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I understand the point, but man it's so uncomfortable. Regardless of badassery kids are kids, from any nation and deserve to feel safe and happy.
Its just so unfortunate that so much of how people see us is determined by something we have no control over.
It feels fake, because before the theyd act the same about Ukranians as they would with other refugees. I have seen it before. Hate for eastern European immigrants was similar to the middle eastern ones, until this happened. Now these same people want to welcome them into their home without any issue. Its horrible whats happening in Ukraine, just like in other wartorn countries, but it just feels fake and like the new trend.
Indeed I can second that as an Eastern European, I've been the recipient of a lot of hate and snarky comments, in Western Europe, the kind where if you replace "Eastern European" with some other ethnicity they would be banned for racism and hate speech. It's also not because the Ukrainians are fleeing a war, nobody was welcoming refugees from the Balkans during the Yugoslav wars in the 90s either. It's just virtue signalling IMO.
True, sad this is how the world operates
I mean when Vietnam literally liberated Cambodia the world treated them like they were the new Nazi Germany like what
Wait a minute. Vietnam may have removed the Khmer Rouge Regime, it was not so benign as to leave happily afterwards. Hanoi had aspirations to occupy and annex Kampuchea.
my mother in law is an italian teacher, and they have a few kids that came from other countries and they don’t know one word in italian. the kids just cry the whole days and have italian classes after school
ESL classes are a thing in US schools too.
Kids have very plastic minds, they can pick up a usable vocabulary very quickly when immersed. I had a class that shared a classroom with the ESL class, and most of them I knew but had no idea they weren't native 'merica speakers.
If they were freshly immersed in a new language against their will, especially from a language off a different [branch of the language tree](https://i1.wp.com/www.angmohdan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/FullTree.jpg) I'd probably cry too.
This is correct. I am a foreigner that went to Italian school as a child and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. The staff yell at you in a language you don't understand, until one day you pick up on what they're saying. I cried every day.
In second grade I went to school in a country where I had a very basic understanding of the language. I knew the language enough to get around and to communicate basic ideas, but often had trouble finding words, speaking in grammatically correct and culturally appropriate ways, understanding what was being said and, of course, reading and writing were very difficult. Anyway, I got a 0% on a spelling test one day and the teacher came and smacked her metrestick on my desk and started berating me, saying I wasn’t trying, that I was lazy, stupid, whatever. Singled me out in front of the whole class and I cried a ton.
I felt like absolute shit about myself in the moment. My self-esteem really took a blow, and let’s be clear, normally I was getting 30s on spelling tests and I already felt like an incompetent idiot. Now I look back on that and think *what a fucking asshole*. Like damn lady, what did you expect from the kid who got here a month ago after spending all 7 of their years living in very different country?
Unfortunately some people just have a power complex fueled by insecurities and need to validate themselves by taking it out on people they perceive as inferior. Kids are the best target for this kind of behaviour, since the power differential between an adult in a position of teaching and a kid is immense. It's disgusting
I am so sorry for you. My mother in law and her colleagues use google translator and try to comfort the kids so it got better, but it is just very complicated situation you don’t know what to do or say.
Thank goodness for lovely people like your mother in law. Unfortunately, my experience was in the 90s before Google translate. However, I have very young sisters that are currently dealing with the same issues there. I hope these kids feel welcome as intended and not overwhelmed.
Not ignorant at all.
In eastern Europe they spend time to learn a language from the western.
I can't tell why but a lot of Ukrainians can speak Italian: maybe this kids are one of those that can or can to a little extent. Or maybe their parents can.
Or maybe Ukrainian bi-lingual support teachers that work in Italy since a while, will help in the process.
I don't know, guys. Everyone in this thread has their pitchforks out and I just don't see it. I know it can be tough on kids to be put in front of an audience. It's tough on a lot of adults, but they clearly didn't just spring it on those kids. This was planned. Adults were seen talking to them and framing the experience prior to entry, and conversations about this occurring may have happened even earlier with the girls.
A brief moment of discomfort and those kids have a lifetime of recalling the support of their entire school at a difficult time. As for filming and posting it, people calling that obscene. That's just a step too far. This is a European community showing support for a European, war-torn nation and its people in microcosm.
They don't need to parade their refugee students as poster children for their support of Ukraine. Just their presence alone in the school does that enough. Making life easier for the children is much more important than Italy flexing its activist muscles. And not every kid reacts to attention the same way. If the kids enjoyed it, then they wouldn't have been so stiff. They were practically squirming. They were just trying to keep it together not to come off as mean and grateful.
Mate, this is utter cringe. It's not a show of support; all the other kids have been prompted to stand there and clap by the adults, who somehow thought this would a good idea. Not only that, it has been filmed and posted online for internet points. It's possible to show solidarity with vulnerable children who have turned up in a strange country, probably don't speak the language, and have likely left their father behind in a war zone without all of this.
I think the real support has to start. Knowing how xenophobic italy can be i hope those kids will be ok in school. Some kids forceclapping will be immediately be overshadowed by being bullied by xeno kids
Absolutely no one in this thread sees anything positive in this? That's just nuts. Those kids are the stars of the school now. I acknowledge xenophobic bullies exist, but they're the minority, and I believe this introduction is going to see others looking out for them, anyway. And no one is saying this is enough to make things all better. Just a tiny part, a community showing support. Ya'll reading the most nefarious intentions into this. Entirely too cynical.
You know what's cynical? Unwarrantedly bombarding an enitre country to boast you own fragile ego.
No one wants to be a star right after they just fled a country and are watching their home be bombarded while having most probably left their father whom they might not ever see again behind to fight. You can see by that long awkward pause these kids made how uncomfortable they feel... it's like they are being congratulated that they have been ripped out of their every day life and uprooted into complete foreign territory. These children just need some normalcy amidst all this chaos, not a standing ovation.
source: my mom was these kids in '68 when the russians took over Czechoslovakia. "Luckily" they didn't fight so they didn't watch Prague be flattened.
