Slovakia is delirious; hardly have the Olympic Winter Games commenced, and a tiny country in the very heart of Europe has already earned two medals - Gold and Silver. How impressive! At least.... were it not, that the winner of these precious metals in fact is not Slovak at all, but Russian.
Personally, I must honestly admit, that I have not watched any Olympic event (not even the opening ceremony), but when listening to the radio while driving or clicking on the daily news on the internet, it is a fact that hardly can be overlooked. And I must further add, that I fully wish her all the medals she can get.
What is ironic about the whole thing, is that earning Slovakia (the state?) medals seems an ultimate honour - for the Slovaks that is. The fact that the person is not of Slovak origins, seems on the onset irrelevant, but there is something else: Being a foreigner in general can pose some kind of barrier.
Being a foreigner brands you as an outsider, who perhaps has some extra abilities which could pose a certain threat to Slovaks. Perhaps being more pragmatic, experiencing other cultures and thoughts, being more effective. Even to some Slovaks, having stayed outside, it may become a stigma. On top of it, there are certain jobs, which are by regulations closed to foreigners. The reasons are sometimes far too ridiculous to be taken seriously.
When looking from the other angle; Slovakia's government (and all ministers are pure Slovaks), have for more than 3 years clearly proven to be an absolute disaster. Not just for Slovakia's credibility, its PR abroad, but even deplete the state's treasury for the next generations to come. Even every measure taken by the government is receiving negative evaluation from Brussels. How come???
The hanging question mark is, whether Slovakia wouldn't be better of, if only Slovaks would admit that foreigners could have more possibilities in public life. They have in all fairness better records.
MS
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