Some additional background: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-44301342

For the past year while living in Europe I became very interested and invested in European politics, especially with the migration issue. After a few days in Budapest, I noticed numerous large political posters of an older gentleman, laughing, with script in Hungarian I couldn’t understand. Who was this guy, and why was the government so concerned about him?

His name is George Soros. He is an extremely influential philanthropist who fled Hungary during World War II. He basically made all of his money on investing, but has shifted his life’s focus to philanthropy. Soros started a foundation called the Open Society Foundations in 1979 that funds democratic movements and promotes tolerance all across the globe. He now lives in the United States.

So, it turns out in Europe many people see him as “dangerous”. Once I could sort of understand what the posters read in Budapest, I learned they were really warnings about “Soros’ plan to allow illegal immigrants into the country”, and how this would “threaten European country’s culture and languages” (Soros supports the welcoming of migrants, although this is hardly a valid issue in Hungary anymore). Scarily enough, a similar political ad put out by the Hungarian government has hints of anti-Semitism as well (it references Soros having the “last laugh”, referencing anti-Semitic propaganda put out by Nazi Germany). These posters were created and distributed by Viktor Orban, Hungary’s current prime minister, whose far right political party was recently re-elected in April. It’s not only Hungarian government, though, that has been scapegoating Soros and calling him the enemy, the source of the country’s ills. Similar sentiments against Soros have been common in Poland, Romania, Croatia, and even America.

Anyway, I just thought Soros and his story relates to ideas we discuss in class, concerning his dual national identity (he is Hungarian-American), and his influence across so many borders. I am baffled from the amount of criticism he receives within central Europe and the globe. How can so many people hate an 87-year-old trying to promote tolerance? I guess it exemplifies the underlying fear present not only in Europe’s political landscape, but in America as well. Maybe he’s a distraction from the real issue of the threats to democracy happening in these countries (including ours). Why are people so afraid? Is it morally right to have money have such a big influence in politics? Can exceptions be made for “good” causes? Should people from other places be able to influence how things are run in other countries, other than the one they are currently living in?

-Acadia