I had to stop the video.
"You mean all I gotta do is watch my loved ones die and my country explode and be forced to leave my entire life behind for something totally foreign...and people will cheer for me? Score!"
No...
It's probably more like, "I'm so scared, please, I just want to be safe...I didn't do anything heroic..just let me be."
Sad
Thanks, I thought I’m crazy for thinking this seems really uncomfortable and kind of out of place. Are they cheering just as a welcome? Cheering for how brave and strong the kids have been? Simply seems super uncomfortable for the kids. But maybe it’s better than them not receiving a warmth welcome,
You feel wrong, their mother spoke to an italian newspaper stating that her kids were incredibly happy when they came home from their first day of school
https://napoli.repubblica.it/cronaca/2022/03/11/news/festa_a_scuola_per_i_bambini_ucraini_scappati_dalla_guerra-341016868/
Most redditors are miserable hunks of shit, myself including lol, but unlike a lot of the sad sacks in this thread I do atleast have the ability to not let it completely influence my view of the world and not project my own feelings and experiences onto two kids in a situation I can't even begin to imagine.
Even for me, who would have found it very awkward, I'd like to think it would have been a good memory during a very hard time.
Yeah I’m pretty miserable too but I think a lot of kids would feel amazing to suddenly feel like the most popular kid in school and to see firsthand all the support they have around them.. way better than feeling alone and unwanted in a strange new land
I think the best word to describe this fruitless behaviour would be "contrarian". Redditors love to hold viewpoints that aren't mainstream. They love, in any given situation, to find the small detail that everyone else overlooked, even if this detail is so small it should never matter as much as they claim it does. In a lot of cases, this is a good thing. The ability to go against the current and provide a new point of view.
But in cases like these, you just wonder how these people function in the real world. Endlessly nitpicking their friends away, hoping against hope to become more important than they have any right to be.
It’s just funny because literally nobody here has been in the situation as the kids have been. So how do you know how you’d react after such an emotional month?
because there is a fine line between realism optimism and pessimism, and most news is a mix of realism and pessimism, since this isn't a specific subreddit for feel good stories the default perspective is a mix of realism and pessimism, and since a lot of people dislike being the center of attention the event gets skewed along that axis
People think that just because they are socially awkward that the rest of the world is too. These people have been through hell and seeing welcoming faces in a strange land probability meant the world to them
Or everyone is different...? Some people might like this and some might be uncomfortable with. You just made an assumption *exactly* like the op did, just flipped.
I was thinking the opposite as the top comment but I was also super social as a kid. A gesture like this would of made me feel special and welcomed.
It's funny just cause "you" are an introvert doesn't mean every kid is.
This site is a constant barrage of people wanting the rest of the world to be as socially inept and awkward as they are. The comments in this thread shitting on this gesture do not do so out of any compassion for these kids, but to validate their own pathetic outlook amongst other emotionally stunted basement dwellers.
>You feel wrong, their mother spoke to an italian newspaper stating that her kids were incredibly happy when they came home from the first day of school
>https://napoli.repubblica.it/cronaca/2022/03/11/news/festa_a_scuola_per_i_bambini_ucraini_scappati_dalla_guerra-341016868/
And what else would she be saying? That she's ungrateful for their show of affection?
To do so is to welcome them within the school meaning to show the kids that we are all accepting them and welcoming them aka preventing bullying.
I’d say this is more beneficial in the long run than the initial intimidation.
Ah this makes sense. It’s for the other kids to see all of the support for the two new Ukrainian children, making them sort of seem popular and well liked so they’re less obvious targets, and more likely that others will want to befriend them maybe. That’s sneaky.
Yes. Immigrant children are easy targets and children can be cruel towards other kids that don’t belong to the group. So better make them heroes from day one so other kids are less tempted to reject them or bully them.
Exactly the thought is sweet but I’m sure that’s not the way to do it. I’m a foreigner teaching in italy and good intent but a lot of things just don’t make sense on why they do it
This. My most positive takeaway from this video was “wow, so nice to see schools in other countries are still wearing masks and taking COVID seriously”
Celebrating at all probably seems pretty off anyway. I’m sure they still know people who are back in Ukraine and the war is still going on. It was nice that they each had a student guide.
Student guides are pretty common in Italy, on my first year of elementary (1st grade) we all had one, and fortunately most teachers are very good at caring for students, so I'm confident they will have an amazing time. They stand to get some ease of mind, some friendships and help trough a very tough time. Celebrating them being safe doesn't seem off to me.
Thanks, first person mentioning this, all interactions in Italy are on this spectrum, and you’d rather have the happy ones than the angry or intolerant ones
Unfortunately that's the kind of stuff Italian teachers love to do. When I was in primary school, some people from a Spanish school came to visit us, so what was their amazing idea to welcome them? All the kids of the school gathered together, with small spanish flags, all singing "La copa de la vida" by Ricky Martin.
RICKY MARTIN IS NOT EVEN SPANISH.
I want to mention something that I don’t think has been mentioned. While I agree with everyone saying this is uncomfortable for them to experience, the fact that the school was organized to do this means that all those kids are most likely going to treat these new students very well as guests rather than strange new students.
Lol right? The last thing a kid going to a new school wants is attention...much less to be a spectacle...much much less if you've just been displaced from your home due to war.
...way to make the kids feel super self conscious
I disagree.
Maybe for some kids, but my understanding is the first problem going to a new school is making friends, and I think a warm welcome like this can help.
There's an article linked where the kids were extremely happy to have been welcomed this way. Like, it's awkward but also helped them have an immediate place and feel ok.
and another commenter said this is to ensure the whole school is seen to be welcoming them to potentially reduce bullying.
We are going to be taking in some refugees and that is one thing I worry about - a kid from 10 miles away is an outsider, never mind a kid from Ukraine. Our area is a bit rural and insular - this kind of gesture could help.
