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The Day Budapest Burns To Cinder (or not) | 25 comments (25 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: The Day Budapest Burns To Cinder (or not) (4.00 / 2)
Before my grandmother, who lived in Budapest (I'm half Hungarian, though I don't speak any, other than "köszönöm" and "szia"), passed away a decade or so ago, my family used to visit quite frequently. What always struck me were the homeless people and beggars you'd always see when you ventured outside. I don't know how things have developed in the past decade, but I can't help but thinking that cutbacks won't do much for them.

"The basis of optimism is sheer terror" - Oscar Wilde
by NordicStorm (m<-at->sturmbaum.net) on Thu Mar 15th, 2007 at 08:17:00 AM EST
Re: The Day Budapest Burns To Cinder (or not) (none / 1)
When did your visits to Hungary start?

In my memory, the homeless and beggars appeared in 1989, nicely synchronised with the introduction of capitalism. (Not that the 'communists' were that much really social, but they felt the propagandistic need to not have visible poverty in the so-called Real Existing Socialism.) The situation didn't improve since, it's more like it became everyday and routine. The city 'adapted' to it, for example, the underpasses for the metro entrances are open for the homeless as sleeping-places during subzero outside temperatures.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Thu Mar 15th, 2007 at 04:54:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: The Day Budapest Burns To Cinder (or not) (none / 1)
In the early to mid-80s, but I was too young to remember much from that time, so most of my memories are from the 90s. I recall having the sense that "it didn't use to be like this," but I don't remember if I based that on actual memories of things being different or on statements from my parents...

"The basis of optimism is sheer terror" - Oscar Wilde
by NordicStorm (m<-at->sturmbaum.net) on Thu Mar 15th, 2007 at 05:51:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The Day Budapest Burns To Cinder (or not) | 25 comments (25 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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