This is something I get asked a lot. For all the crap that’s going on in my part of the world, race issues aren’t one of them since basically only one race lives here. Also, due to the way things are constructed, people are more concerned about someone’s ethnicity than race. Plus, we are white. Racial issues are of no immediate concern to me. So, why do I bother? It has nothing to do with me.

It would be nice to say something like: “I am interested because this issue is something that should concern all people”, which is partly true, but it’s not the complete answer.

The thing is, it does have a lot to do with me, though in an indirect way. But since some things are too close to home to think about them straight, it’s good to think about stuff such as privilege, oppression, collective identities and various mechanisms that guide human actions through a different way they manifest themselves.

I guess this is what makes the race discussion so familiar for me even if it doesn’t have much to do with my own culture. This is what I found interesting: with all the unfamiliar stuff there were always things that I was familiar with.

It also helped me in other ways. It made me understand America (= USA) better, for good or the bad, since my previous experience was either through Hollywood, my culture’s views on it or its views on my culture. None of it speaks much about America the way it is.

Plus – and let’s not forget about it – I’ve met many great people through these websites.

That being said, I am not active on the “race” websites anymore. I guess that I got too involved at one point, and when I get involved in any sort of a political issue, I usually run away. When I start feeling it concerns me, I stop discussing it and writing about it. This is the main reason I don’t write about Balkans or my experience with it. I guess it’s too personal. So maybe that’s the reason I’m not that involved with the race discussion websites anymore? Or maybe it’s because most of my friends left?

In any case, that doesn’t change my motives for dealing with this issue.

I’m back! It was fine, considering it was a forced vacation and all. I also went cold turkey on the Internet: I missed it terribly the first two days or so, and then less and less. Now I’m back and I don’t feel the need to go online. I guess I’m cured! (Ha! Not really! But I promised my husband I’ll try to spend less time online).

And some serious things happened while I was away, namely, the Oslo shooting and Amy Winehouse’s death. Both things are somewhat related to my country, in not a pretty way, which makes me pissed off (to say the least).

Turned out that the lunatic responsible for the shootings was into Serbian history. Ok, not really. Just like Hitler misinterpreted famous philosophers and historians, this…. individual did it with certain aspects of Serbian history and culture to suit his needs. Apparently, his manifesto is full of it. Needless to say, we’re quite pissed off here right now. Once again, we’re made to look like the bad guys, and everybody’s more than ready to believe it/accept it.

As for Amy Winehouse… I’m not really a fan of all those RIP posts; it’s a tragedy and it deserves more than a random blog mention. I liked her voice, but I wouldn’t call myself a fan of hers. Still, I am familiar with her work and I do think she was a good singer. Also, I feel bad for noticing she is the newest member of the 27 Club. I hate when I notice those things; the last thing we need at the moment is drawing attention to some kind of a popular culture belief. And how is her death related to Serbia? Turned out her disastrous concert in Belgrade was her last. And some people are already selling the tickets to the concert on eBay for about 1000 Euros. Go figure.

So, that’s it for now. I missed you guys, and I missed the Internet (there, I said it). But not as much as I thought I would. (Not you: I did miss my online friends; I just didn’t miss Internet itself that much).

Related posts:
On Amy Winehouse debacle
Things I don’t write about
I am addicted to Internet

Note: This post started as my take on Amy Winehouse disastrous concert in Belgrade, but somehow transformed into a personal rant on hate speech against Serbia.

In case you didn’t hear, Amy Winehouse’s Belgrade concert turned out to be a complete debacle. There are various videos to prove it what happened a few nights ago at the Belgrade fortress.

The author of these videos is my friend Iva. One of her YT video gained a huge popularity, but then YT disabled it without offering a good reason. The fact it’s a bootleg wasn’t the reason given; after all, so many other concert videos are still there. No. They called my friend a spammer and a scammer. So, I guess somebody doesn’t want people to see this video, which is silly; you can’t stop the Internet. AP has it, and it’s virtually everywhere at the moment.

To watch it and read the full story, visit Iva’s website. But please, remember this is not an opportunity to laugh at Amy Winehouse and her condition.

Amy Winehouse video disabled on YT

But, there’s more. The Amy Winehouse thing is a popular stuff at the moment, and it’s saddening to see how little respect certain journalists (and others) have. I’m not talking about Amy at the moment (though that one is saddening, too), I’m talking about my country.

Amy’s newest embarrassing performance happened in Belgrade, Serbia, and not in London, UK; and for some reason, there are reporters who seem to think that it’s quite different because it happened on the Balkans. That the audience and the country somehow deserve less respect than, say, US audience in New York. Or that it’s somehow our fault or our embarrassment.

But in a way, the situation IS different for us. First of all, it’s much, much more difficult for us here to spend 40 euros on a concert ticket (many people work for less than 200 euros per month). It doesn’t mean we deserve a special treatment, but is it so difficult to grasp how disappointing and humiliating this was for people here?

The latest slap in the face came from Chelsea Handler (who the heck is this person anyway?), who tried to mock Amy Winehouse, but ended up throwing hateful comments on Serbia. This kind of ignorant junk we haven’t heard since… Well, yesterday. It never stopped; the hate speech against Serbia is still going strong. But do we need yet another ignorant Westerner and her hate speech? Is this really what Americans see as funny? Laughing at other cultures?

