Political Rant brought to you by a close encounter with yet more people who called me evil

[rainsinger]

Sometimes I think there is no more accursed nation than the Serbians, because I am tired of being one of the scapegoats for political blinkerism, angst and rage

Comments

[mzdt]

being proud of the culture & achievements of those who have gone before is an entirely different thing to be held responsible for the actions of a few - and yet that is what world politics and stereotypes are all about.

I am happy to be identified at British, and yet disown the actions of the war criminal Blair. It's the same, only I'm not being held responsible for his actions - yet.

The people who make me really angry are the people who cannot make that distinction. Those who pounced on my post about the olive farmers on the west bank repeating generalisations about suicide bombers and the like. Such blanket statements are nothing more than racism.

I'm lucky enough not to have experienced what you have; the 'majority' seek to ensure that injustices will continue. x.

[rainsinger]

The people who make me really angry are the people who cannot make that distinction.

Me too.
And it's especially problematic when a lot of other people get angry about it, especially people with access to firearms and significantly shorter tempers than my own.

And I can understand how that anger and frustration builds up until it explodes.

Such blanket statements are nothing more than racism.

Indeed. And yet often I think when colour of skin is not the obvious issue but ethnicity then it can be harder to spot and to combat and to call people on it because it seems more reasonable...

I know these changes are a lifetime of work, but I'm so tired of it all sometimes.

[twistedserious]

I must admit that this is all a bit hard for me to wrap my head around. I guess part of that is because I'm swedish. We've always had a high level of immigrants, and lacking almost comepletely a culture of our own, have always been eager to take in other cultures into our society. There are many Yugoslavians living here, and I never quite got the grasp on the differences between them as people. To me, it's just sub-lables telling which part of Yugoslavia each person came from, but I've always still viewed them as yugoslavs. I think the fact that we took in all kinds added to the whole confusion over any people being at fault. They all came to us, so they must all have been the vicitims, sort of.
Another part of it is probably that I don't read the news. The news in Sweden are mostly crap, so I don't bother. If I want over-dramatized gossipy stuff, I'll turn on a soap. I probably also turned a deaf ear when the time came to asign blame, since I don't believe in that stuff. To me, it's more important to focus on how to fix a problem.

[rainsinger]

We've always had a high level of immigrants, and lacking almost comepletely a culture of our own, have always been eager to take in other cultures into our society.

Aside from the cold and the expense of everything Sweden to me has always sounded like a dream country. [Have you read the book K-Pax? There's a mention there of Sweden being a highly evolved society]

They all came to us, so they must all have been the vicitims, sort of.

Yes, I think they were. Those that did not experience violence directly were simply another kind of victim.

I probably also turned a deaf ear when the time came to asign blame, since I don't believe in that stuff. To me, it's more important to focus on how to fix a problem.

That's because you are a woman of both great beauty and intellect and I *heart* and admire you

What is happening there now?Kosovo has been a bloodbath since 1999, except now it's the Albanians prosecuting the Serbs who are left and KFOR forces are too stretched out to really be able to protect people. I think at the moment

[twistedserious]

Aside from the cold and the expense of everything Sweden to me has always sounded like a dream country. [Have you read the book K-Pax? There's a mention there of Sweden being a highly evolved society]

It's not that cold, not in the southern parts anyway. ^__^ And I don't get why everybody keep insisting that living in Sweden is so expensive. Maybe I'm just used to the costs, since I've lived here my whole life, but things just don't seem very expensive to me.
[I'm afraid not, though I did see the movie which made no mention of Sweden at all. ^__^]

That's because you are a woman of both great beauty and intellect and I *heart* and admire you*swoons* Shame about that boyfriend, really. *le sigh* You'd be all mine if it weren't for him, oh yes.... ^__~ Granted, I have the same love for shiny sheets as him, but I do pick prettier colors. ^__^ And while I may not look strikingly handsome in the right pants like he does, I have mastered the secret art of getting-your-foot-out-of-your-mouth-fu through many years of exstensive training, and

[squaddie67]

I was due to go out to Ploce back when the whole Western response was to send in the UN. I was to be one of those wearing the sky blue Beret. Not one of the troops on the ground could understand what the hell was going on and how it could have got that far. A lot of people said it all went tits up when Tito died, I guess I'll never know. An intelligence Officer told us that the various peoples living in the region were of a very passionate nature, and if you were a friend then you were a friend for life, but if you crossed them, then watch out. In the end we never went, and the operation was eventually taken over by NATO, but everyone I spoke to who went said they could not get their head around how much hatred there was between folk who had previously been neighbours. Civil wars are truly the worst variety of conflict there is, and you have nothing but my deepest respect for coming through all that and still managing to be a smashing person. tubewalker is right, you rule.

thank you

[rainsinger]

but everyone I spoke to who went said they could not get their head around how much hatred there was between folk who had previously been neighbours.

I know. It's crazy. I still can't get my head around that. Although thankfully some friendships did survive the war.

And Fuse (by Pjer Zalica) is a brilliant and funny film which if you ever come across I think you would enjoy.

Re: civil war

[rainsinger]

Hee so true - is what family said re Afghanistan.

Indeed. :)

In Serbia there were a lot of funny songs about that [not specifically Afghanistan]

Re: civil war

[rainsinger]

also: love the icon. you are indeed a wizard.

42

[nanji]

Very good rant, extremely enjoyable.

Of course, you're right, it is completely unfair. And it is propaganda and political machination. The man on the street suffers, he does not have a say. He is a pawn. The media is no good, stories twist and pictures lie, so what are we left with?
A world with too many problems for one individual to solve. I would do what you do: have a rant, have a drink and then reread 'the Art of War' and marvel at how closely political leaders follow its dictates. (It is also the book that shows how their maneuvring can be countered, but anyway.) :-)

May you live long and prosper young Earthling. \\//

Re: 42

[rainsinger]

I love you :)

and marvel at how closely political leaders follow its dictates. (It is also the book that shows how their maneuvring can be countered, but anyway.) :-)

Interesting. :) I'll have to check out Sun Tzu.

May you live long and prosper young Earthling.

And you. :) And may we see each other soon.