Survey says...

My last educational act at Dráva Völgye Középiskola was conducting a survey of student favorites: the easy, teenage naval-gazing look at favorite movies, musicians, television shows and athletes, and then the questions that might suggest something more as I ask about the most important heroes of the world, the things that make them proud of Hungary, the paths they wish Hungary would change. Even light questions, I figured, could provide interest, conversational and critical thinking opportunities for students here, because I also planned to have Tibor and Tom back at Roosevelt High School ask the same questions of their own students, and a comparison might be worth something.

Now the results are in, and the data has been suggestive after all.

To read the data, remember that in each case I list the Hungarian results first (DVK, Dráva Völgye Középiskola) and American results second (RHS, Roosevelt High School). I generally list the top five winners, as well as a straight count of votes and its percentage of category votes. Percentages can be helpful in direct analysis, because there are twice as many Hungarians in the data as Americans. But the counts themselves are interesting, too: Why did I get 224 responses to what DVK students do on the weekend, but only 85 who spoke to what Hungary ought to change?

I'd like to start with easy ones: Where would you most like to visit, and what's your favorite television show? While Roosevelt students are interested in Australia, Costa Rica and Japan and DVK kids are interested in neighboring countries Italy and Spain, there is otherwise a pleasing symmetry of desire: Hungarian students want to go to Hawaii, Los Angeles, New York and Miami, and American students want to go to Italy, Spain and Greece. Somehow I didn't raise Seattle's profile over the year, though it got two votes, probably from Twilight readers. Meanwhile, television show choices reflect the global dominance of stupid American TV, mixing gross-out cartoons with medical procedurals and reality shows. A few Hungarian reality programs emerged in the runners-up list, but the big money is Californian.

Places DVK students would most like to visit	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Hawaii	18	9%		Las Vegas
Los Angeles	15	8%		Paris/France
Spain / Madrid / Barcelona / Ibiza	13	7%		Greece
New York	12	6%		Jamaica
Italy/Venice/Bologna/Rome/Milan	12	6%		Cuba
Miami	11	6%
Total votes	193	100%
Places RHS students would most like to visit	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Italy	10	9%		Mexico
Spain	10	9%		New Zealand
Australia	8	7%		France
Costa Rica	5	5%		Brazil
Greece	4	4%		India
Japan	4	4%		South Africa
Total votes	110	100%

DVK favorite television shows	Count	Percent		Runners-up
South Park	20	10%		Csillag Születik
Family Guy	15	8%		X-Factor
Bear Grylls	11	6%		Showder Klub
Dr. House	11	6%		Desperate Housewives
How it's Made	8	4%		Ezel
Jackass	8	4%		Miami Ink
Total votes	198	100%
RHS favorite television shows	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Glee	8	9%		South Park
Criminal Minds	5	5%		CSI
Family Guy	4	4%		How I Met Your Mother
Office	4	4%		Skins
Sports Nation	4	4%		Modern Family
House	4	4%		Bones
Total votes	92	100%

We find much more pronounced differences in jobs students hope to have. The only jobs students seek in common are doctor, veterinarian, lawyer, and teacher, with more votes thrown towards all of the above from the Americans. Perhaps the jobs that don't overlap provide some insight into the percentages that do: Roosevelt kids dream of being athletes, coaches and music producers, while the DVK students look to be hair dressers, policemen and soldiers, lumberjacks and cooks. My analysis is that American students have space to dream, and have been told to -- in movie after slogan after article after ad -- while students in DVK are nervous about getting any kind of job at all. Despite the American recession and what it's doing to American morale, these Roosevelt kids still sit atop a pretty fluffy cloud.

DVK favorite jobs	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Hair dresser	20	15%		Veterinarian
Police officer	10	7%		Teacher
Doctor / pediatrician	8	6%		Journalist
Forester / lumberjack / hunter	8	6%		Lawyer
Soldier	7	5%		Dancer
Cook	7	5%
Total votes	137	100%
RHS favorite jobs	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Doctor	9	10%		Architect
Lawyer	6	6%		Veterinarian
Athlete	5	5%		Engineer
Teacher	5	5%		Marine Biologist
Music Producer	4	4%		Designer
Coach	4	4%
Volunteer	4	4%
Total votes	93	100%

Meanwhile, what they describe as their favorite way to spend leisure time is not so different (though I didn't ask how they actually spend their weekends): partying, sleeping, computer, friends. You will of course notice that DVK students like to get drunk; and despite Roosevelt's long-earned reputation for weekend doozies (somewhat hidden in the numbers because students respect Tom and Tibor too much to admit this out loud), there is a whole lot of drinking here in Hungary. The drinking age is 18, and a) students take advantage, and b) I'm told most pubs, of which there are maybe 40 here in this town of 12,000, don't check age anyway. I've received several bottles of wine and pálinka from classes saying goodbye (teacher-esses get flowers), and two of my Fulbright colleagues elsewhere in the country got roaring drunk with their school-leavers. Still, some kids would rather play with their dogs or ride horses, and some would rather read.

