Today is election day in Slovakia, and a few of the campaign billboards have caught the attention of this amateur cultural anthropologist. During the five months I've spent in Slovakia, it has become clear to me that there is no love lost between the Slovaks and the Hungarians. Most of the bad blood seems to stem from the historical division and redivision of land, leaving many ethnic Hungarians within Slovak geographic boundaries. Over the years, this has led to many a conflict over language, citizenship, and national identity. One partiuclar political party, Slovenska Narodna Strana, seems to be preying upon the resentment against the Hungarians in order to win votes. In this ad, a man in traditional Hungarian dress is depicted in varying stages of threat, from benign villager in folkloric costume to a militant bandit.
Many Slovaks I've spoken with believe these scare tactics will work and that capitalizing on the Slovak antagonism toward Hungary will bring in the votes.
I hope the Republicans at home don't get any ideas. I can see the sombrero and serape billboards now.
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