The Serbian Man Purse | B92 Blog http://blog.b92.net/blog/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Nicholas Comrie sr http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss rss@b92.net rss@b92.net Blog A-JE! RSS generator v0.3 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:55:38 +0000 http://blog.b92.net/user_stuff/avatars/mali/55/3055.jpg Nicholas Comrie http://blog.b92.net/ 50 50 Re: :) http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k67940 ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:26:49 GMT m.agrippa http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: Why? http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k67938 Way bigger than what those guys wear.

]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:25:40 GMT m.agrippa http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: inventory http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k67935 I need one?

1. smokes & Zippo
2. car keys (actually one folding key; I drive a VW - they use 'switchblade' keys/fobs)
3. house key (1)
4. thin leather wallet ($50 cash at all times, driver's lic., health card, citizenship card, debit & credit cards [5 cards total, at 0.5mm each])
5. sunglasses (if the weather mandates so)
6. cell phone (a rather thin one)

All this fits into the five jean pockets. I actually use the tiny pocket on the right-hand side! LOL! Perfect for the car key. Plus, the phone has a belt clip. There's a reason why belt clips exist. ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:22:20 GMT m.agrippa http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: What is a "gay look" http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k67924
+ ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:01:23 GMT m.agrippa http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: male bag http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k67918


]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 04 Oct 2007 12:54:20 GMT m.agrippa http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: Pederusha... http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k67913
1. cell 2. smokes & lighter 3. wallet 4. car keys

What else could a male possibly *need* to have on his person?!

Buy a pair of cargo pants/shorts, for Christ's sake. Or even a pair of painter's jeans. They've got loads of conveniently placed pockets.

Absolutely ridiculous. ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 04 Oct 2007 12:52:06 GMT m.agrippa http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ What is a "gay look" http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k39913
My next husband (yes, I went through few) was Canadian and he was opposing all my attempts to introduce finer clothing in his life, from a fear of being seen as gay. It is all a cultural thing, stereotypes are very strong references in our minds, so for someone to view a man wearing a purse as silly while others don't see it that way is largerly cultural.

As for Serbia being homophobic: it is still a traditional society and has difficulties accepting open display of gay affection, I will give you that. Canadians are far more tolerant of others being gay, but at the same time Canadian men fear they will be misunderstood for a gay, hence their fear of physical contact and good fashion.
I doubt you will see gays holding hands openly on the streets of any Serbian town, people still keep deep in closet for the most part. The violence against them was a very common occurance in Canada some 20 years ago, and it sitll may be present, but far less than before, at least it is not obvious. Serbia is yet to walk that walk and become more tolerant towards gays. As I said, it is still a society with strong traditional outlooks on certain values. Because they are mostly unaware of the possibility someone may be gay, Serbian man do not even have that thought in their mind, that is why they are so comfortable with the purse.
Overall, it's just a purse, as the author said, it was a joke to begin with, but the discussion touched some interesting points. I laughed so much when I hear the name for it "toplomerka" (thermometer) - how witty.








]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Wed, 15 Aug 2007 22:33:16 GMT Lutkarka http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ any alternative? http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k39078
p.s. Serbian society is both intolerant/aggressive towards gay people and homophobic - the two are inseparable. I'm neither, but I don't like looking gay. ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:41:46 GMT deadbeat http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ The origin http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k38727
I first would like to commend you on the idea to highlight the funny differences between Anglo-Saxons and Serbs. Perhaps one day you migh even write a hilarious book, just like George Mikes did.

The story of "pederusha" (SMP) goes back to the 1970s, before the time when the short barelled Rugers came into fashion. They were mostly carried by middle-aged men who brought them from a vacation in Greece or Italy. I guess it had to do something with relativelly low use of credit cards and the need to carry a wad of money due to inflation. Nowadays, Mae West's quip ("is that a gun in your pocket..." can not be used in Serbia because "pederusha"/"toplomerka" is used for concealed carry, Serbian way. That's the answer to your question "what's wrong with the pockets".

