8 ms·

You're never sure, it's always a drama and thriller with any kind of political decision with the current dictatorship, no matter how minute the decision is. Eve

You're never sure, it's always a drama and thriller with any kind of political decision with the current dictatorship, no matter how minute the decision is. Even though the government has backed off with the law, the explanation mentions "foreign powers preparing a blood bath in Belgrade using the law just as a reason for it, just because they don't want Serbia to prosper". The minister of internal affairs says that people give much more data when "they go to an embassy and squeal for a visa". It's always some mystical powers working against our benefit, good thing we have such a protective government...

thegreatdukd 5y ago
As a Serb I have to say that the way our governmental officials speak for the local newspapers always feels like I am in the 4chan thread. Especially Vulin.
- op00to 5y ago
  It sounds like my boomer parents trying to lay the guilt trip on thick.
nobody9999 5y ago
>"...foreign powers preparing a blood bath in Belgrade using the law just as a reason for it, just because they don't want Serbia to prosper" Is that an actual quote from an elected official in Serbia? Really? The population of all of Serbia[0] is less than that of Hong Kong, less than that of London and less than that of New York. The GDP of all of Serbia is also ~1/6 of Hong Kong, is less than 1/10 of London, and 1/30 of New York. As such, my guess is that Serbia isn't very important to "foreign powers" at all. Certainly not enough for a "blood bath" or even harsh words. And certainly not as a result of proposed internal surveillance laws. Such a statement is ridiculous on its face. Does the population of Serbia actually buy into that sort of rhetoric? I'm genuinely curious. N.B. I don't have anything against Serbia or Serbs in particular. I know that historically there have been sectarian issues in the Balkans and the Serbs were caught up in that, but I'm pretty sure that like everyone else, most Serbs just want to have a decent life and raise their kids in relative safety and security. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Serbia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Serbia Edit: Added the missing link.
- salex89 5y ago
  Pretty much. I didn't copy and paste the quote, but those are the words used. You and I understand what you just wrote about GDP in relation to Hong Kong and London, but a vast majority of the population is severely limited in the way they consume information. Internet is widespread, but it is severely underutilized for any useful purpose, and the Serbian web scene is also flooded with pro-government portals. Also, a great deal of population (I can't say how much, but just empirically) has little exposure to any kind of western lifestyle, the only foreign countries they might visited would be Bulgaria or Greece on holidays. It's easy to convince people that life is good in Serbia. Especially because the government doesn't use Hong Kong or Austria to compare, but Croatia or Albania.
  - estaseuropano 5y ago
    Wouldn't Serbia lag on every single indicator behind Croatia?
    - skrebbel 5y ago
      Yes, as carefully orchestrated by the Croatian government, who got its EU/Nato friends to make everything maximally hard for the Serbian people and economy. Or, at least, that's how I assume the narrative goes?
      - Keyframe 5y ago
        At least younger generation doesn't seem to fall for that. Croatia is packed full with seasonal workers from Serbia.. and croatian workers left for other countries. Not ideal, but it is what it is.
    - salex89 5y ago
      If you're creative enough, you can always pull out an indicator, even artificial, to show progress. For example GDP increase during a period in absolute values. That doesn't make any sense without considering size/population of Serbia and Croatia and what's that in relative terms. Or the average salary in Serbia and Bulgaria. Yes, they're comparable, but key items are cheaper in Bulgaria, as well as taxes. The average salary in Sofia is also much higher then in Belgrade, and the lowest pension is higher than in Serbia. You get the picture, you can always dig up a metric and declare a glorious victory of our people led by our fearless leader. Not to mention the government has some genuinely skilled professionals, beside sheer lunatics like Vulin, the minister of interior. By professionals I mean manipulators like the minister of finance. He's a skilled manipulator, even tied to Panama Papers, domestic violence, illegal demolition and a boat load of concealed wealth. If I had the need to produce some good quality smoke and mirrors, he would be the first guy I would call.

thegreatdukd 5y ago

As a Serb I have to say that the way our governmental officials speak for the local newspapers always feels like I am in the 4chan thread. Especially Vulin.

op00to 5y ago
It sounds like my boomer parents trying to lay the guilt trip on thick.

nobody9999 5y ago

>"...foreign powers preparing a blood bath in Belgrade using the law just as a reason for it, just because they don't want Serbia to prosper" Is that an actual quote from an elected official in Serbia? Really? The population of all of Serbia[0] is less than that of Hong Kong, less than that of London and less than that of New York. The GDP of all of Serbia is also ~1/6 of Hong Kong, is less than 1/10 of London, and 1/30 of New York. As such, my guess is that Serbia isn't very important to "foreign powers" at all. Certainly not enough for a "blood bath" or even harsh words. And certainly not as a result of proposed internal surveillance laws. Such a statement is ridiculous on its face. Does the population of Serbia actually buy into that sort of rhetoric? I'm genuinely curious. N.B. I don't have anything against Serbia or Serbs in particular. I know that historically there have been sectarian issues in the Balkans and the Serbs were caught up in that, but I'm pretty sure that like everyone else, most Serbs just want to have a decent life and raise their kids in relative safety and security. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Serbia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Serbia Edit: Added the missing link.

salex89 5y ago
Pretty much. I didn't copy and paste the quote, but those are the words used. You and I understand what you just wrote about GDP in relation to Hong Kong and London, but a vast majority of the population is severely limited in the way they consume information. Internet is widespread, but it is severely underutilized for any useful purpose, and the Serbian web scene is also flooded with pro-government portals. Also, a great deal of population (I can't say how much, but just empirically) has little exposure to any kind of western lifestyle, the only foreign countries they might visited would be Bulgaria or Greece on holidays. It's easy to convince people that life is good in Serbia. Especially because the government doesn't use Hong Kong or Austria to compare, but Croatia or Albania.
- estaseuropano 5y ago
  Wouldn't Serbia lag on every single indicator behind Croatia?
  - skrebbel 5y ago
    Yes, as carefully orchestrated by the Croatian government, who got its EU/Nato friends to make everything maximally hard for the Serbian people and economy. Or, at least, that's how I assume the narrative goes?
    - Keyframe 5y ago
      At least younger generation doesn't seem to fall for that. Croatia is packed full with seasonal workers from Serbia.. and croatian workers left for other countries. Not ideal, but it is what it is.
  - salex89 5y ago
    If you're creative enough, you can always pull out an indicator, even artificial, to show progress. For example GDP increase during a period in absolute values. That doesn't make any sense without considering size/population of Serbia and Croatia and what's that in relative terms. Or the average salary in Serbia and Bulgaria. Yes, they're comparable, but key items are cheaper in Bulgaria, as well as taxes. The average salary in Sofia is also much higher then in Belgrade, and the lowest pension is higher than in Serbia. You get the picture, you can always dig up a metric and declare a glorious victory of our people led by our fearless leader. Not to mention the government has some genuinely skilled professionals, beside sheer lunatics like Vulin, the minister of interior. By professionals I mean manipulators like the minister of finance. He's a skilled manipulator, even tied to Panama Papers, domestic violence, illegal demolition and a boat load of concealed wealth. If I had the need to produce some good quality smoke and mirrors, he would be the first guy I would call.