Most Government employees are "Civil Service" (as am I, by the way) and, unfortunately, sometimes they have bad attitudes because getting rid of them (firing) is like pulling teeth - very difficult. This (bad attitude) is particularly true of employees in understaffed positions who are inundated with sometimes unreasonable and uneducated requests. It makes it hard for everyone else. Even though I am in Civil Service (the airport that I work at is run by a small, separate governmental entity), I and the rest of my co-workers pride ourselves on great customer service. We have consistently been ranked as one of the world's best airports and work hard to keep it that way. It's interesting to note that a great number of people in the Tampa Bay area don't call it "the airport" but rather "our airport" - there is a such sense of pride in the community regarding it. One other note - we don't use any tax money for our operations - we are completely self-sustaining.
Exactly my point. There's often no motivation to do one's job well, because they know they can't be easily fired and/or replaced. Hence the bad reputation. Obviously it doesn't apply to all (or perhaps not even to most) government employees/civil servants--it's a stereotype perpetuated largely by a few real "standouts."
The stuff about picking up a basket before entering a store is fantastic! Now I know why my wife scopes out the carts and baskets so intently before we enter stores... I am sooooo gonna rub this one!
It was easy - there was too little shops, with too little (and too small) baskets, and too little check-outs with no barcodes, which caused long queues everywhere. But this is one of things many people pretend not to remember now.
I am also a government employee. I've noticed a tremendous difference in treatment when I go into one of the other government departments in my work capacity vrs going in a personal capacity. I've been treated very rudely in a personal capacity and then when I go to the same clerk as a State employee, I'm treated with much courtesy. It's ridiculous!
That's fascinating, given that according to all I've been listening to, it is generally excepted that an atheist couldn't be elected President of the United States. And I know that if we had a candidate for Prime Minister as openly Christian as George Bush, he wouldn't stand a chance. Look how Blair had to wait until he left office to convert to Catholicism. His Press Secretary once memorably said "We don't do religion" when asked about Blair's Christianity. And when Blair was asked whether he prayed with George Bush, he acted as if it was the most ridiculous question he had ever been asked! Because he knew that most people in the UK would regard him as a bit of a freak if he had said yes...
Perhaps the very reason it is taboo to talk about is because most Americans are religious in some sort of way. We are soooo politically correct over here that no one wants to offend another. Therefore, they fear to discuss anything that might be considered offensive to another. Because most Americans have some sort of religious belief and hold to it as truth, if one were to discuss a belief that may be opposing to another, one might get offended. Therefore, it's taboo to speak about religion. Which as most of you know, I find to be utterly stupid. If one can not hear an opposing view without getting offended, he must be brain dead. Yes, Bush is very open about it which is one of the reasons he is so hated. After all, it can't just be the war on terror. Clinton said several times that Saddam had nuclear weapons and the US needs to take action. But many loved him - literally :wink:
monica's the only one the media caught. But several former employees of Clinton tell stories of many. Afterall, who could refuse power & looks. :wink:
It's funny because I always tended to think of the Czech Republic as being in "eastern" Europe simply because it was part of the Eastern Bloc. But then I heard that the Czechs didn't like it and I noticed that Vienna is actually further east than Prague. So I'm learning to say "central" Europe instead! (Hoping that's OK...) Which countries do the Czechs consider to be in "eastern" Europe?
This is argument I used couple of times as well , Vienna being eastern of Prague. I consider central Europe: Germany, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Austria and Hungary, so Czechia is exactly in the middle (or better in the heart) of central Europe.
Interesting map. I think Politically speaking, and Geographically speaking, the term easten europe may be viewed, or maybe use to be viewed, differently. The concept of eastern europe changed with the Russian influence after world war two. To a lot of americans I think, with time, those nations(of the eastern bloc) just were thought of as eastern europe, even though that clearly was not the case geographically.
Czechs hate missionaries. I can't say I'm an atheist, but I also hate them. If some guys come on Sunday to your home to say you about their religion, of course you don't like them. After 1989, western sects like Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons think they will defend Czech atheism. They are wrong. Czech atheism is inbred. I know these people make other nations angry, too, but Czechs especially. It's better to don't speak about religion at all. About „Czech Republic in the Eastern Europe“ - yes, Czech people hate it. „Central Europe“ is good. Look at economy, culture, history - Bohemia is in the Central Europe. We don't use Russian alphabet, for example. East-Slavic nations do.
The reason why we don't use "Russian alphabet" (usually called Cyrillic) is tied to religion again, Slavic Eastern-Orthodox nations use Cyrillic. But wasn't it close call for us too (St. Cyril and Methodius)? But seriously, no one likes preaching or Jehova witnesses knocking on his door, just like no one likes telemarketers, don't tell me this is Czech specific. But I guess church here will get even more unpopular, because of the HUGE money it's going to get (probably). Re Eastern Europe Map: How comes Kaliningrad area which belongs to Russia is not considered to be in Eastern Europe? .
I can tell you what else many people living in the Czech Republic (those living in Moravia and Silesia) don't like, Czech Republic being referred to as Čechy (Bohemia) and vice versa, heck even during nazi occupation we were called "Böhmen und Mähren". Česká republika nejsou Čechy a naopak!. And don't get me wrong, I'm no Moravian nationalist (assuming there're any) but whenever I hear that it gets me pissed - and I'm not alone who feels like that.
A Baptist minister came knocking on the door of my Czech friend's house here in the States and he cursed that guy everyday for at least a month. He REALLY hated that! Most American's feel annoyed by it for a few minutes after it happens but then move on and don't think much about it later. Most don't stay annoyed for a month or longer.
Mě zas běhá mráz po zádech když zaslechnu "Česko". Taky když jsem v Brně na výstavišti kamarádům v Moravy řekl, že jedu do Čech, tak jejich reakcí bylo "A kde jseš teď ?" About Protectorat - more proper name would be "1/2 Böhmen und Mähren" since large part of Bohemia was taken away..
Kibicz, do you have any reasons or you just hate it ? 8) This term is denoted as "outdated" in the Dictionary of literary Czech, but it is known for a long time, used by Kollár and others see also in Wikipedia. It has started its "second life" after 1990 when a one word appelation was looked for for the new-born Czech republik. But as you say, many hate it, others use it, but its use is not generallly accepted yet. Suggested foreign equivalents are Czechia , Tschechien and others.