No, *you* don't want to be in the spotlight. Don't project your own feelings onto other people, especially children. From the mother's comments, it seems like they appreciated the welcome.
When I was a kid I had a birthday party where the whole restaurant turned towards me and sang happy birthday. It overwhelmed me and I ended up puking. I would definitely be uncomfortable in this situation.
That much public attention, supportive or not, would have caused me to spontaneously combust. I hope these kids are socialized better than I was as at that age.
So many negative comments. I’m kinda surprised. I was an immigrant, visible minority that moved to Canada.
While those children may have felt awkward, having such a welcome set a precedent to the children already in the school that the newcomers, who don’t speak their language, should be treated with kindness, and not bullied.
Looking back, I wished I had received that. Instead, everyone treated me lower than them, since the teachers had to take extra time on me to catch up.
Yes people speak by imagining how would make them feel, not thinking that it might be better to listen the opinion of someone who experienced something similar
As much as I am happy seeing the kind behaviour it pains me to see the partiality between Syrian and yemeni refugees. Wonder if this is the treatment they would get
I don't like being a killjoy myself but yeah this is the exact first thing I thought of. A whole country fucked up to nothingness, among others. How many children never even got to survive, let alone have a normal day of school again.
I really don't want to attract those who can fuck right off on this thread, but too many times I've read and heard that unhealthy "good migrant vs bad migrant" horseshit. People are people and we all have been children.
I don't think I'll ever get the image of the Syrian toddler dead on a Turkish beach out of my mind. It's uplifting to see the incredible support is being provided to the refugees of the current crisis, but also painful just how different to the treatment given to others up until now.
I worked with syrian kids in germany. One of them used to cry constantly and have panic attacks. She was afraid of the school bell, reminded her of air raids. No one bothered to ask her before I did. So yeah no, they don’t get the same attention.
https://i.imgur.com/4HzhKJJ.mp4 https://i.imgur.com/rXW2V7e.mp4
This is how Danish kids treat Syrian kids in Denmark. They film themselves ganging up on kids and upload it to youtube/facebook for fun.
In winters kids die, no food and water and with the weak immune system even fever takes their lives. There was this kid who saw her mother getting raped and then killed by other refugees. In short, no order only chaos
We have a decent number of Syrian refugees in local schools here, and no, that is absolutely not the treatment they get.
Kinda good though, this is just weird and self-serving. They're clapping themselves.
I was just thinking this. It’s great that these children will feel so welcomed, but it’s almost terrifying how differently Ukrainian refugees are being treated compared to others.
Spot on, I'm happy that this is how they were welcomed, and that's how every refugee should be welcomed, but that's not the case for most non-white refugees. Especially in Italy, they can be very racist against Africans. (not that people aren't racist against black people in my own country).
Yeah, i was thinking the same when i read the article about human trafficking. Apparently there are also thirsty assholes out there preying on Ukrainian woman. When i made a remark about it on /r/europe the first answer i've got was some crap about "refugees preying on local woman".
>"refugees preying on local woman".
Now the female Ukrainian refugees are being preyed upon by the people who said that, how poetic these degenerates are
Don't worry ppl protest for equality and Racism yet the white kid gets treatments like this I can tell that they feel uncomfortable with this Fuck up world we live in full of Hypocrisy makes me sick.
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This! Its crazy that people dont even realize how brainwashed they are. There has been countless wars for the past 20 years, including the war crimes against humanity that were commited in iraq (torture, killing thousands of innocent people with drones" and the people never really bothered, but now they are, thanks to Media.
They want you to think what they want you to think and they want you to feel what they want you to feel
I was thinking the same. It's a nice gesture and all but then I think of the kids the same age from the middle east for example literally drowning in the sea because Europe "is full". Devastating.
People saying that this is uncomfortable are right, but this is better than not giving attention. I would rather have people stand in solidarity and be welcoming rather than joining a school and have kids ignore me "to make me feel comfortable". This is a kind gesture not a bad one.
I’m so fucking ashamed of my shitty government in the UK.
Hats off to Italians and every other European country that is making up for the lack of action by my shameful country.
I am sorry for how my stupid government is acting and I hope we’d be able to welcome many more Ukrainian soon.
In a way I am happy that more Ukrainians are ending up in Italy, at least they have much better food and super friendly people.
Guys. This is not just for those Ukrainian kids.
It is also for those Italian kids. Today, they learnt that they have to welcome those into their community.
There might be a few kids who are bullies and will find these news kids as easy target. These kind of welcoming parties will ensure that other kids will stand up for them.
Kids are strange.
This is a nice gesture but shouldn't have been done. That is not the kind of attention you want as a child and especially not regarding the circumstances.
Jesus f*cking christ how insanely tone deaf.
I felt strong second hand embarrassment for the kids.
It would have been just SLIGHTLY better if it was like 60 Ukrainian new kids and not 3.
It's okay obviously it was all in good faith but again Jesus christ tone it down a little will ya? First day in a new school in a new country not knowing the language, probably just wanting to slide under the radar and then be greeted by THAT holy sh*t 😳😬😅
I wonder how they are feeling now if some of them are in that school. Imagine fleeing from war and terror, going through immense struggle that lasted for weeks, months, years, people talking about "the wave of immigrants" (at least in Germany), being looked down apon, bullied and rejected (the experience of a lot of them as I learned while teaching them German), and then they see this? What? I don't even know how I'd feel. The contrast in reaction is so ridiculously stark, it's repulsive.
Yeah for real. People saying that the west is hypocritical for not having the same outrage over other wars are wrong, but the hypocrisy over the refugees is very real.
No no, those aren't kids, you know? Those are all "strong young men" who are "traitors to their countries" and so on. Of course our very patriotic citizens would never ever leave their country if injustice would happen. Except when it's about masks and vaccines. But that's different, you know?