I am quite upset will all of this. And I’m not even sure why; I’m sure not particularly patriotic (and nationalists call people like me “traitors”). But I do feel hurt, and I do feel insulted, and I do feel so fucking tired of being reminded how unworthy, evil and disgusting my country and its people are. I’ve been listening that since I was 10. I’ve been hungry, and humiliated and treated as inferior, and I was forced to hide in the basement while the bombs were falling. I’m tired, and I’m so fucking angry and sick of it.

Here’s the thing. People in Serbia love good music. And my generation lacked the opportunity to see and hear their favourite musicians. It might seem disrespectful, or simplified, to illustrate all the mess and humiliation and hunger and embargo and war and bombing and other shit with the fact we were unable to go to concerts… But it’s a telling example.

I rarely resort to “you don’t know what is like” speech, but, seriously, do you know what is like to be desperate for this kind of events? It’s not just the concerts, though my generation IS desperate for it. Musicians visiting our country – that simple thing (that was taken for granted in the generation before mine, and yes, it was during socialism, btw), that simple thing means so much to us here.

We’re all sick of being insulted as a nation, and called names (and compared to Nazis: which hurts tremendously, because this country had suffered a lot during WWII and people here were never Nazi supporters), and seen as a source of all evil (accompanied with the usual hate and disgust for the Balkans), and humiliated and treated as inferior. It continues even today. And I’m sick and tired of it.

This post was inspired by Serpentus’ “Stereotypes about Russian Women”.

Disclaimer: No, I don’t hate Americans, and no, I don’t think they are “really” like this. But before you get angry, think of stereotypes you might have about people of different culture, race, religion, gender, etc. and realize how easy is to stereotype people when you don’t really bother to care about them as human beings.

Note: “Americans” in this context mean “citizens of USA”.

Americans are materialistic

All Americans can think about is money, and getting more money so they could buy, buy, buy! They judge everything by its economic value. Being rich and owning expensive things is the number one imperative for Americans. Being poor is seen as a moral failure. This is the most popular stereotype about Americans.

Americans are uneducated and ignorant

Americans are not interested in education. They don’t read books. They can’t name any famous painters. They think Beethoven is a cute St. Bernard dog. They can’t even find their own country on a map. The only reason some Americans go to college is to get high paying jobs so they could have more money to buy things.

Their lack of intellectual curiosity makes them ignorant about other cultures, places, or, basically, anything that has nothing to do with their own life or USA. They think people who have different customs are “weird” and assume everyone on the Internet is American.

Americans are fat obese

Americans eat fast food only, and get obese fast. But there are Americans who don’t want to be obese, so they get 23534 plastic surgeries to be thin.

Americans have no history or tradition

Except for Native Americans, who make 1% of population, Americans have no history. Their country was founded less than 250 years ago! Also, Americans have no real tradition, and no culture in any coherent sense of the word.

Americans have no moral values

Since they have no history or tradition, and their main value is money, it’s logical that their moral values are deeply skewed. They leave their kids with teenage babysitters, and can’t wait to get rid of them the moment they turn 18. You rarely see your parents once you grow up, let alone your extended family.

Americans are oversexed and loose, though they are scared of seeing naked people in films and they strongly prefer to watch people getting killed instead. They even let their kids watch this! That’s how Americans become violent (there are crimes everywhere and everybody owns a gun).

Americans want their country to be world’s policeman

Americans believe all the world needs their help, even if it means military intervention, and civilian casualties. Only when their soldiers begin to die in large numbers, Americans start protesting against military intervention.

Conclusion?

Some of these stereotypes are more popular than the others, and some are not about Americans only. For example, believing people in other groups don’t have “proper” values is pretty universal. Some of the listed stereotypes assume all Americans are rich and white, though many people believe that your class or race don’t make you immune to these things.

(taken from my tumblr blog)

I’m not a huge fan of The Cranberries, but this one… Beyond amazing.

One of the best songs of the 90s (and it was a decade full of amazing songs). The heavy riff and all. But it’s still more about the bigger picture.

When you live in a specific time and place you are forced to a certain circumstances beyond your control. It’s easy for an outsider to say “there’s no need for violence”, but when you are there, in that time and place and historical conditions, things can get really complicated.

So people that live in those places and those times have, basically, only two choices: to take a side or to escape.

Escaping is the only way.

Zombie

Another head hangs lowly,
Child is slowly taken.
And the violence caused such silence,
Who are we mistaken?

But you see, it’s not me, it’s not my family.
In your head, in your head they are fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are crying

In your head, in your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie,
Hey, hey, hey. What’s in your head,
In your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, dou, dou, dou, dou, dou

Another mother’s breakin’,
Heart is taking over.
When the vi’lence causes silence,
We must be mistaken.

It’s the same old theme since nineteen-sixteen.
In your head, in your head they’re still fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are dying

In your head, in your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie,
Hey, hey, hey. What’s in your head,
In your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, oh, oh,
Oh, oh, oh, oh, hey, oh, ya, ya-a