Street Art in Olsztyn, Poland, via STREET ART UTOPIA

Living in a less open-minded country, I always wondered why we, along with many other Eastern European countries, are constantly behind others in terms of human rights and equality issues. It’s almost like we have the perfect climate for hate and small-mindedness to flourish. I especially started to wonder about this after I got back home after WorldPride, and heard about a local campaign for LGBT-friendly clubs and cafes, that received huge backlash. Ha, quite a big contrast to the friendly and open atmosphere that I enjoyed in London... So, I started to dissect some of the reasons that, in my opinion, might be stopping my country from making progress. Which kind of evolved to this little article about what in general might enable hateful attitudes. Have in mind that, while I tried my best to back up my views, this is still more of a rant than some serious scientific research done by serious people in some serious university. Also, all of these problems seem to be more or less universal, so don’t sound the alarm just yet if you'll recognize your own country in some of these!Being the most homogenous country in the Baltic states, Lithuania is simply not a country that is exposed to much diversity. During the Soviet Occupation, people couldn’t even go abroad, and not much information could go in, so it’s it wasn't easy for the older generation to develop realistic, objective views about the world. It's really simple - when you can’t see diversity, you are bound to develop some harmful stereotypes and a serious case of small-mindedness. That’s why nationalist attitudes are still more acceptable to people here – even though you will rarely meet a person who can back that view up with anything but stereotypes or a few questionable stories. Sadly, this is one of those things that you can’t just change so easily. Luckily, younger people are travelling more, are better educated, and open their minds up more often. Also, universities now accept more students from foreign countries, so local youngsters don't live in such a homogenous environment.Don’t get me wrong - I’m all for representing different points of view. However, I also believe in accurately, objectively representing every single group, instead of publishing disinformation (wait, isn’t that in the Public Information law that no one reads EVER). I sincerely believe in high-quality journalism that accurately represents and speaks for everyone. However, when subjects are from a minority group, our media suddenly forgets that we are real people that can be interviewed, for example. They resort to scare tactics and picture us like monsters. And just overall forget how to write a proper, informative article. Seriously, when neo-nationalist groups are represented like fun young people who are “simply encouraging traditional values”, and transgender people, when not completely invisible, are trashed like mentally deranged perverts who are out to destroy the fabric of society, I think you should check your priorities. Because one of those things is not like the other.Misogyny among the guys, biphobic attitudes among lesbians and gays, horrendous transphobia among the LGBs, and rampant racism… And asexuality, pansexuality – what’s that, are you some sexual hipster?! Seriously, how can anyone feel good in an unwelcoming community where nobody minds their own hateful, small-minded attitudes? And that can get even more problematic when you have a small area where there is only a handful of out LGBT people, and everyone ends up knowing each other. Also, it’s especially important to keep a friendly atmosphere if there’s a local place for you to get together. Remember, hate doesn’t always come from “somewhere else”! It can be right next to you, so keep this in mind.Well, I was never a history genius at school, but I definitely remember one thing about it – we never learned about what we did wrong. We only got to learn about how great we were, or about what others did wrong. Which doesn’t seem too historically accurate, because we did a lot of bad stuff! And you know what they say about history - "Those who ignore history are destined to repeat it". For example, thousands of Jewish people were killed in Lithuania. About 80% of our Jewish minority, I believe. That’s serious! And the first time I actually heard about this was not in a History class, but when I visited the Imperial War Museum in London (yeah, it was so horrible we got a place in the Holocaust exhibition). I'm not sure how we are supposed to develop any kind of sympathy for others, if we are taught that the men who killed those people are heroes. How will we make progress, if simply talking about the truth, about what happened, is considered “too controversial” and “pleading for special attention”?Even though our country experienced many serious changes throughout the past few decades, there haven’t been any serious reforms in our education program. We became independent, joined the European Union and NATO… Heck, we even elected an awesome lady for a President! Obviously, as a country changes and a new generation grows up in a new regime, some serious changes should be made. And while we’re still waiting for those changes, young people absorb ways of thinking from the older generation who grew up in a different world. No wonder people are still full of hatred and fear for foreign countries. No wonder people can’t handle topics about gender, sexuality, abortions or anything like that. When anything even remotely related to sex is shunned, how will you know anything about it? And that doesn’t just lead to ignorance. That can actually lead to something far worse.If obeying societal norms is considered more important than developing as an individual, it can not only be stressful, but it can also become a hateful environment for people who don’t fit these norms. Usually it’s because people who don’t adhere to societal norms are considered somehow “lesser”. The basic example – if people are expected to obey rigid gender roles. Moreover, if societal roles are placed high, being outspoken about who you are might not be considered acceptable in the first place, because everybody is automatically considered the same. So by being outspoken you are breaking the “unwritten rule of silence” that everybody is socially acceptable and there’s never, ever, EVER anything wrong. Or, for example, maybe you’re a big-shot executive, and you can’t be open about your sexuality, because that would instantly mean losing your social status in the company. That's why living a "double" life is still the norm for Lithuanian LGBT people.This one’s a bit tricky, because it’s overall hard to imagine how diversity and tolerance can be stigmatized. I mean, isn’t it something you should encourage? Doesn’t it mean a generally better atmosphere for everyone? Well, it also allows the people who are considered “lesser” to become equal and visible, and some people just aren’t okay with that. Folks usually try to stigmatize this by calling basic progress “special rights”, “special attention”, and the like. Anything positive about that despised group is “propaganda” to them, and people who support diversity and human rights are devils who are selling out to an evil regime that will take over the world *gasp*. In reality, they just can’t stand the fact that a group can no longer stand its horrible, second-class status, and wants to be treated like normal human beings.I guess everyone can agree that being an out LGBT person can help make society’s attitudes more positive. A 2009 survey found out that only about 7% of Lithuanians know someone who is gay or lesbian. Well, of course – how can people have positive attitudes towards LGBT people, if they haven’t even met any in real life! However, those people have to come out first. Coming out in itself is a stressful process already, and it can be sabotaged easily by hostile attitudes towards gender identity, sexuality or being out itself. For example, if there aren’t any anti-discrimination laws protecting your gender identity or sexual orientation, and you don’t even feel like laws protect you in the first place because of a corrupt legal system, being out and proud in an environment that might be hostile to you feels more like a minefield. Moreover, the less “out” people there are in your area, the bigger is the chance that you are the first one in some kind of way, and it feels like a lot to handle. "What if I'll lose my job?" Scary! Obviously, this can easily turn into a circle of everyone waiting for someone else to come out.I believe you can say a lot about people from their attitudes towards culture and intelligence. Come on – when getting good grades in school just isn’t cool, you can’t be expected to make earth-shattering reforms as an MP, either. Also, culture, the arts, are the ultimate “food of the soul”. They are something that can help people open up their minds and help a society move forward, because it's always searching for something new, something unexpected, defying old rules and making new ones. Leaving culture behind would be like leaving your nation with a starving soul. I sincerely believe that people would look at concepts like “weird” and “immoral” completely differently if they would just learn to understand and appreciate art! Also, if artists would be valued more, the art scene would be far more interesting and active, with people creating more interesting things with artistic value, instead of trying to get enough money to survive.Obviously, if we lived in a world with no problems, it would most likely be a joyless Utopia, but there doesn't seem to be much joy in a world where different people can't live next to each other like fellow human beings. Inequality isn't a "thing of the past", it is alive and well around the world, so don't fall asleep if you had a great year or some really great laws were passed in your city. Of course, every situation is different and you always need to have different circumstances in mind, but I hope this little article will help you notice some red flags in your own area, and maybe even prevent hate from thriving in your own community!