything. And what's more: using your blinkers is tantamount to a promise to turn in a certain direction. But why bother if you don't even know which route you'll take and you have no desire to make 'promises'. Free up the road for free citizens! Turn signals are for losers. But there are some heart-warming moments in this traffic Darwinism: when you indicate because you want to change lanes and someone actually takes it seriously and makes way for you, you're so amazed and ecstatic that you immediately start indicating yourself out of pure thankfulness. Just a little normality and you start thinking the world is full of nice people."
» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » Society, » Romania
Church, power, mysticism
After the fall of communism there has been a huge resurgence of religious belief in Romania. All over the country thousands of new churches have gone up, but the new religiosity takes strange forms, writes the weekly Dilema Veche: "According to opinion polls, the Church is seen as the most trustworthy institution in Romania. ... But the religious revival also means a return to the old orthodoxy and its intolerance. We still don't know what to make of the spreading religious sentiment, while the Orthodox Church is silently intervening in the affairs of the state and even interfering with election campaigns. On the other hand the current religious practices seem increasingly pervaded by a sort of pragmatic mysticism. People stand in line to receive blessings and sprinkle just about everything with holy water: their new cars, businesses, even new governments. But many are now casting doubts on this 'rebirth' of religion. ... Earlier we knew through our belief, today we know that we can no longer believe!"
» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Romania
© 2005-2012