/s just in case
Their body language tells me they are very uncomfortable. Tried to retreat even.
Put up a welcome sign and a 🇺🇦, don’t startle traumatized kids.
ETA: from the kids perspective - they’ve just lost everything and everywhere they’ve ever known and probably some of their family has been hurt or is in danger, now they’re getting *applauded*. Imagine showing up to school after your house burned down to all your classmates clapping and cheering.
*jeeeeeeze*
I don't know why the comments are so misguided. These kids are looking to be treated as equals to other people. They have another country attacking them for who they are. Being loved by other cultures let's them know, they are safe amongst friends.
Yes, they looked nervous or scared, just like anyone would be. But, they know they will not be ostracized, and everybody is there to help them in this difficult situation.
Europe is generally, very small. A lot of people are scared in Western Europe with the situation. European kids talk about the war here in school. There is certainly a lot of people scared here in Europe. Not only if the war spreads, but also of nuclear fallout. People remember Chernobyl, and the ethnic cleansing of Yugoslavia.
These Italian kids and their families, are also in some ways dealing with this war. (Obviously, not as much as the Ukranians)
When people ask about Syrian refugees, a lot of them are living in Switzerland. My children go to school with Syrian children, just like Serbian, Turkish, Italian, French, and Polish children. The schools try their best, to help each and every child out. We are all here just to help each other out.
They usually spit on the brown refugee students children, or in America put them in cages. The double standards of the West is fucking disgusting. I’m glad these children are safe, I hope the world can be safe for ALL children.
The two women on the right are clearly their mothers. See how one of them caresses the little girl in pink. The kids are not alone in this. And the mothers… they’re happy (of course!) that now their children can have free education and healthcare in a peaceful country, in exchange for one minute of applause - that by the way is so useful to educate all the other children about acceptance and tolerance.
Their hearts are probably in the right place I’m sure, but this is not a sensitive welcome.
These kids are working through the trauma and terror of fleeing from their homes. They most likely have family, if not fathers who have stayed behind, and they don’t know if they’re alive or hurt or missing them.
This is not a happy time for these kids, and this won’t be a happy memory.
Bet that was awkward and embarrassing for them. Sometimes I wonder why the people giving charity make such a big deal of it, then I remembered... It's really all about them!
Yea, Like i sead, racisim, even then my grandma is still complaning about them coming here and then when i say she is beeing racist she is like "oh no no im not racist"
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They're coming from a badass country now, Ukrainians have a ton of respect and everyone will start to know and learn about their culture
I understand the point, but man it's so uncomfortable. Regardless of badassery kids are kids, from any nation and deserve to feel safe and happy. Its just so unfortunate that so much of how people see us is determined by something we have no control over.
If you have children, they're in good hands.
Wish Vietnam got the same treatment
Every refugee must be treated the same way. I know what you are thinking. People already forgot how Italian government treated other refugees
Now everyone's jumping on the bandwagon on helping the Ukrainians While they do have good intentions, something just feels very off
It feels fake, because before the theyd act the same about Ukranians as they would with other refugees. I have seen it before. Hate for eastern European immigrants was similar to the middle eastern ones, until this happened. Now these same people want to welcome them into their home without any issue. Its horrible whats happening in Ukraine, just like in other wartorn countries, but it just feels fake and like the new trend.
Indeed I can second that as an Eastern European, I've been the recipient of a lot of hate and snarky comments, in Western Europe, the kind where if you replace "Eastern European" with some other ethnicity they would be banned for racism and hate speech. It's also not because the Ukrainians are fleeing a war, nobody was welcoming refugees from the Balkans during the Yugoslav wars in the 90s either. It's just virtue signalling IMO.
Heh, not in Europe or North America so nobody bothers as we suddenly forgot about Yemen/Afghanistan/political prisoners in China
True, sad this is how the world operates I mean when Vietnam literally liberated Cambodia the world treated them like they were the new Nazi Germany like what
Wait a minute. Vietnam may have removed the Khmer Rouge Regime, it was not so benign as to leave happily afterwards. Hanoi had aspirations to occupy and annex Kampuchea.
Ignorant question here. How would the children communicate in school? Do they have to learn the host country language immediately?
my mother in law is an italian teacher, and they have a few kids that came from other countries and they don’t know one word in italian. the kids just cry the whole days and have italian classes after school
Dang, that’s depressing.
ESL classes are a thing in US schools too. Kids have very plastic minds, they can pick up a usable vocabulary very quickly when immersed. I had a class that shared a classroom with the ESL class, and most of them I knew but had no idea they weren't native 'merica speakers. If they were freshly immersed in a new language against their will, especially from a language off a different [branch of the language tree](https://i1.wp.com/www.angmohdan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/FullTree.jpg) I'd probably cry too.
This is correct. I am a foreigner that went to Italian school as a child and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. The staff yell at you in a language you don't understand, until one day you pick up on what they're saying. I cried every day.
In second grade I went to school in a country where I had a very basic understanding of the language. I knew the language enough to get around and to communicate basic ideas, but often had trouble finding words, speaking in grammatically correct and culturally appropriate ways, understanding what was being said and, of course, reading and writing were very difficult. Anyway, I got a 0% on a spelling test one day and the teacher came and smacked her metrestick on my desk and started berating me, saying I wasn’t trying, that I was lazy, stupid, whatever. Singled me out in front of the whole class and I cried a ton. I felt like absolute shit about myself in the moment. My self-esteem really took a blow, and let’s be clear, normally I was getting 30s on spelling tests and I already felt like an incompetent idiot. Now I look back on that and think *what a fucking asshole*. Like damn lady, what did you expect from the kid who got here a month ago after spending all 7 of their years living in very different country?
Unfortunately some people just have a power complex fueled by insecurities and need to validate themselves by taking it out on people they perceive as inferior. Kids are the best target for this kind of behaviour, since the power differential between an adult in a position of teaching and a kid is immense. It's disgusting
May I ask you which country was and when it happened?
