As a Hungarian citizen, I encounter a lot of their hostility towards refugees. Hungary, as illustrated by the article Hot Spots: What They Mean, is notoriously unwilling to take in refugees. I hear Hungarians often complain that refugees are worse than gypsies (who were previously the most discriminated group in Hungary). These Hungarians were once my friends and family – who I grew up loving and respecting. However, now days, I often find it hard to even look at them as we speak. I wonder how Europeans have the mentality to “safely [wait] for the barbarians.” My only theory is lack of education and exposure. Although I visited for months every summer, it took until I was 13 years old to see someone who was African in Hungary for the first time. She was an exchange student at the local high school in Debrecen, the village I am from. Years later, I found out she left due to harassment and “school supplies being thrown” at her. Keeping this image in mind- I can understand how these hot spots came into existence, however, I still cannot justify them. How can Hungary as a nation overcome this mentality when the youngest generations are ingrained with hate and ignorance? And from this, how can Europe as a whole? Similarly, my heart breaks for Alphonse. I am in admiration of his strength to continue fighting towards Europe- I am not sure I would have the courage to hold that same mentality. Yet, similar to how hot spots were created, I believe the extreme ignorance of culture and humanity are what led to Alphonse’s unjust deportation.