The first Gay Pride Parade came to Prague on Saturday, bringing out even more umbrellas onto the narrow streets of the Czech capital. What did you think of it?
As I was walking down quiet Paleckého street on Saturday, I suddenly heard whistles and clapping and the general sound of a party. I turned into Jungmannova and saw shopkeepers outside looking towards Národní Třída. Hmm, so this must be the parade the media have been talking about all week.
Prague’s first gay parade passed without any major hitches. Those strongly against the parade stayed away for the most part, as did the rain – so it didn’t rain on their parade. Beyond that, I kinda wondered what the point of the parade actually was.
To what extent do you feel the people who took part in the parade represented the interests of the wider the gay and lesbian community? Please feel free to leave your thoughts below.
How was it – describing an event you went to
Whether you loved it, hated it – or are ho-hum about the whole thing, there are plenty of adjectives you can use to describe what you thought of it.
If you’re positive about it:
You can say it was a colourful parade. Other adjectives include:
wonderful; brilliant; awesome; fantastic [for saying it’s very good]
big; grand; spectacular [for talking about how many people took part or how big it was]
thought-provoking [it made you think]
emotional
exciting
unforgettable
fun, enjoyable
If you’re negative about it:
It was a boring or dull parade.
Other negative adjectives include:
predictable [there was nothing surprising about it]
terrible; awful; appalling [well, you don’t like it!]
disgraceful [eg you feel the people at the parade behaved in a way which is offensive to you, especially because you disagree with their values or morals]
shocking
pathetic [this can make you feel pity for someone or that you feel angry at seeing a display of weakness]
unnecessarily provocative
Verbs with ‘parade’
You say have, hold or stage | a parade.
Some people take part or participate in a parade while others attend or watch the parade.
What else?
Was the parade worthwhile or was it pointless?
Do you agree with Mr Hajek, an aide to President Klaus, who criticised Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda for supporting “deviant fellow citizens”?
Do you think the Czech Republic’s Conservative Christian Democrats handled it better by having a peaceful parade in support of traditional family values?
Or do you side with President of Prague Pride Czeslaw Walek who said: “Prague Pride means joy, knowledge, respect, pride and tolerance”?
What was the reaction among your friends? Is this a good or a bad thing for Prague?
And if you live in another country, what are your thoughts?
Please leave your thoughts below – and please note I won’t be able to publish anything abusive or nasty. This is a blog for those interested in learning English so please present your arguments and thoughts with this in mind.
Further reading on the parade
BBC.co.uk
France24
A short history of Sydney’s much-celebrated Mardi Gras.
Marcelo says
I’m a learner of English and it’s my first reply here, congrats for your blog.
I don’t have anything against gay parade, I’m not old-fashioned or conservative, but I’m not follower of course hehe. Here in Brazil it’s very common we have gay pride parade at Paulista avenue. The last parade in July we had 4,5 millions of people out there, was really crowded.
David Sweetnam says
Thanks a lot Marcelo for your comments. It’s kinda funny how I found your blog, I think it was through one of my favourite Tweeters, Iramaia.
Yeah, what you wrote is similar to Sydney (I’m an Aussie), where it’s become a big event + probably great for the tourism industry.
Before the parade here in Prague there was some scandal but the actual event didn’t get much attention in the end. I think a lot of people are indifferent to it – and indifference is something I’ve seen more in the Czech Republic than any other country I’ve lived in.
Marcelo says
Hi, David! Yes, I think so, Iramaia is a great teacher.
I’ve always tried to practice English through livemocha and busuu, but I haven’t had the chance to talk with anyone from the Czech Republic yet hehe.
I think we are free and have the freedom to express ourselves about what we really want, and every country has its own culture and way of thinking, but as long as it doesn’t get into somebody’s life or mess with you in a certain way, I think it’s ok for me 🙂
See you.
David Sweetnam says
I agree with you there.
I’ll check out Busuu, I’d never heard of it, but it looks good!
Marcelo says
Thank you David!
What I really like at busuu.com is that you can turn on your mic and cam 🙂