Hungarian grammar school bans polite greeting of women

Hungarian grammar school bans polite greeting of women

As the expression is not gender-neutral, some teachers have forbidden the students from using the traditional greeting in a grammar school in Hungary, according to the online news outlet Kontra.

WORLD JANUARY 11. 2022 18:14

One of the portal‘s readers was outraged that teachers at the Moricz Zsigmond Grammar School in Budapest are forbidding from using the well-mannered „Kezit csokolom” greeting, which literally translates to „I kiss your hand.” According to Hungarian tradition, this is a formal, polite form of men greeting women. Although the greeting itself is NOT of Hungarian origin, this respectful phrase corresponds to the old custom of men kissing a woman’s hand as a form of greeting when they meet. Some of the teachers argue that the expression, as a form of salutation, should be abandoned because it violates the principle of gender equality, the paper says.

The portal points out that following the fashion adopted in Western countries, it appears that sensitisation in Hungary would also start by targeting children and young people rather than adults, because their personalities are easier to influence and mold. Meanwhile, the grammar school in Budapest tried to explain itself by stressing that the institution’s official house rules do not prohibit the use of the expression „I kiss your hand”.

Hungary will hold a referendum on child protection this spring to gauge people’s views with regard to the following questions:

Do you support the teaching of sexual orientation to minors in public education institutions without parental consent?
Do you support the promotion of sex reassignment therapy for underage children?
Do you support the unrestricted exposure of underage children to sexually explicit media content that may affect their development?
Do you support the showing of sex-change media content to minors?

WORLD

Tags:

children, gender, Hungary