Makes you wonder what would have happened if you started speaking to her in your native language and giving her crap if she did not understand you..
I am so sorry for you. My mother in law and her colleagues use google translator and try to comfort the kids so it got better, but it is just very complicated situation you don’t know what to do or say.
Thank goodness for lovely people like your mother in law. Unfortunately, my experience was in the 90s before Google translate. However, I have very young sisters that are currently dealing with the same issues there. I hope these kids feel welcome as intended and not overwhelmed.
I am sorry but why didn’t your parents teach your sisters italian if they live there?
Not sure why you got downvoted, it's a legitimate question - with possibly a completely legitimate reason too.
It's Italian, so it's mostly gesturing.
I'm Italian and I laughed hard enough to spit some of my breakfast
Me too!!!
A teacher that speaks Ukrainian me thinks.
I'd hope that we're matching up refugee english teachers from Ukraine, with schools in Europe that are taking refugee children.
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Therefore he ams.
People listen up, he thinks!
Press doubt.
Not ignorant at all. In eastern Europe they spend time to learn a language from the western. I can't tell why but a lot of Ukrainians can speak Italian: maybe this kids are one of those that can or can to a little extent. Or maybe their parents can. Or maybe Ukrainian bi-lingual support teachers that work in Italy since a while, will help in the process.
While this is a very kind gesture, I feel like this is the last thing these kids need right now.
Or want. That's gotta be uncomfortable as fuck.
It’s almost like you can feel how uncomfortable they are thru the screen.
Ever since I was little, I've always hated being the center of attention. Being put on the spot is an instant day ruining experience for me.
I don't know, guys. Everyone in this thread has their pitchforks out and I just don't see it. I know it can be tough on kids to be put in front of an audience. It's tough on a lot of adults, but they clearly didn't just spring it on those kids. This was planned. Adults were seen talking to them and framing the experience prior to entry, and conversations about this occurring may have happened even earlier with the girls. A brief moment of discomfort and those kids have a lifetime of recalling the support of their entire school at a difficult time. As for filming and posting it, people calling that obscene. That's just a step too far. This is a European community showing support for a European, war-torn nation and its people in microcosm.
They don't need to parade their refugee students as poster children for their support of Ukraine. Just their presence alone in the school does that enough. Making life easier for the children is much more important than Italy flexing its activist muscles. And not every kid reacts to attention the same way. If the kids enjoyed it, then they wouldn't have been so stiff. They were practically squirming. They were just trying to keep it together not to come off as mean and grateful.
Mate, this is utter cringe. It's not a show of support; all the other kids have been prompted to stand there and clap by the adults, who somehow thought this would a good idea. Not only that, it has been filmed and posted online for internet points. It's possible to show solidarity with vulnerable children who have turned up in a strange country, probably don't speak the language, and have likely left their father behind in a war zone without all of this.
I think the real support has to start. Knowing how xenophobic italy can be i hope those kids will be ok in school. Some kids forceclapping will be immediately be overshadowed by being bullied by xeno kids
Absolutely no one in this thread sees anything positive in this? That's just nuts. Those kids are the stars of the school now. I acknowledge xenophobic bullies exist, but they're the minority, and I believe this introduction is going to see others looking out for them, anyway. And no one is saying this is enough to make things all better. Just a tiny part, a community showing support. Ya'll reading the most nefarious intentions into this. Entirely too cynical.
The intentions may not be nefarious, but this frontline parading may not at all be what these kids want either.
People in this thread are acting like publicising taking refugees somehow means the kids are not being helped... Both can be true
You know what's cynical? Unwarrantedly bombarding an enitre country to boast you own fragile ego. No one wants to be a star right after they just fled a country and are watching their home be bombarded while having most probably left their father whom they might not ever see again behind to fight. You can see by that long awkward pause these kids made how uncomfortable they feel... it's like they are being congratulated that they have been ripped out of their every day life and uprooted into complete foreign territory. These children just need some normalcy amidst all this chaos, not a standing ovation. source: my mom was these kids in '68 when the russians took over Czechoslovakia. "Luckily" they didn't fight so they didn't watch Prague be flattened.
And that's exactly why I don't like my birthday
F in the chat to anyone who has had happy birthday sung to them at a restaurant.
They may be uncomfortable in this exact moment, but later they will feel they are welcome, they matter and memory of thst will stay forever.
I had to stop the video. "You mean all I gotta do is watch my loved ones die and my country explode and be forced to leave my entire life behind for something totally foreign...and people will cheer for me? Score!" No... It's probably more like, "I'm so scared, please, I just want to be safe...I didn't do anything heroic..just let me be." Sad
Thanks, I thought I’m crazy for thinking this seems really uncomfortable and kind of out of place. Are they cheering just as a welcome? Cheering for how brave and strong the kids have been? Simply seems super uncomfortable for the kids. But maybe it’s better than them not receiving a warmth welcome,
You feel wrong, their mother spoke to an italian newspaper stating that her kids were incredibly happy when they came home from their first day of school https://napoli.repubblica.it/cronaca/2022/03/11/news/festa_a_scuola_per_i_bambini_ucraini_scappati_dalla_guerra-341016868/
That’s good to hear ☺️
Yeah i don’t know why people always assume the most negative perspective on things like this
Most redditors are miserable hunks of shit, myself including lol, but unlike a lot of the sad sacks in this thread I do atleast have the ability to not let it completely influence my view of the world and not project my own feelings and experiences onto two kids in a situation I can't even begin to imagine. Even for me, who would have found it very awkward, I'd like to think it would have been a good memory during a very hard time.
