A plumb bit of Serbian brandy

It is certainly possible to live in the village and have a modern life if you want to. But in this regard i believe that the state does nothing to improve the quality of life in the villages (bad infrastructure, plumming, telephone, etc). So maybe the criticism should be directed to the state and not to the city dwellers.

Belgrade 2.0

But then is that really the village life that the author is romanticizing about, if it is modern?

"It is not how things are in the world that is mystical, but that it exists."

Sorry, i'll change the term from 'modern' to 'normal', maybe now it will be clearer what i tried to say.
In Norway, for example, it's difficult to see the difference when you enter in a city apartment and when you enter a village house. And the roads are the same quality in the city and in the countryside. And you have Internet access everywhere. But you can't enjoy nature in the city, right, and you can't really getaway from the noise everytime you want to in the city, right? And it is still possible to romanticize in the village - that's why they prefer to live in the countryside there.

But that couldn't be possible without the initiative from the state. That's why i meant that Doppelgänger chose the wrong target - not city dwellers, but the state should be to blame that village is in the ruins here. And i can't blame people for wanting to leave and come to cities to live and work.

Belgrade 2.0

Viktor you can see in the text that I didnt level the charge at city dwellers - I levelled the charge at those that march us ever onward in the name of what they consider progress.

Good grief we are not talking about Kosovo here.
Let’s use the right arguments in the right moment’s right?

I freely admit to being a confirmed city dweller but that’s just me. It would be extremely presumptuous for anybody to suppose that just because he likes to live in the city that means everybody else does. Correct me if I'm wrong but that appears to be what you are saying.

I am terribly sorry if villages appear to get in the way of the capitalist master plan of free choice and market principles.

Whilst we are on the subject of choice - that is exactly what we should be offering. A proper choice for those that want to remain in the countryside - above all this means jobs.

'Let them experience modernity' I think that comment sums up your view pretty well.

And no I don't have any nostalgia for village life - on the rare occasions that I have it was a pretty tedious affair.
Thats not village life, its just me.

It is one thing when villagers have to move to the cities because they can't survive in the villages. I am certainly not claiming that that is a desirable situation.
On the other hand, any process of conserving villages would mean that you would have to take certain steps to constrain people and prevent them from leaving. People are naturally inclined towards knowledge and new experiences, albeit there are certainly people who are happy to live village lives.
When I read your blog entry it frightened me, because I imagined the state taking positive steps to ensure that people in the future live a conserved kind of lifestyle. Villagers have been manipulated for way too long in Serbia and brainwashed through the only medium they had access to, RTS. The last thing they need is somebody stopping them when they want to realize their potential elsewhere. Imagine gifted children never being able to realize their potential, and some might become good scientists, artists, etc. just because you want them to spend all their time cultivating land and raising animals.

"It is not how things are in the world that is mystical, but that it exists."

The priority should be to ensure that those who want to remain in the villages have a choice. That is the same for those who want to remain in small towns. And yes, the same for those who want to remain in Serbia.

Actually I am very keen for Serbia to retain its talented people. Its one of the few resources, in an ageing country, that we still have.

As I tried to make clear this is not just about Serbia, this is about mankind. My idea was certainly not to frighten anybody. Why dont you try to put the global context on this and see if your opinion is the same?

I do not understand your anger or frustration?? Is there some history between the two of you? Is there something that is bothering you besides this wonderful post? Well, it's wonderful to me because of the memories it brought back but, it appears your attack has other motives.

John
http://johnanderson75.blogspot.com

People like you are a very good reason for not posting a biography. You think that ethnic identity is more important than what a person writes.

Nationalist forces of darkness? Sounds like you have been watching too much star wars.

I'm sure you did a lot in the last 18 years for Serbia. Why dont you tell us about it?

So why is it that you haven't posted your biography? Are you hiding something? Everyone else writing an English blog has their biography posted. Are you perhaps a Serb masquerading as an Englishman?

I don't think bganon has ever claimed to be an Englishman or even a foreigner for that matter. Actually, I think he is probably an ethnic-Serb who was either born out of Serbia or raised out of Serbia.

When he first began writing his blog I was also a bit annoyed that he'd opted for anonymity: I even went so far as to vent my frustration with a couple of the B92 web folks. But now I've sort of got used to it and think he should remain an enigma - albeit as an exception to the norm and not an example to be followed.

Why? The odd mystery writer is a healthy addition to the team: he can reveal stuff that those of us who declare our identities are unable to divulge without fear of reprisals: he can make statements and proposals without fear of being prejudged and pigeonholed, and we can be damn sure that he’s not a glory-hunting blogger.

I think it shouldnt be an issue. A person (writer, journalist etc) should be judged on what he / she writes not concerning where they are from.
This has been a consistent opinion of mine

The same is true for my opinion on art. Do they judge art on its own merit or do the so called experts always look to see who has produced the work first - then they say 'yes, a marvellous piece' (or the opposite 'oh its ... I dont like him') - as if they recognise the style, when they read the persons name first.

Wouldnt it be great to debunk a group of art experts with a clever idea and a video camera?

Anyway, my identity is not the topic of this blog!

look at JT LeRoy. made all the difference.

Your identity is the topic of this blog. Everyone else who blogs on B92 is a known quantity. Who are you? What is there that makes you distinguishable from anyone else? Why is it that you hide? Are you afraid of something?

Last time I checked I set the subject matter for the blog Marko and in this case it is about the Serbian (or any other) village.

I regret that your comments are not relevant. We have been advised to try to keep our blog on topic in the house rules so the next time you go off subject I will delete.

Its fine for you to behave like an outraged customer of course but surely you have better things to do with your time?

It's these drunken peasants, and every other Serb villager that you have insulted, that are and will always be the backbone of every nation. You make me sick!

John
http://johnanderson75.blogspot.com

You guys ask for The Forces of Darkness to come along and clear the mess you made.