DVK things to do on the weekend	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Party / alcohol / weed	32	14%		Playing w- dogs/riding horses
Sleep	28	13%		Being with friends
Music / play drums / play guitar	23	10%		Watching TV
Boyfriend / girlfriend / sex	22	10%		Walking/walking in the forest
Relaxing	17	8%
Computer / Facebook	17	8%
Total votes	224	100%
RHS things to do on the weekend	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Hang with friends	23	22%		TV
Sports	11	11%		Painting
Sleep	9	9%		Biking
Play video games	8	8%		Beach
Movies	7	7%		McDonalds
Go outside	5	5%		Going to the mall
Party	4	4%		Cooking
Read	4	4%		Running
Total votes	103	100%		Music

When we look at pride and problems, we really get to it. Hungarian students are proud of very tangible things and places: wines and spirits, paprika, and candy made of something smoother and sweeter than cottage cheese. Places were dominant: Balaton, with almost a third of all votes, Budapest, Pécs and Sopron. Hungarians are also proud of their heroes and inventors, though they didn't appear here, perhaps because I received only 111 responses. Americans, meanwhile are proud of very abstract things that I'd more willingly call ideas than achievements. Freedom was an overwhelming first, but as an idea, I wish students were more specific: freedom is an enormous, paradoxical term full of tensions and directions, though it manifests itself in a numbing drumbeat of political speech that often gives no light to such distinctions. Likewise, "democracy," which certainly deserves another look these days. Nevertheless, while I am proud of the natural beauty of our county and take for granted our cultural dominance, I, too, am proudest of American aspirations and protected beliefs, such as those rights described in the First Amendment. I expanded on this in my earlier Martin Luther King post:

At our heart, written into our Constitution, are these ideals--justice, no matter what background or rank; freedom, to believe, say and practice most anything you or your heritage holds dear; opportunity and voice, equal to all, with no one born better than anyone else. This ideal of harmonious co-existence is a precious one, and it is built on the always discordant ideals of democratic enfranchisement and freedom of expression at its deepest sense.

Teenagers though, man: I'd like to talk to those Roosevelt kids proud of pride.

Making you proud of Hungary	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Lake Balaton / Siófok	31	28%		Túró rudi / Pöttyös guru
Wines / pálinka / Tokaji aszú wine	18	16%		Sopron
Budapest	6	5%		Gulash
Hungarian castles / Gödöllői castle	6	5%		Thermal water
Paprika	6	5%		Rubik's cube
Pécs	6	5%
Sopron	5	5%
Total votes	111	100%
Making you proud of the USA	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Freedom	15	18%		Democracy
Sports	9	11%		Press
Education	7	9%		Pride
Opportunity	6	7%		Luxury
Diversity	5	6%		Health/medicine
Relgious freedom	5	6%		Legal system
Total votes	82	100%		Military
				Unity
				Women's rights

The category, Things you wish your country would change, was the one category where American responses outnumbered Hungarian. A great deal of this is the language obstacle; but I also think Americans are trained to be critical and to consider solutions, whereas Hungarians seem quicker to grumble and shut-up. DVK kids did record some interesting problems: Tension with the EU is something I want to know more about, and I couldn't get a straight answer about problems with the education system. And Number Two? Interesting in unpleasant ways to which I'll return next. But overall, jobs are on the mind, and most of the list revolves around the issue.

Things Hungary should change	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Educational System	18	21%		Garbage
Gypsies / jobs for gypsies	14	16%		Belonging to the European Union.
There should be more money	13	15%		Pension system
There should be more jobs	8	9%		National football team
Traffic / public transport	7	8%
Politicians	7	8%
Total votes	85	100%
Things the US should change	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Lower tuition	11	11%		Youth opinion accepted more
No discrimination	10	10%		Politics
No war	10	10%		Poverty
Bad spending	6	6%		Legalize marijuana
Health care	6	6%		Better jobs
More taxes	5	5%		Lower homeless rate
Better education	5	5%		Legal system
Equal rights	5	5%		Crime
Helping citizens	4	4%
Increased teacher pay	4	4%
Total votes	102	100%

The greatest realization for me came as I examined the list of Roosevelt heroes: Martin Luther King. Gandhi. Nelson Mandela. Rosa Parks. Harriet Tubman. Abraham Lincoln. I know that people in other parts of the country would answer this question differently, given the craze for American revolutionaries that's been attributing, distorting or inventing quotations from that era; but in Roosevelt High School today, students list men and women who have each, actively if pacificistically, fought for human rights and against racism. What a statement too, when 14% of our country is African American, but they so largely represent our greatest heroes -- who show us our best selves, demanding human dignity and fairness for all. American students had said they were proud of American diversity, but their heroes list suggests how deeply they mean it.