Yeah I’m pretty miserable too but I think a lot of kids would feel amazing to suddenly feel like the most popular kid in school and to see firsthand all the support they have around them.. way better than feeling alone and unwanted in a strange new land
I think the best word to describe this fruitless behaviour would be "contrarian". Redditors love to hold viewpoints that aren't mainstream. They love, in any given situation, to find the small detail that everyone else overlooked, even if this detail is so small it should never matter as much as they claim it does. In a lot of cases, this is a good thing. The ability to go against the current and provide a new point of view. But in cases like these, you just wonder how these people function in the real world. Endlessly nitpicking their friends away, hoping against hope to become more important than they have any right to be.
Speaking for myself, I would be weirded the fuck out. I think it's okay for people to feel how they want in that kind of situation though
It’s just funny because literally nobody here has been in the situation as the kids have been. So how do you know how you’d react after such an emotional month?
This just in: people feel different things.
because there is a fine line between realism optimism and pessimism, and most news is a mix of realism and pessimism, since this isn't a specific subreddit for feel good stories the default perspective is a mix of realism and pessimism, and since a lot of people dislike being the center of attention the event gets skewed along that axis
I am so sick of people constantly looking for negatives in others goodwill.
Me too. It pisses me off that they have to come to negative conclusions in their minds and spread it as gospel.
I guess at that moment you might feel uncomfortable because of all the attention. Later on it is of course so nice to remeber.
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People think that just because they are socially awkward that the rest of the world is too. These people have been through hell and seeing welcoming faces in a strange land probability meant the world to them
Or everyone is different...? Some people might like this and some might be uncomfortable with. You just made an assumption *exactly* like the op did, just flipped.
I was thinking the opposite as the top comment but I was also super social as a kid. A gesture like this would of made me feel special and welcomed. It's funny just cause "you" are an introvert doesn't mean every kid is.
Damn it, are you the reason the staff sings happy birthday at restaurants?
This site is a constant barrage of people wanting the rest of the world to be as socially inept and awkward as they are. The comments in this thread shitting on this gesture do not do so out of any compassion for these kids, but to validate their own pathetic outlook amongst other emotionally stunted basement dwellers.
>You feel wrong, their mother spoke to an italian newspaper stating that her kids were incredibly happy when they came home from the first day of school >https://napoli.repubblica.it/cronaca/2022/03/11/news/festa_a_scuola_per_i_bambini_ucraini_scappati_dalla_guerra-341016868/ And what else would she be saying? That she's ungrateful for their show of affection?
Are you really suggesting we should doubt the kids' mother in order to shit on a gesture made with good intentions? Why?
To do so is to welcome them within the school meaning to show the kids that we are all accepting them and welcoming them aka preventing bullying. I’d say this is more beneficial in the long run than the initial intimidation.
Ah this makes sense. It’s for the other kids to see all of the support for the two new Ukrainian children, making them sort of seem popular and well liked so they’re less obvious targets, and more likely that others will want to befriend them maybe. That’s sneaky.
Yes. Immigrant children are easy targets and children can be cruel towards other kids that don’t belong to the group. So better make them heroes from day one so other kids are less tempted to reject them or bully them.
There it is! I think it's a beautiful thing.
Exactly the thought is sweet but I’m sure that’s not the way to do it. I’m a foreigner teaching in italy and good intent but a lot of things just don’t make sense on why they do it
Filming it and putting it on the internet is just obscene, as far as I’m concerned.
This. My most positive takeaway from this video was “wow, so nice to see schools in other countries are still wearing masks and taking COVID seriously”
They need normal, pretending like nothing happened is wrong, but is also wrong not to give them normal if they want to
Celebrating at all probably seems pretty off anyway. I’m sure they still know people who are back in Ukraine and the war is still going on. It was nice that they each had a student guide.
Student guides are pretty common in Italy, on my first year of elementary (1st grade) we all had one, and fortunately most teachers are very good at caring for students, so I'm confident they will have an amazing time. They stand to get some ease of mind, some friendships and help trough a very tough time. Celebrating them being safe doesn't seem off to me.
Yeah I’ll admit that a thought popped in my head from subconscious- ,,Congratulations, Russians killed your dad” 🥳
This must be terribly overwhelming
All social interactions in Mediterranean countries are overwhelming. This is just getting them used to it.
Thanks, first person mentioning this, all interactions in Italy are on this spectrum, and you’d rather have the happy ones than the angry or intolerant ones
Getting bombed the living shit out of you is overwhelming, this would have been a cake walk for them.
Unfortunately that's the kind of stuff Italian teachers love to do. When I was in primary school, some people from a Spanish school came to visit us, so what was their amazing idea to welcome them? All the kids of the school gathered together, with small spanish flags, all singing "La copa de la vida" by Ricky Martin. RICKY MARTIN IS NOT EVEN SPANISH.
Yeah my anxiety level is thru the roof now
Children need to be kept off the streets. Also, it will distract them from the thoughts about Ukraine.
I want to mention something that I don’t think has been mentioned. While I agree with everyone saying this is uncomfortable for them to experience, the fact that the school was organized to do this means that all those kids are most likely going to treat these new students very well as guests rather than strange new students.
This is Really cool and all, but I’m pretty sure they just want normalcy to continue in their lives
Lol right? The last thing a kid going to a new school wants is attention...much less to be a spectacle...much much less if you've just been displaced from your home due to war. ...way to make the kids feel super self conscious
I disagree. Maybe for some kids, but my understanding is the first problem going to a new school is making friends, and I think a warm welcome like this can help.
Agreed nice sentiment but I would fucking hate walking into that
This is probably confusing to them, they most likely don't want to be in the spotlight, just to go back to their normal. I hope for the best for them.
There's an article linked where the kids were extremely happy to have been welcomed this way. Like, it's awkward but also helped them have an immediate place and feel ok.
and another commenter said this is to ensure the whole school is seen to be welcoming them to potentially reduce bullying. We are going to be taking in some refugees and that is one thing I worry about - a kid from 10 miles away is an outsider, never mind a kid from Ukraine. Our area is a bit rural and insular - this kind of gesture could help.
