Oh, the ignorance
Take a look at this chart. Pay attention to the third name on the list, Peter Stastny, and make a note of his country.
Now take a look at this page.
Just for the sake of clarity, the Peter Stastny listed as the third-highest European scorer in NHL history (and a native of the Czech Republic) on the chart is the same Peter Stastny listed on the second page as a member of the European Parliament from Slovakia.
No, Stastny didn't move from the Czech lands to Slovakia after the Velvet Divorce. He was and remains a Slovak (though he also holds Canadian citizenship, obtained during his tenure as a member of the Quebec Nordiques). He also played for Slovakia at the 1994 Olympics and is general manager of the Slovak national team. Obviously he's a proud Slovak.
Of course, it's silly for me to expect people to get this right. Or to comprehend that, just because there once was a country called Czechoslovakia that has the Czech Republic as a successor, that means everything from Czechoslovakia was Czech.
It's interesting, though, how the Czech Republic seems to have inherited all the legacies, good and bad, of Czechoslovakia, while the Slovaks somehow have been cut off from that period of their history. The same thing occurred last fall, when the Czech Republic qualified for the World Cup for the first time, only the stories (including those from the Czech media), touted it as the Czechs' return to the World Cup after a 16-year absence. Sure, the last time Czechs played in the World Cup was 1990. But they also played on a team with Slovaks, and for a country called -- you guessed it -- Czechoslovakia.
Really, even though this example doesn't pertain directly, I'm just more convinced that when I teach classes on East Central Europe I should have on the final exam a map of Europe asking students to identify Slovakia and Slovenia, and they have to get it right to pass the class (or at least to avoid a severe blow to their course grade). I think that's fair. It's not like I'm throwing Slavonia into the mix as well.
Now take a look at this page.
Just for the sake of clarity, the Peter Stastny listed as the third-highest European scorer in NHL history (and a native of the Czech Republic) on the chart is the same Peter Stastny listed on the second page as a member of the European Parliament from Slovakia.
No, Stastny didn't move from the Czech lands to Slovakia after the Velvet Divorce. He was and remains a Slovak (though he also holds Canadian citizenship, obtained during his tenure as a member of the Quebec Nordiques). He also played for Slovakia at the 1994 Olympics and is general manager of the Slovak national team. Obviously he's a proud Slovak.
Of course, it's silly for me to expect people to get this right. Or to comprehend that, just because there once was a country called Czechoslovakia that has the Czech Republic as a successor, that means everything from Czechoslovakia was Czech.
It's interesting, though, how the Czech Republic seems to have inherited all the legacies, good and bad, of Czechoslovakia, while the Slovaks somehow have been cut off from that period of their history. The same thing occurred last fall, when the Czech Republic qualified for the World Cup for the first time, only the stories (including those from the Czech media), touted it as the Czechs' return to the World Cup after a 16-year absence. Sure, the last time Czechs played in the World Cup was 1990. But they also played on a team with Slovaks, and for a country called -- you guessed it -- Czechoslovakia.
Really, even though this example doesn't pertain directly, I'm just more convinced that when I teach classes on East Central Europe I should have on the final exam a map of Europe asking students to identify Slovakia and Slovenia, and they have to get it right to pass the class (or at least to avoid a severe blow to their course grade). I think that's fair. It's not like I'm throwing Slavonia into the mix as well.
posted by Alexander Dubcek | 13:26
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