9GAG Posts: How Romania Was Created
Image Source: https://9gag.com/gag/aDGD7DB?ref=ios.s.others
Image Description
This image is an adaptation of the famous "Powerpuff Girls" intro, where Professor Utonium adds all the ingredients to create the girls, and accidentally spills a lot of a substance called Chemical X into the mix. Chemical X is what gives the girls superpowers, which I think it's worth mentioning, for reasons that will become clear in the analysis that follows. In the image that you can view by accessing the link above, Professor Utonium creates Romania. He adds the first three ingredients, which are Dacia, Latin, and Slavic Influence, and then spills the Chemical X, which is represented by the word Orthodox.
Image Analysis
The first trope related to Romania that stems out of this image is the fact that it has diverse origins and influences. We recognize the Latin, Dacian, and Slavic influences, which are evident if one looks at the Romanian language, culture, and geography. Then, the famous Chemical X is Orthodoxy, so religious beliefs and religion in general. The reason why I wanted to mention that this chemical gives superpowers is because here, Orthodoxy can be seen as Romania's superpower.
The problem is that the idea of superpower does not have positive connotations here, but a rather negative undertone. There is the idea that Romania's and Romanians' main characteristic is their religion, and that they choose to focus more on this one than on any other. The idea of superpower also points to a certain aggressiveness when it comes to asserting the Orthodox religion. Not to mention the fact that an insistence upon religion can be interpreted as primitive, or at least point to a less developed society.
While in the original intro, Chemical X was dangerous, but turned out to serve as a gift, in the case of the adaptation related to Romania, Orthodoxy does not seem to be a gift, preserving only the status of overabundant and, more importantly, dangerous.