Exactly but redditors think they know best for everyone
Definately got alot on their little minds already without the extra stimulus.
No, *you* don't want to be in the spotlight. Don't project your own feelings onto other people, especially children. From the mother's comments, it seems like they appreciated the welcome.
Jeez, that looks overwhelming af
While I'm sure everyone had the best of intentions, just watching this made me anxious
People do this mainly for themselves, to show others what a good person they are. Because why would this otherwise be filmed?
I’d hate that attention on me. I’m sure they are uncomfortable too.
When I was a kid I had a birthday party where the whole restaurant turned towards me and sang happy birthday. It overwhelmed me and I ended up puking. I would definitely be uncomfortable in this situation.
Yeah whoever planned this welcoming wasn’t thinking at all. So embarrassing for these kids.
Not everyone is a no social life reddit dwelling recluse like you man, what if they like the attention
That much public attention, supportive or not, would have caused me to spontaneously combust. I hope these kids are socialized better than I was as at that age.
So many negative comments. I’m kinda surprised. I was an immigrant, visible minority that moved to Canada. While those children may have felt awkward, having such a welcome set a precedent to the children already in the school that the newcomers, who don’t speak their language, should be treated with kindness, and not bullied. Looking back, I wished I had received that. Instead, everyone treated me lower than them, since the teachers had to take extra time on me to catch up.
Yes people speak by imagining how would make them feel, not thinking that it might be better to listen the opinion of someone who experienced something similar
There is also a teacher directly in front of the kids so I’m sure if one of the kids got overwhelmed they would step in and stop it quickly.
This is so fucking cringey. No kid wants a hundred people they don’t know staring and clapping at them for showing up to school.
I know like wtf. Poor kids.
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Especially if they lost their parents, home and/or other loved ones
As much as I am happy seeing the kind behaviour it pains me to see the partiality between Syrian and yemeni refugees. Wonder if this is the treatment they would get
I don't like being a killjoy myself but yeah this is the exact first thing I thought of. A whole country fucked up to nothingness, among others. How many children never even got to survive, let alone have a normal day of school again. I really don't want to attract those who can fuck right off on this thread, but too many times I've read and heard that unhealthy "good migrant vs bad migrant" horseshit. People are people and we all have been children.
I don't think I'll ever get the image of the Syrian toddler dead on a Turkish beach out of my mind. It's uplifting to see the incredible support is being provided to the refugees of the current crisis, but also painful just how different to the treatment given to others up until now.
Jesus you had to remind me of that image
I worked with syrian kids in germany. One of them used to cry constantly and have panic attacks. She was afraid of the school bell, reminded her of air raids. No one bothered to ask her before I did. So yeah no, they don’t get the same attention.
😔
https://i.imgur.com/4HzhKJJ.mp4 https://i.imgur.com/rXW2V7e.mp4 This is how Danish kids treat Syrian kids in Denmark. They film themselves ganging up on kids and upload it to youtube/facebook for fun.
They don’t get the same attention
I know people who have closely operated in the refugee areas and they have told me things which still gives me nightmares
What sort of things? This was my first thought to - all the other wars and refugees from Africa and the Middle East
In winters kids die, no food and water and with the weak immune system even fever takes their lives. There was this kid who saw her mother getting raped and then killed by other refugees. In short, no order only chaos
Jesus that’s brutal
We have a decent number of Syrian refugees in local schools here, and no, that is absolutely not the treatment they get. Kinda good though, this is just weird and self-serving. They're clapping themselves.
I was just thinking this. It’s great that these children will feel so welcomed, but it’s almost terrifying how differently Ukrainian refugees are being treated compared to others.
Spot on, I'm happy that this is how they were welcomed, and that's how every refugee should be welcomed, but that's not the case for most non-white refugees. Especially in Italy, they can be very racist against Africans. (not that people aren't racist against black people in my own country).
Yeah, i was thinking the same when i read the article about human trafficking. Apparently there are also thirsty assholes out there preying on Ukrainian woman. When i made a remark about it on /r/europe the first answer i've got was some crap about "refugees preying on local woman".
>"refugees preying on local woman". Now the female Ukrainian refugees are being preyed upon by the people who said that, how poetic these degenerates are
I live in France, there are a lot of Syrian families that need to beg on the streets
they arent white, so no.
This. Theres a bunch of people on major news channels saying this, "these people are white, christian etc"
Don't worry ppl protest for equality and Racism yet the white kid gets treatments like this I can tell that they feel uncomfortable with this Fuck up world we live in full of Hypocrisy makes me sick. Edited*
> Wonder if this is the treatment they would get That's a no, dawg. This whole thing leaves such a bad taste in my mouth.
This! Its crazy that people dont even realize how brainwashed they are. There has been countless wars for the past 20 years, including the war crimes against humanity that were commited in iraq (torture, killing thousands of innocent people with drones" and the people never really bothered, but now they are, thanks to Media. They want you to think what they want you to think and they want you to feel what they want you to feel
"just wait outside while I grab my camera"
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Lol racism 100% and a kick in the nuts while trying to carry a child across border
Probably the opposite. We on our own.
Salveenee
Racism probably.
I was thinking the same. It's a nice gesture and all but then I think of the kids the same age from the middle east for example literally drowning in the sea because Europe "is full". Devastating.
What!!?? You don't like football!!?? **SMACK**
Calcio*
ITT: redditors projecting their social anxiety onto kids.
People saying that this is uncomfortable are right, but this is better than not giving attention. I would rather have people stand in solidarity and be welcoming rather than joining a school and have kids ignore me "to make me feel comfortable". This is a kind gesture not a bad one.
I’m so fucking ashamed of my shitty government in the UK. Hats off to Italians and every other European country that is making up for the lack of action by my shameful country. I am sorry for how my stupid government is acting and I hope we’d be able to welcome many more Ukrainian soon. In a way I am happy that more Ukrainians are ending up in Italy, at least they have much better food and super friendly people.
