Nearly every school I worked in back in my high school teaching days had some form of mandatory uniform policy in effect; and nearly every student at every one of those schools made a point of violating the policy every chance he or she could. Ties were loosened or lost, shirts were wrinkled or untucked, school crest patches were vandalized or blotted out, skirts were hiked or cut along the sides, and inappropriate leggings or jewelry were worn. Though some of these infractions could be attributed to teenager slovenliness, most were the result of a quiet, premeditated, but glaringly obvious form of protest and rebellion against authority.
I see the same phenomenon in play here in western Hungary with the mandatory wearing of face masks. As is the case elsewhere, Hungarians are required to wear face masks every time they enter a public place or private business. This includes most stores, offices, and forms of public transport. Hungarians in this area technically abide by the face mask rules, but like the uniform-wearing high school students I used to teach, the vast majority of Hungarians here make an absolute mockery of the mandatory policy that has been forced upon them.
The illustration above offers a good visual representation of what I tend to encounter whenever I enter a grocery store. For every person who properly wears a mask there are five others doggedly making a mess of it. The most common purposive mask fail is the exposed nose, which is quite popular among the elderly and women. A lot of men - yours truly among them - opt for the 'mask the chin' look, which keeps the mask somewhat on the face while simultaneously keeping the appearance of machismo and toughness intact. The masking of the nose but leaving the mouth exposed is a hit among smokers and the loquacious. A great many employees within the stores are big fans of the 'mask hanging from my neck like a chain' style. If there is an improper way to wear a mask, you can bet your bottom dollar a Magyar will take advantage of it.
Though I'm sure this sort of mask semi-compliance/disobedience is universal to some degree, here in Hungary it has taken on a luster all its own. Improper mask wearing has become a sort of duty abiding by some unwritten code of honor. Yes, I have seen store employees and security guards scold others for not having masks, but I have yet to hear anyone criticize anyone else for improper mask wearing. Moreover, scornful looks tend to be reserved for those who have the audacity to wear a mask properly in public. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a nation full of surly, uniform-hating teenagers.
I occasionally wonder if this blatant form of pretending to follow the rules while simultaneously breaking them can be traced to the residual effects of communism. Then again, it might run much deeper than that. After all, Hungary has a long history of enduring and somehow surviving foreign occupations and totalitarian regimes. I have heard some refer to Hungary's history as 'a long tale of victory through defeat.' Maybe this is an example of that dynamic in action. Perhaps the quiet refusal of obedience I witness now with masks is something that has hardwired itself into the Magyar DNA over the millenia.
Who knows? Whatever the case, it's fun to see and experience even if it does nothing to nullify the reality of the successful global totalitarian coup under which we are all currently living.
I see the same phenomenon in play here in western Hungary with the mandatory wearing of face masks. As is the case elsewhere, Hungarians are required to wear face masks every time they enter a public place or private business. This includes most stores, offices, and forms of public transport. Hungarians in this area technically abide by the face mask rules, but like the uniform-wearing high school students I used to teach, the vast majority of Hungarians here make an absolute mockery of the mandatory policy that has been forced upon them.
The illustration above offers a good visual representation of what I tend to encounter whenever I enter a grocery store. For every person who properly wears a mask there are five others doggedly making a mess of it. The most common purposive mask fail is the exposed nose, which is quite popular among the elderly and women. A lot of men - yours truly among them - opt for the 'mask the chin' look, which keeps the mask somewhat on the face while simultaneously keeping the appearance of machismo and toughness intact. The masking of the nose but leaving the mouth exposed is a hit among smokers and the loquacious. A great many employees within the stores are big fans of the 'mask hanging from my neck like a chain' style. If there is an improper way to wear a mask, you can bet your bottom dollar a Magyar will take advantage of it.
Though I'm sure this sort of mask semi-compliance/disobedience is universal to some degree, here in Hungary it has taken on a luster all its own. Improper mask wearing has become a sort of duty abiding by some unwritten code of honor. Yes, I have seen store employees and security guards scold others for not having masks, but I have yet to hear anyone criticize anyone else for improper mask wearing. Moreover, scornful looks tend to be reserved for those who have the audacity to wear a mask properly in public. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a nation full of surly, uniform-hating teenagers.
I occasionally wonder if this blatant form of pretending to follow the rules while simultaneously breaking them can be traced to the residual effects of communism. Then again, it might run much deeper than that. After all, Hungary has a long history of enduring and somehow surviving foreign occupations and totalitarian regimes. I have heard some refer to Hungary's history as 'a long tale of victory through defeat.' Maybe this is an example of that dynamic in action. Perhaps the quiet refusal of obedience I witness now with masks is something that has hardwired itself into the Magyar DNA over the millenia.
Who knows? Whatever the case, it's fun to see and experience even if it does nothing to nullify the reality of the successful global totalitarian coup under which we are all currently living.
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