Vuktor, Vooktoria

I really just wanted to mind my own business and get on with the summer, but then Vuk Jeremic decides he wants to censor the social media. I mean - come on, people! - how can this just be glossed over in passing?

I was supposed to be writing about the heat and my first trip to the beach at Ada (in a suit no less - don't ask). I was supposed to be returning to my old curmudgeonly self after having offended at least half the country because of my stance on the Novakiada (and can we please not start it up again?). But then two things happened in rapid succession which threw a government-sized wrench in the works.

One was Vuk and the other was "Vook."

In a piece I submitted to Politika, a reference to Vuk Jeremic as the "Kindergartener of Foreign Affairs" was unceremoniously excised. And because they were standing side by side, a reference to Tadic was also removed although I only called him "the Chief." Isn't he?

The context was their presence at the Djokovic Victory Dance in London and its attendant fanfare back here. But apparently I am not allowed to mention our fearless leaders in a piece which might by some standards be construed as Irony or Satire.

Maybe I should have labeled it as such: "The following is funny."

We seem to have a very low tolerance for satire these days. Incident number two came when a Twitterer (a real word, look it up) created an account called @vookjeremic on Twitter and began posting satirical comments.

Without going into the detail of what was said (it can be googled until Vuk disconnects Serbia's Internet out of spite), the upshot was the announcement that the Serbian Foreign Minister asked for Twitter profiles to be investigated. He wants to ban people who impersonate government officials. Perhaps he did not notice, but the name was not spelled identically to his. And he is further identifying himself as Sponge Bob.

This strikes me as a very poor job of impersonation...

Satire has long been a tool of writers who wish to draw attention to problems in a way that people readily understand. Jonathon Swift in his "Modest Proposal" (from 1729) did not REALLY think that eating Irish babies would end hunger. Nor did anyone slap his wrists for suggesting such.

The problem is that we take ourselves much, much too seriously. If anyone decided to call me out on anything I have said or done which bugs them - and readers of this blog never hesitate to do so - then I should take it in stride, learn something from it. Maybe even laugh a little at myself. The last thing to do is to wage war against anyone who believes differently from me. If no one did, how boring would THAT be to read?

Among the things that are against the law, poor taste, bad judgment, and not-being-funny are not yet listed. And if Vuk believes that any of those things have been violated, then he should join the conversation and dispel them.

Otherwise, Vook, man up a little.