The noxious inherents of Christmas to our society

In the hayday of commercial age, many people are under a lot of pressure to buy more and more presents for their loved ones for Christmas. Businesses realise the potential in this season, so they use this time of the year to get as much money from people's pockets as possible. Christmas is not Christmas anymore. It used to be about love and family, but commercials say that hugs, kind words and spending quality time with them is not enough in today's world. The only way to express your care towards to your loved ones is by giving them something they can enjoy the best that consumer capitalism has to offer. To do this, many people rush into credit in order to be able to finance their expenditures during Christmas. After all, they start the new year with a break-down,because they couldn't help wasting money. Everywhere is suggested, that you shouldn't even try to do something with your own hands, for example something cheap but meaningful. Consumerism is a real problem and you have to notice its kickbacks. So don't fall into this brainwashing trap, which suggests that the only way to make your family and friends's to love you is to buy them something new, big and expensive.

Sources:
- http://www.piacesprofit.hu/tarsadalom/penz-karacsonyra-csak-esszel/
- commercials

Elina Amfer

László Kovács

Lea Kerák

Theatre Productions vs. Movies

The aim of theatre productions and movies is to entertain people in both cases, but the way they are presented is different. Which one we prefer more is based on our individual taste. Movies have more enhanced visual and audio effects since they can be edited after the filming, during the post-production. However, theatre productions have limited sources. Since they are presented in front of live audience, they cannot be edited. In this way, a movie can be much more spectacular than a theatre performance, since they do not have to rely on restricted setting. On the other hand, usually the team of a theatre consists of more trained actors and actresses, as they cannot correct their mistakes on stage. They practise until the performance is perfect, until they do not make any mistakes. The situation is different in the case of movies, since they are filmed. The director can refilm any scene whenever he wants and the actors can correct their mistakes easily. With these features, movies and theatres have different impact on their audience. Movies have greater impact on people, as the audience of the cinema is bigger. They are cheaper and films are more accessible than theatre performances, since today anyone can download movies from the internet, and watch them at home for free.

Nóra Csizmazia and László Pometkó

Students who work vs unemployed students

There are two types of students: those who work during their studies, and those who don't. Both cases have advantages and disadvantages. The working student takes on a part-time job in order to finance his or her studies and pay the rent. Even if you cannot afford to live according to your own rules, there are a lot of possibilities which you can choose from. Renting a single room or sharing an apartment with your friend(s) can be another great opportunity too. If you manage your time wisely, you can find enough time to study and work too. Although it does take a lot of extra effort to focus on your job and get good grades at the same time, you can do it if you really want to. Working while you are studying at an university can be beneficial for you, because you can gain valuable experiences and make life-long relationships. Moreover, it makes you independent in a way, because you no longer depend on your parents. Knowing that you are the one who are responsible for yourself gives you a lot of freedom but sometimes it can be confusing. The other type of student is the one who doesn't work during his or her studies. In this case, you have plenty of time to study, sleep or meet with friends. You don't have to sacrifice your time in order to earn money to pay the rent, because you are maybe living in your own flat and maybe you are lucky, because you got into a state-supported part of the university. Sometimes it has its drawbacks, because you fully depend on your parents and they can use this fact against you anytime you misbehave. If you are this type, the other reason that you don't work, is because you manage your time horribly, and having a job on top of the tons of studying could seriously affect your grades. The only thing stopping you from working is the fact, that you don't use your time wise enough. In conclusion, every student has their own struggles, whether they are working or not working during their studies.

Elina Amfer
Lea Kerák

Comparison of the Hungarian Film Industry and Hollywood

Comparison of the Hungarian Film Industry and Hollywood,

and is this even a Relevant Topic?

A lot of people think Hollywood is the only place on Earth that is capable of producing movies, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

 We usually know about the British and the French film industry, but what about the Hungarian? Is there even a room for comparison?

Let’s start where it all began, at the dawn of the 20th century.

            Even though we take movies from Hollywood for granted today, this absolute juggernaut of entertainment has only been around for 107 years. Despite the fact they started producing movies in 1901 Hollywood became the World’s movie capital by 1920.

The increasing quality and the sheer number pictures produced took the world by storm. The 20^th  century’s advancements in broadcasting gave Hollywood the opportunity to reach a global audience, and they have been keeping that audience to this day.

Existing in a very different economic and political atmosphere than Hungary, the only limitation on the studios was the depth of the investors’ wallet.

On the other hand, the Hungarian film industry had humble beginnings. The very first pieces of visual entertainment created in the country were news reports in 1896. These reports sparked a widespread public interest in films and movie making, and so, in 1901 the first Hungarian cinematography institute was founded by Zsitovszky Béla.

From this point on the movie industry gained more and more relevancy.

