Riots in Kneza Miloša street, Belgrade, February 21st, 2008:
Photo courtesy of Press daily, Belgrade.

Okay, I had promised myself I would not blog about this even as rioting goes on in my backyard, but hell, it's where I live, and some word about it has to be written here as well. So, you've all heard about it, seen it on TV, and I will tell you why this happens.

The current government took power after ousting Milosevic way back in 2000. It's now 8 years from then, and we've seen many things we haven't been able to see. Big shopping malls springing all over the place (I counted at least 3 major malls in Belgrade, and countless smaller ones all over Serbia), big concerts with big names, like RHCP, Rolling Stones, etc, etc... And of course, marvelously crafted election campaigns in western style, with big PR companies backing pro-democrat politicians.

What does that mean? Well, it means we are transitioning to a consumerist society where there is no place for ideals and ideology. Ideals and higher good, those are keywords that are in direct conflict with what most capitalist societies consider a nice and stable society. You don't want people to gather around movements, you don't want them to think too hard. If you see there are people who want to think, simply give them something else to think about. Like, global warming, child porn... Why the hell would they think about issues like poverty, peace, patent laws? Those are too dangerous. Give them something light, keep them occupied. The other 99% of the population, that does not want to think, well, you give them distractions like block-buster movies, shopping... you know, to keep them from thinking.

Delta City shopping mall opened in Belgrade on 1st of November, 2007:
Photo courtesy of Press daily, Belgrade.

Now, this tactic came to Serbia. And Serbia is (or should be) well known for it's very conservative mindset. We live in predominantly mountain land, and that produces rock-solid conservativeness. So, PR people work hard on cracking the stones, telling people what they wish to hear, and get democrats into power. What they overlooked is the fact that people here are still same old conservative Serbs. And Kosovo is heritage.

Put two and two together, and you get riots, and you have politicians with their hands tied tight. They can't say no to the people because their power is based on what people want. They have created this want-based mindset, but failed to see that people want Kosovo. So what they do is tell people they'll get Kosovo. Well, tough luck. With the States dictating terms, Kosovo proclaiming unilateral independence, I don't think there is much chance of people getting Kosovo, but politicians can't say that, because it would mean denying the wants of the people.

Can you tell them what they don't want to hear?:
The masses gathered in front of the Orthodox church of Saint Sava in Belgrade in a meeting entitled 'Kosovo is Serbia'. Photo courtesy of Press daily, Belgrade.

This is a big sticky trap politicians went into voluntarily by embracing the capitalist-style of politics – a style that is totally inadequate in this country.

Who's behind the riots?:
Soccer fans and Serbia's youth in front of the U.S. embassy. Photo courtesy of Press daily, Belgrade.

One other thing that needs to be noted, if you're following the media... The rioting and the demonstrations are two different flows. Rioting is mostly carried out by soccer fans, and infuriated youth. Demonstrations on the other hand are moderated by political parties. Needless to say, rioting is not under control of the politicians (albeit it could be that one or two of the parties incited it).

What I've seen during the past two or three years is the growing number of angry kids on the Belgrade streets. From what I can see, they are not angry about Kosovo or anything else in particular. The anger is rooted in the families, and I had a chance to observe the same sort of anger boiling inside many people outside Serbia (namely Japan, where I spent some three months some years ago). This anger is huge and it is quite scary when you have masses of such angry people in one setting.

The western countries have managed to come up with many devices for 1. keeping this anger massing up into a movement, and 2. giving people outlet (although I doubt there is such a thing as an adequate outlet) for such anger. Serbia is, of course, behind when it comes to managing mass-anger, and the rioting is a proof of this. But this could happen anywhere for any reason, and Kosovo is but a reason, not the cause.

Okay, so I gave my two dinars (Serbian currency), hoping it clears some things up for people watching this from outside. E-mail me if you want to know the details, or if you want me to check things out here in Blegrade, do some research...