tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28233999.post5693289953179764865..comments2010-10-12T05:44:18.885+02:00Comments on Czechs in America: study: women and the Roma face discrimination in the Czech job marketTereza Bottmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14341117461726809741noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28233999.post-1022150448693728992009-04-04T09:20:00.000+02:002009-04-04T09:20:00.000+02:00Honestly, from my observation, it seems that many ...Honestly, from my observation, it seems that many of the Czech leaders care primarily about power & money ("the market") and they hide trying to achieve both behind advocating for freedom (of the market). The lobbies are strong here & shady deals abound. Too bad there is so much in-fighting in the government that the people -- in general -- have grown tired of it and stopped caring since the government doesn't ever seem to be dealing with anything of importance to regular people. And when it does, all the negotiation happens behind closed doors and the people are presented with a done deal. There are groups of activists here, but they don't get much coverage in the right-leaning press.Tereza Bottmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14341117461726809741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28233999.post-56418462060683093532009-04-04T03:41:00.000+02:002009-04-04T03:41:00.000+02:00Yes it is. I wonder if the existence of negative ...Yes it is. I wonder if the existence of negative attention would be enough. <BR/>This might be a stretch, but is it possible that Czech leaders are still influenced by the former regime that was based on false beliefs and lies, and just use freedom to hide behind? It is really easy to say a person is free to make his/her own decisions; but it is not easy at all to create a free environment, a free society where social justice and equality would be possible. And that is where I think Czech politicians are fundamentally wrong.Lucie Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10015321828934736198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28233999.post-80043713595126811942009-04-03T22:10:00.000+02:002009-04-03T22:10:00.000+02:00Thank you, Lucie. I agree with you. And you have a...Thank you, Lucie. I agree with you. And you have a good point about how the negative international attention might help pressure Czech leaders to implement changes towards equality & social justice. Sometimes I think that for the Czech Republic that is the push required for any kind of major change in the human rights arena. Too much ingrained racism and sexism here.Tereza Bottmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14341117461726809741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28233999.post-48307312473303292832009-04-03T22:04:00.000+02:002009-04-03T22:04:00.000+02:00Great post! Thank you. I sometimes cannot comprehe...Great post! Thank you. <BR/>I sometimes cannot comprehend the logic and reasoning behind decisions and statements of some Czech politicians. Mirek Topolanek is offensively inappropriate for his position regarding equal opportunity in the market for men and women. I think that his understanding and application of freedom and the human ability to make a choice is fundamentally corrupt. He is suggesting that in order for a woman to have the same professional opportunities in the market as a man does, she is pre-conditioned by making a decision to be a mother or not, which is a clear demonstration of discrimination, rather than freedom. It is like asking a man to chose to be a father or not before allowing him to have equal professional opportunities in the market. <BR/>Why is freedom, equality, prosperity, fair competition, justice, human rights, and love so hard to understand and to implement in a country where majority of general public is so hungry for it? <BR/>Even though it is, at times, very embarrassing to read statements of some Czech politicians (hence Mirek Topolanek - almost every time he opens his mouth), in the end it might be good, because the negative international attention that such behavior is causing might actually pressure the Czech leaders to a change.Lucie Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10015321828934736198noreply@blogger.com