According to Yoggi Berra, "you can observe a lot by watching", however, one has to be cautious of falling into the trap of "Channel under the fog, Europe isolated" type of misinterpretation. Anglo-Saxons and Serbs differ in many cultural patterns and cultural sensibility to them is needed, otherwise one risks to totally miss the point and got misunderstood.

I found the example of this in your claim that "Serbian society continues to be deeply homophobic and it is ironic that such a symbol of femininity should be worn by so many guys, that otherwise, so visibly fit the Balkan mould."

The term "homophobic" (irrational fear of homosexuals) is not applicable to Serbian society. Serbs do not have fear of Homosexuals. They either practice homosexual lifestyle, tollerate it or fiercely oppose it, but none of them experience "an unreasonable sort of fear that can cause avoidance and panic."

I guess you have to find another word if you want to say that Serbian society is intollerant towards homosexuals.

Anglo-Saxon readers know what homophobic means to them. You can imagine how perplexed are my Canadian Anglo-Saxon friends with Serbian males kissing each other three times on the cheek on social gatherings, or casually touching "do not touch zones" of their male friends in a pub or sport event? Especially when gaydar
detects them as non-gays? You can imagine their terror if a Serbian guy wants to kiss them as well, or casually touch them? They are homophobic, Serbian guy is not. Physical interaction is not of sexual kind.

This misunderstanding can go beyond male/male interaction. Using an Anglo-Saxon yardstick, Serbs could be accused of being a nation of pedophiles because they are affectionate towards children, both theirs and of other people. They also could be accused of being a nation of sexual predators, because they tend to pay attention to women in general and attractive women in particular in any situation. This is cultural issue, not a sexual one.


Hope that this clarifes your puzzlement about the use of "pederusha" purse.


Keep the good work,

Bob ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Mon, 13 Aug 2007 14:27:27 GMT Bob Petrovich http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ :) http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k38360 http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Sun, 12 Aug 2007 20:51:02 GMT stellae http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Why? http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k37761 http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Sat, 11 Aug 2007 02:48:11 GMT Maja Rabasovic http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ inventory http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k37329
1. cell phone
2. wallet ( for money - with not too much inside, but whatever)
3. separate holder for IDs (licna karta, drivers licence, press ID, credit cards, this cards, that cards, other cards etc)
4. apartment keys (six pieces on a key ring)
5. office keys (five pieces, including a 10cm-long one for steel doors on a key ring)
6. car keys
7. a ball pen or two
8. USB stick
9. all sorts of papers, receipts and other written stuff
10. swiss-army six-blade knife (comes handy)
11. medications
12. digital recorder


clearly it does not fit in my pockets, hence i am carrying a pouch. it looks like i am carrying an ammo pouch, it is ugly but it serves the purpose. a backpack is a liability as it's dangling around if half-empty. i had a camelback backpack from which i discarded the water bottle. that was perfect but i lost it somehow.

my "kum" has a purse. being a businessman, apart from above mentioned things he is also carrying a palmtop computer. purse has a meaning in his case. in most other cases i believe. actually in 99 percent of cases has nothing to do with status symbols, hidden gay aspirations or machismo. however a hand-crafted branded leather purse or a super quality thing made of toughest cordura nylon make a difference. also, a bad purse falls apart immensely quickly. a good one is an asset

]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Fri, 10 Aug 2007 09:45:56 GMT Aleksandar Vasović http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: serbian man purse.. http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k37188 http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 09 Aug 2007 21:58:58 GMT codex_casti http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: Prejudice http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k37124
OK, all this started as a joke... at least it should have been one. In the end it went into some more serious discussion. You were right about some things, like in the last comment of yours, especially in the last paragraph ("different sexual orientation" - I congratulate you on that! Becoming your fan!!! hahaha... But the famous SMP, as you call it, isn't really Serbian. There are a lot of men around the world wearing them.Personally, I do not wear it 'cause I think it's ugly, not my style, though I don't see it like a feminine item. But still, you have to admit that it can be useful for keeping many items like keys, cigarettes, a lighter, ID and credit cards, a wallet, a mobile phone, chewing gums, tissues and God knows what else! Someone would say: "OK, but men can wear briefcases, or attache cases!" Yeah, if we talk about businessmen... they go with the style. But a lot of men are quite of casual wear these days, so big and bulky briefcases aren't really acceptable. So, let's put aside this topic, cause it should have been just a joke, don't you agree? And the "S" in SMP... no real justification for standing there.