Even today, the audience of these films is mostly Hungarian. This doesn’t mean that they had no success abroad. They won several awards and amongst them 4 Oscars (1981 A légy, 1982 Mephisto, 2016 Saul fia, 2017 Mindenki)

Despite all these achievements, the country’s movies always lacked two key ingredients. Sufficient financial backing (from the state or investors) and well equipped studios.

Both of these problems have been solved. Through significant financial backing from the state in form of the Nemzeti Filmalap, and through decades of slow development. We could confidently say the crown jewel, and prime example of this progress is the new Blade runner movie that –apart from post production- was made here.

            Is this a relevant topic then? I don’t know, but whether there is relevancy to be found or not, it is undeniable that there is potential. Hungary has the history, the will and the means to enrich the artform with its creations, and even compete with Hollywood in its own way.

Bálint Surman; Csaba Katona

Money cannot buy happiness

Happiness bears a different meaning for people from all walks from life. There goes a certain misconception that the rich must be happier than the poor, however, this is not always the case. This essay is devoted to justify the saying “money cannot buy happiness” and show that those can live a full life who can barely make ends meet, too.

Someone who was born into a rich family will certainly perceive things differently than someone who was not: growing up, they will learn that everything can be solved through financial means, and there is no need for hard work to achieve success. Furthermore, wealth influences personal relationships as well. Rich people are more likely to be surrounded by “influential people” rather than close friends they can trust. Since everything is a given, they do not know what real value is, every single object can be tossed away and be replaced by another.

On the other hand, in a family that can barely make ends meet, children know that if they want something, they have to work for it persistently. As they are not likely to be taken advantage of, they can trust most of their friends, unafraid of being deceived. Although affording anything will always be a trouble, it teaches them of value and to appreciate everything that life has given them.

All in all, it is certain that money is not necessary to live a happy and fulfilled life, though it can define what kind of person everyone is growing to be.

Batonai Alexandra

Urbán Nikolett

Marriage vs. Cohabitation

Marriage - the state of being united as spouses in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. This is what the dictionary says,but what does it mean in real life? Does it even mean something today? In the previous generation and in ours marriage started to look like a smelly old sock that only the desperate people wear. In our days everything in the world tries to tell you one thing : YOU. You are important,your needs are more important than others,the meaning of your life is to find what makes you happy. Marriage does not fit into this view. Because marriage is about the complete opposite : making the other person happy,put the other persons needs ahead of yours. Of course this won’t work in a one-sided way. This is why a lot of people dissapoint in marriage – because it only works in a one-sided way or there is selfishness. Marriage must be ended by a formal, legal divorce or annulment process that can be costly, time consuming, complicated, and emotionally draining.

Cohabitation is a form of living together in a sexual relationship for couples who do not wish to undertake the legal proceedings of marriage. Nowadays it is a popular form of living together, maybe it is a trick for the couples. They would rather cohabit before marriage and try how could they live together. But if its works maybe they do not need any paper to show how strong their relationship. Or if it is not, the lack of the paper makes easier for the partners to walk out of the relationship owing to he or she is not obliged to the other. Some people cohabit simply to save money or because they're already spending a lot of time at each other's places. Some other advantage of cohabitation is that it lowers the cost of living just like in marriage. And it also means emotion support and sexual relations without the commitment of marriage. Cohabitations are usually short-lived, furthermore, unmarried partners get limited support and protection from the government. 

( Nemes Gyöngyvér, Szijjártó Réka)

E-book vs real book

E-book vs a real book

Is it better to read on an e-book reader or using a real book instead? This problem is really common nowadays as more and more things are  replaced by electric devices. Both of them have advantages but disadvantages as well so listing them precisely and comparing can help to choose between the two.

First of all, portability must be mentioned. Real books can be really heavy, especially when more than one have to be carried and they contain hundreds or thousands of pages. They can be damaged easily, even from a small force (a dropped bag or a collision with a person). However, and e-book reader is much lighter and thinner. A protective case is highly recommended for the device, as this way it is safe to carry it anywhere.

Secondly, financials are a really important point of choosing between the two. An average book costs about 3000 to 4000 forints. If someone is an average bookworm, who likes to read but not obsessively then he or she reads about 2-3 books in a month, which means minimum 6000 forints per month. The lowest price of an e-book reader is about 20000 forints and thousand books can be downloaded to it, which means its cost returns fast. But an important disadvantage is that there are still a lot of books which can not be found in an e-book format, unfortunately.

Last but not least, there is an aspect that is really important for pure book lovers, which is the feeling. Buying a new, crunchy book, holding it as carefully as people hold a newborn baby, opening it for the first time and inhaling that ’’book smell” are things which are too gentle to leave behind for a long time. That one second of pushing the power button on an e-book reader can not be compared to this.

All in all, the reason why it is really hard to choose between the two is that both of them have really strong and significant benefits but also disadvantages, but by listing them, it becomes more clear which one is better for a person’s needs.

Hellenpárt Anna & Gór Eszter