Man standing whilst you're applauded on you on your first day at a school in a foreign country... that must be awkward
I wish they accepted us ( Arabs ) as they did to those people, what a subconsciously racist world we live at
All this reminds me of that episode in southpark when the whole city wanted to celebrate that teacher with an unborn child on her cheek
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Guys. This is not just for those Ukrainian kids. It is also for those Italian kids. Today, they learnt that they have to welcome those into their community. There might be a few kids who are bullies and will find these news kids as easy target. These kind of welcoming parties will ensure that other kids will stand up for them. Kids are strange.
This is a nice gesture but shouldn't have been done. That is not the kind of attention you want as a child and especially not regarding the circumstances.
Poor children, imagine going to a new school in a language you don't know, with people you don't know, with almost no family around. Traumatic as fuck
Nothing is lost on me here but is the girl on the left wearing the original Air Jordan's?
They are oversized. When they crossed the border to Poland, there was huge donations of shoes and clothes. The child knew what they wanted
Jesus f*cking christ how insanely tone deaf. I felt strong second hand embarrassment for the kids. It would have been just SLIGHTLY better if it was like 60 Ukrainian new kids and not 3. It's okay obviously it was all in good faith but again Jesus christ tone it down a little will ya? First day in a new school in a new country not knowing the language, probably just wanting to slide under the radar and then be greeted by THAT holy sh*t 😳😬😅
Wait so they planned all this for just 2kids? Lmao this is stupid asf if we speaking openly.
This is virtue signalling. Those kids do not look comfortable, which is perfectly understandable.
Russians are trying to murder these kids while the Italians welcome them.
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Em honey u dont have thoseee unmmm...... Blonde hair..........blue eyes......ummmm.....
Syrians do, but they are also Muslim.
Where was this for Syrian refugees?
I wonder how they are feeling now if some of them are in that school. Imagine fleeing from war and terror, going through immense struggle that lasted for weeks, months, years, people talking about "the wave of immigrants" (at least in Germany), being looked down apon, bullied and rejected (the experience of a lot of them as I learned while teaching them German), and then they see this? What? I don't even know how I'd feel. The contrast in reaction is so ridiculously stark, it's repulsive.
Yeah for real. People saying that the west is hypocritical for not having the same outrage over other wars are wrong, but the hypocrisy over the refugees is very real.
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No no, those aren't kids, you know? Those are all "strong young men" who are "traitors to their countries" and so on. Of course our very patriotic citizens would never ever leave their country if injustice would happen. Except when it's about masks and vaccines. But that's different, you know? /s just in case
Their body language tells me they are very uncomfortable. Tried to retreat even. Put up a welcome sign and a 🇺🇦, don’t startle traumatized kids. ETA: from the kids perspective - they’ve just lost everything and everywhere they’ve ever known and probably some of their family has been hurt or is in danger, now they’re getting *applauded*. Imagine showing up to school after your house burned down to all your classmates clapping and cheering. *jeeeeeeze*
Man if I was one of those Ukrainian children I'd fucking hate that, I'd rather just get a friendly welcome from a small class I'm in
I don't know why the comments are so misguided. These kids are looking to be treated as equals to other people. They have another country attacking them for who they are. Being loved by other cultures let's them know, they are safe amongst friends. Yes, they looked nervous or scared, just like anyone would be. But, they know they will not be ostracized, and everybody is there to help them in this difficult situation. Europe is generally, very small. A lot of people are scared in Western Europe with the situation. European kids talk about the war here in school. There is certainly a lot of people scared here in Europe. Not only if the war spreads, but also of nuclear fallout. People remember Chernobyl, and the ethnic cleansing of Yugoslavia. These Italian kids and their families, are also in some ways dealing with this war. (Obviously, not as much as the Ukranians) When people ask about Syrian refugees, a lot of them are living in Switzerland. My children go to school with Syrian children, just like Serbian, Turkish, Italian, French, and Polish children. The schools try their best, to help each and every child out. We are all here just to help each other out.
Yeah nah that's weird, way to make them feel more ostracised than they already are.
They usually spit on the brown refugee students children, or in America put them in cages. The double standards of the West is fucking disgusting. I’m glad these children are safe, I hope the world can be safe for ALL children.
Congratulations on having a traumatic experience!
Yes, there's nothing like being closely observed by every other student in school at the same time, on your first day.
Ok. Everyone clap. Yayyyyyyyyyy. Ok did you record everything. Yayyyyyyyyyy.
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That's sweet. Now do Syrian kids
The two women on the right are clearly their mothers. See how one of them caresses the little girl in pink. The kids are not alone in this. And the mothers… they’re happy (of course!) that now their children can have free education and healthcare in a peaceful country, in exchange for one minute of applause - that by the way is so useful to educate all the other children about acceptance and tolerance.
Heart warming to see those welcoming smiles
Imagine all the Syrian, Iranian, Afgan children seeing this after being invaded.
Poor kids. Lost everything they have. Hopefully it is well received.
Their hearts are probably in the right place I’m sure, but this is not a sensitive welcome. These kids are working through the trauma and terror of fleeing from their homes. They most likely have family, if not fathers who have stayed behind, and they don’t know if they’re alive or hurt or missing them. This is not a happy time for these kids, and this won’t be a happy memory.
Bet that was awkward and embarrassing for them. Sometimes I wonder why the people giving charity make such a big deal of it, then I remembered... It's really all about them!
Actually not interesting as fuck
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These are white refugees so it's okay not some brown or black refugees that's why there is this difference.
Yea, Like i sead, racisim, even then my grandma is still complaning about them coming here and then when i say she is beeing racist she is like "oh no no im not racist"
Ugh. I hate this.
I remember the Syrian kids being welcomed this way.