Regards, Darko ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 09 Aug 2007 20:39:08 GMT darmar http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ The whole gay thing in Serbia... http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k37114
What I wonder is whether homosexuality, which is present in every society, just needs an alternative in conservative manifestation since its openness is frowned upon, like in Serbia? And is this outlet the pseudo-homosexual or latent homosexual behaviour that's considered "normal". I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, just wondering if these two factors are related...

]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 09 Aug 2007 20:29:07 GMT AlexTheVeliki http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Prejudice http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36959
And what does it mean to "be a man"? Do we have obligations? Not to wear SMPs? Not to be "prejudice"?

And a "citizen of Serbia"? Under this category, is it a necessity to wear an SMP, or appreciate them? Or as a citizen am I not allowed to criticise the country that I live in (and otherwise love and enjoy)

And as for "different sexual orientation" what does that mean? What way are we supposed to be orientated? I am quite happy the way I am. And why can't a gay person laugh at a male item described as feminine? Must gay people defend all things feminine or aren't you slipping into the prejudice stereotypes that you accuse me of harbouring, and failing to find the funny side of something that really doesn't have anything to do with being gay? ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:54:14 GMT Nicholas Comrie http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: SMP (Serbian Male Purse) http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36955 Well, when you say 'anywhere else in the world' I am not sure which world are you referring to.
North & South America, Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe, that's pretty obvious – I’m not saying that I’ve been to every country on this planet, but I really travel a lot. I have never noticed that much male wearers of the SMP in Italy, and it's not because they tend to wear IMP (Italian Male Purse), as you are implying. The problem we are discussing is, as Nicholas said, the way some freakin' fashion statement from "the world" is applied is such an environment as Serbia. You would probably agree that our country is open (extremely open, I'd say) to metro sexuality, but is hostile towards homo sexuality. I wonder why? Maybe the answer is : “pokondirena tikva”? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to insult all the guys out there who enjoy wearing SMP, but you’ll probably admit that it is a little bit weird for a society like ours to accept something that is so gayish as SMP, don’t you think?

All the best…
]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:41:33 GMT gaus http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Er, lip gloss? http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36954 http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:39:58 GMT Nicholas Comrie http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: serbian man purse.. http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36953
I am not saying that everything is perfect in England (far from it) but we are much more accepting of gay people. I would particularly point to London as a city where being gay is widely accepted. Capital cities do usually lead the way in the liberalisation of society but I would say that Belgrade lags behind a number of European cities in its acceptance of Serbia's gay society. I don't think that I am wrong when I say these things... ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 09 Aug 2007 15:36:35 GMT Nicholas Comrie http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: male bag http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36923
Bojan Zdravic

I am pretty much surprised that nobody knows what is it used for. The majority of the people in Serbia use it to keep the gun there.
[irony]
Yeah, 'cause the majority of people in Serbia are gun-totting, armed-to-the-teeth macho men ready to attack anyone that looks at them the wrong way.
[/irony]
Come off it.

Why do people carry these things? Try stuffing your wallet, ID card, driver's license, house keys, car keys and cell phone into your pockets and you may find out why this may be a more comfortable alternative :) ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:16:25 GMT riddles http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ How many http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36830 Yes, you are missing the point about everything said above. About what it means to be a man, a citizen of Serbia or to be with a different sexual orientation... ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 09 Aug 2007 09:03:31 GMT ChainReaction http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: SMP (Serbian Male Purse) http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36802 Furthermore, these are very useful especially when modern habits include so many everyday accessories to be close to you; wallet, mobile, car keys, organizer, etc. All mentioned can not fit into your pocket unless you are not into military outfit with dozen of baggy pockets - and even than, unless you are not very organized mail representative, searching for specific item can turn into scratching dance or kind of compulsive/impulsive misbehavior.
So, my vote for Serbian mail sense for practical :)). And, don't judge Serbian man so harshly - they are very opened for metro sexuality they just don't have the opportunity (or the money) to show it.

