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Make your own magical egg!
Posted by Thekla on September 30, 2001 at 15:27:30:
In Reply to: Re: Nationalism can be. Patriotism posted by Yash on September 30, 2001 at 15:16:46:
Maybe we should have mor compassion and understanding for those Ukrainians who are offended by the Russian language considering the terrible things that Russia did to them. It seems that they have just as much right to be offended by the use of the Russian language in Ukraine as Jews have the right to be offended by Nazies.
: Ukrainian Nationalism (the non-extreemist kind) is an appropriate/acceptable form of Patriotism. Russia has been trying to exterminate the Ukrainian language and Ukraine for centuries. European Union discrimination experts sided with Ukraine's language policy some years ago when Russia complained. The European experts found that Russia was discriminatory but Ukraine was not. As you said Ukraine can learn something from Israel in that Israel strictly and passionately enforces it's Hebrew language law. However Israel is not perfect in that by their law any non-jew has second class rights. Russians should not be discriminated against but they should not be permitted to continue to impose their language on a foreign land that they once held captive and committed atrocities against. It is primarily Russian extreemists that complain about the Ukrainian language law. In many instances those same Russians who complain were colonizers who discriminated against Ukrainians(and murderers?) whose job is was at one time to neutralize anything Ukrainian. Ukraine has a right to it's own language and separate identity and this should not be permitted to be an issue.