Adolf Hitler made it to number four of the Hungarian heroes. It's a joke, for most students who tallied him anyway, but a joke jarring enough to remind me he was Hungary's ally, and to make me think about Gypsies being called the number two problem -- in a country desperate for financial supports and jobs that have nothing to do with the Roma.

Mostly, I was thoughtful about what we value in America, in Seattle, and I was proud of us. I was grateful for the rubbing of elbows that so bruises but so develops our let-live and love way.

DVK most important heroes	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Hunyadi Mátyás	19	11%		Petőfi Sándor
Széchenyi István	15	9%		Zrínyi Miklós
Christopher Columbus	12	7%		Napoleon Bonaparte
Adolf Hitler	11	7%		Kinizsi Pál
Erzsébet magyar királyné (Sissi)	10	6%		Kossuth Lajos
Total votes	166	100%
RHS most important heroes	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Martin Luther King	23	20%		George Washington
Mohandas Gandhi	15	13%		Malcolm X
Nelson Mandela	13	11%		Franklin Roosevelt
Rosa Parks	9	8%		Hellen Keller
Harriet Tubman	8	7%		Ben Franklin
Abraham Lincoln	7	6%		Barrack Obama
Total votes	115	100%		Jackie Robinson
				Quakers

Below are the remaining statistics. Thanks, Roosevelt and Dráva Völgye students; thanks, Tom and Tibor!

DVK favorite musicians	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Bruno Mars	18	8%		Rózsaszín Pitbull
Lady Gaga	15	7%		LMFAO
Rihanna	11	5%		Jennifer Lopez
David Guetta	9	4%		Enrique Iglesias
Edda	8	4%
Kárpátia	8	4%
Miley Cyrus	8	4%
Paul Kalkbrenner	8	4%
Road	8	4%
Total votes	222	100%
RHS favorite musicians	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Kid Cudi	6	7%		Drake
Wiz Khalifa	5	6%		John Mayer
Eminem	5	6%		Green Day
The Beatles	4	5%		lil wayne
Kanye West	3	4%		Lupe Fiasco
The Game	3	4%		Bruno Mars
Total votes	82	100%		Maroon 5
				Macklemore

DVK favorite athletes	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Christiano Ronaldo (footballer)	11	7%		Gyurta Dániel (swimmer)
Kucsera Gábor (sprint canoer)	11	7%		David Beckham (footballer)
Lionel Messi (footballer)	10	6%		Kovács Ágnes (swimmer)
Sebastian Vettel (car racer)	8	5%
Cseh László (swimmer)	8	5%
Dzsudzsák Balázs (footballer)	7	4%
Fernando Torres (footballer)	7	4%
Kimi Räikkönen (car racer)	7	4%
Total votes	158	100%
RHS favorite athletes	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Michael Vick (Am. football)	4	5%		Usain Bolt
Peyton Manning (Am. football)	3	4%		Rajan Rondo
Jake Locker (Am. football)	3	4%		LeBron James
Ichiro Suzuki (baseball)	3	4%		Rohre Titcomb
Kobe Bryant (basketball)	3	4%		Ztehn Titcomb
Gary Payton (basketball)	3	4%		Vehro Titcomb
Lionel Messi (footballer)	3	4%		Andreson Silva
Christiano Ronaldo (footballer)	3	4%		Blaine Gabert
Total votes	77	100%		David Villa

DVK favorite movies	Count	Percent		Runners-up
Hangover (1 or 2)	37	20%		Lord of the Rings
Pirates of the Caribbean	15	8%		Street Dance
Twilight	10	5%		The Notebook
Harry Potter	9	5%
Titanic	7	4%
The Mirrors	7	4%
Total votes	185	100%
RHS favorite movies	Count	Percent		Runners-up
The Hangover	10	11%		Dark Knight
Harry Potter	6	7%		Star wars
Total votes	90	100%		Pulp Fiction
				Ferris Bueller's Day Off
				Pirates of the Carribean
				Up
				Smile

Bonus: Here is a link to a video ninth grade students made as an introduction to Dráva Völgye Középiskola. Note the dorm fridge with its padlocked cabinets at 2:29!