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Tomislav Šola

Acculturation as Identity Malady


“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.” These were the prophetic words of John Adams, second president of United States. Maybe he would consent to add a third way, - that of acculturation. Here I suggest the gravest of its possible meanings, - that of “cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture” . In fact, for those suffering from it, - it is placing somebody else’s culture in the place of one’s own. It is always a blend but one that takes away the soul of the places and their inhabitants. Any Eastern European country, to name the part of the world I know well, has bilingual inscriptions all over the place: usually, there is neither obligation nor need for it. Some places are practically never visited by any foreigners, but foreigners are growing in the mind of population. English figures as a sign of inferiority complex. Most of the music played is foreign; language is inundated by Anglicisms... Trying to be somebody else is schizophrenic and dangerous social disturbance. The two photos are some among the hundreds I have made. Would you say you were in Zagreb, Croatia, a city with 900 years of its own history? usually, there is neither obligation nor need for it. Some places are practically never visited by any foreigners, but foreigners are growing in the mind of population. English figures as a sign of inferiority complex. Most of the music played is foreign; language is inundated by Anglicisms... Trying to be somebody else is schizophrenic and dangerous social disturbance. The two photos are some among the hundreds I have made. Would you say you were in Zagreb, Croatia, a city with 900 years of its own history?

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