Proud SMP Practicer:)) ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 09 Aug 2007 07:18:43 GMT micatrifrtalja http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: serbian man purse.. http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36765 http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Thu, 09 Aug 2007 01:50:46 GMT sheila http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: Long ago http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36754
Pape
Seinfeld 1998: Jerry complains about carrying all his girlfriend's stuff and Elaine tells him about Peterman's small men's carryall. "It's not a purse, it's European."

Serbian, to bi precise.

In USA you can hear commercials like "It's not gay! It's European!" mainly because straight men dress awful so if you wanna sell them some accessory you have to emphasize on European lol ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:59:09 GMT bobo http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ hehe http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36753 This is great!

Men in Serbia like to wear colourful tight shirts with numbers written on it, capri pants and pointy sneakers lol ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:57:12 GMT bobo http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: male bag http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36752 I am pretty much surprised that nobody knows what is it used for. The majority of the people in Serbia use it to keep the gun there. ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:47:37 GMT Bojan Zdravic http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Long ago http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36748
Serbian, to bi precise.
]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:17:04 GMT Pape http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ purse bearers in Amsterdam http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36741
Funny that you have notice "the man purse"! I didn’t thought that they exist in Belgrade too. For some time I'm observing my fellow-man-citizens here in Amsterdam and a phenomenon of "the man purse"!

Man wearing it is mostly of a younger age, between 15 and 25, but this is not the rule. The most important thing is that the purse has to have a BIG Louis Vuitton, Gucci or similar sounded brand name all over it.
Purse HAS to be worn crossed over the chest and very often with matching “baseball cap” with again Gucci, Vuitton … Some purses are original, but mostly they are cheap fakes bought on the local markets.

If man is over 18 years of age and in a possession of a driving license he would be usually accessorized with a car keys in one and a mobile phone in the other hand. Some also wear “hands-free sets” so they are frequently seen talking to themselves. This is apparently a brilliant trick to attract attention. All this nicely tights-up the appearance of the purse bearer.

The younger fellow-purse-wearing-follower is mostly heard before seen as the car keys here are replaced with some sort of music producing gadget, Mostly rap or R’n’B music. Gadget is in a later life of a purse wearer replaced with above described attracting attention trick. These sorts of purse-worshipers usually move in groups, are loud and obscene.


All of the purse bearers are seen with full hands. I can understand that that is for a simple reason - to show off their dowry. But one thing remains a mystery to me to the present day - what do they wear in the purses?




]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Wed, 08 Aug 2007 22:45:15 GMT Daniela Stojkovic http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ serbian man purse.. http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36734 Serbian society continues to be deeply homophobic ...

who told you that? what makes you say that? ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Wed, 08 Aug 2007 22:17:41 GMT codex_casti http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: Pederusha... http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36728 http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Wed, 08 Aug 2007 21:53:52 GMT chakowsky http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: male bag http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36721 the pics of the bags that you've putted are the ones I am refering when I mentioned "thermometer bags" and i hope the author had these in mind when he posted this text, if not , I dont find this post funny anymore:)
Thermometer bags are a hideous thing and i hope they never existed:) ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Wed, 08 Aug 2007 21:25:48 GMT Ataturk http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: male bag http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36673 http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:20:21 GMT andjelija http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: male bag http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36672
andjelija
any pictures of those cause I don't know what you're talking about



]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:16:07 GMT darmar http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: SMP (Serbian Male Purse) http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36668
andjelija
ha!! we got a brand :))))
we should register it immediately! hihihi... ]]> http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:03:47 GMT darmar http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/ Re: SMP (Serbian Male Purse) http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#k36667 http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/#komentari Wed, 08 Aug 2007 18:57:00 GMT andjelija http://blog.b92.net/text/617/The%20Serbian%20Man%20Purse/