While it has been quite some time since we unequivocally identified xenophobia and isolationism as influences that can’t but have a stunting effect on a nation, it is still immensely difficult to imagine a community where they have been completely eradicated. Even cultural centers, like Vienna is and has been for centuries, are not exempt. It is this, and more, that Goran Novakovic reflects upon in his book, ‘Vienna for Foreigners and People who Live There’. Goran Novakovic spent his childhood, and got his education in general literature in Serbia, specifically Belgrade, but at one point, he decides to move to the capital of Austria, Vienna. Moving there as a professor of literature, he might have expected something drastically different than what he was met with. You see, the fact that Austria and Vienna have a much higher living standard than most of the nearby countries means that they are attractive destination for migrant laborers and people trying to seek their fortune in a country that is better off than their homeland. Since a lot of these people are willing to do the jobs the local populace is not really too eager to do themselves, including labor and dirtier work, they are often perceived by the Austrians as gruff, unrefined and potentially even dangerous. Even though this kind of prejudice is nothing uncommon, keeping quiet about it has never been the way to deal with it. As a linguist and scholar, but also an immigrant, Goran Novakovic was in the perfect position to keep meticulous record of stereotypes that were being circulated about immigrants from different countries, but that was not all he did. In the interest of objectivity, and as a great way to show that people aren’t all that different, regardless of their background and origin; he also takes the time to address preconceived notions that people coming to the country have about their hosts. A cynical man might look at this kind of collection as something meant to stoke the fires, but the book does a great job of at the same contrasting and comparing the attitudes of the two groups. What’s important to remember is that the division is not as simple as immigrants and citizens. On one hand, native Austrians have enough of their own subdivisions, according to class, family, etc. while on the other, people are not coming there from one or two countries, but from the entire region. The juxtaposition of the various nuances of prejudice that Goran Novakovic created not only illustrates how much alike all of those people think, it manages to create a huge blur of witty intolerance that after a while stops looking like it has opposing sides. While this kind of ‘look we’re all imperfect’ approach to bringing people together may not be the most gentle way to go about the issue, other, more delicate methods have long since been shown to be not only ineffective, but also perhaps a little bit naïve.
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