Prevention of Right-Wing Extremism, Xenophobia and Racism in ...

ner portraying all possible stereotypes currently associated with the Roma. Just a few lines of
lyrics from the program:
“It’s better not to count us, ‘cause you will no doubt fail, ‘cause we’re reproducreproduc- tive like worms in your mail”; or “Black doll, what’s up? You’ve been knocked up;
this is no coincidence, virginity is an offence”.
The internet abounds in the most humiliating Roma jokes. There is practically no internet huhu- mour site which does not supply a full range of disgraceful Roma jokes generally unacceptable
in 21st century Europe:
Anti-Semitism
Two gypsy kids are talking:
• Hey, your feet are much grimier than mine!
• Yes, but I’m two years older!
Anti-Semitism in Hungary has taken on a much more sophisticated form than anti-Roma senti- senti-
ments. This, on the one hand, means that (open) rejection of Jews is nowhere near as intense
as the rejection of the Roma. Latency, however, is presumed to be very high. Everyday stereo-
types and real knowledge sixty years after the holocaust have made the Jews acceptable and
even likeable for the majority. However, while information about the war and the genocide
increases people’s sympathy, the question of social responsibility arises only in a minority.
Stereotypes associated with the Jews (talented, industrious, educated) awaken good feelings
and responsiveness in the majority who have a strong desire to identify themselves with west-
ern civilisation. Yet, that numerous media personalities and scientists consciously admit and
accept their Jewish background makes many believe that Jews are overrepresented in Hungar-
ian public life.
Research can only only bring bring latent anti-Semite attitudes to the surface in indirect ways. Be- Because
most people today “know” that it is not nice to express anti-Semitic views, they con-
trol themselves in public and tend to hide their true attitudes when responding to research
questionnaires. There are, however, signs of latent anti-Semitism when we look at the wider
context or examine interviews containing veiled references rather than direct anti-Semitic
expressions.
Under the aegis of the Ministry of Education and with the guidance of Mária Vásárhelyi, the
Communication Theory Research Team at HAS-ELTE conducted a research project in 2003 on
the professional knowledge of full-time history students in state- and church-run church-run universities
(N = 500). The project also investigated students’ ideologies, values, predispositions, and
opinions on certain major historic events. The rather controversial study established that 21 %
of respondents are openly of the opinion that Jews weaken and subvert the nation that has
given them a home, and 22 % claim it would be better for all if Jews lived in their own state,
100 Right-Wing Extremism in Hungary