Društvo| Politika

The Hunger

Chris Farmer RSS / 18.04.2011. u 08:41

photo: Zivan Jovanovic
photo: Zivan Jovanovic
If I stopped eating for two days, most people would call it a DIET.

Toma Nikolic, after what seems to be 48 hours of hunger striking (although I cannot be sure of the accuracy of media reports) in an attempt to bring about early elections in Serbia, has been hospitalized. Even Dr. Atkins says that you need at least three days before the body starts feeling the effects of hunger.

With all due respect to the Mahatma, I just do not get the political savvy behind the hunger strike. It is the equivalent of a child holding its breath until his parents buy him a pony. I looked up a few examples of "successful" hunger strikes and found, aside from Gandhi, almost no positive outcomes. Gandhi was butting heads with the British Empire and trying to bring attention to the plight of subjugated Indians to the world. Toma, on the other hand, is butting heads with the Serbian electorate, a few million voters.

I guess Toma's party ran out of arguments. They have been vociferously screaming and shouting for early elections for the past few weeks, culminating in a mass rally in Belgrade on Saturday. When nothing else worked, the idea of a hunger strike must have seemed just too cool to ignore. We will stop eating! Great idea!

[As a side note, we in Belgrade began a Traffic Strike on Saturday (reinforced on Sunday by the marathon) and left our cars at home for most of the weekend since the city was not navigable.]

The thing about the hunger strike that bugs me is that it contains no rational argument or reasoning. Basically the Hunger Striker is placing the butt of a very, very slow revolver to his temple and telling us that unless we give in to his demands he will commit suicide. I think we get it. He wants elections now. But failing that: death? I am not sure history will record this favorably. I am not even sure if history will record it at all...

It will be interesting to see how the ruling coalition deals with this. If they give in, they lose all the way around - their positions, their sense of dignity, and their backbones will all be unceremoniously trash-heaped out back behind the Serbian parliament. If they hang tough, people will call them inhuman monsters. And what about Toma? Will he allow the hunger to kill him?

The disproportion of this hunger strike is the thing. On the one hand, the stakes are an election - we have them all the time. Most pollsters show that no matter when we have elections Toma's party anyway will fare better than the others. So what is the hurry? I wonder. On the other hand, the crisis level of Toma's hunger strike seems a little exaggerated as well. Two days? The autumn of 1924, Gandhi was on a hunger strike for three weeks in protest. But in 1933, he did a 21 day fast of purification for the benefit of himself alone. He trained for this. Did Toma?

Maybe I should go on a hunger strike until Toma ends his. At worst I will lose the extra five kilos that I have wanted to get rid of for awhile now.

I will start after breakfast....

Atačmenti



Komentari (22)

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legalizacijabg legalizacijabg 09:09 18.04.2011

hungry for power

If I stopped eating for two days, most people would call it a DIET.
Srđan Fuchs Srđan Fuchs 09:18 18.04.2011

radical self-pitying

i 've recently read somewhere that the one way to define the rightist is to describe him as an overly emotional.

radical serb politicians always played this note, ever since i m able to remember, be it electoral madness in the era of milosevic, or barbequing oxen with karadzic (nope, it's not a mistake), mad folklore dances in the time of bombardment at b-grade squares and bridges, seselj's self-rightousness prior to his departure to holland, and now this.

i have no empathy - although i m known anyhow here around to be an "inhumane monstrosity".

It will be interesting to see how the ruling coalition deals with this. If they give in, they lose all the way around - their positions, their sense of dignity, and their backbones will all be unceremoniously trash-heaped out back behind the Serbian parliament. If they hang tough, people will call them inhuman monsters.
Jukie Jukie 09:27 18.04.2011

It's mostly about water intake

Dehydration is what is killing him. If he took enough water he would just flush the toxins out of his body (which is the normal detoxification diet). When I eat too much fatty stuff (gravy and pig cracklings and roast chicken etc.) and get dizzy, I often fast on tea and plain rice until next supper; that is nice.

Another aspect is that he is/was not taking his medication. Big husky men must take their blood pressure pills on time (we are gentle flowers ), and if he has diabetes or high holesterol he must control for it as well.
Chris Farmer Chris Farmer 09:34 18.04.2011

Re: It's mostly about water intake

I suppose a medicine strike would be faster-acting on some people than either food or water.

Yet another really good reason for an election.
moderatokantabile moderatokantabile 13:07 18.04.2011

Re: It's mostly about water intake

Yet another really good reason for an election.

It's not only for election.We have the worst goverment in the past hundred years or more.The peak of hipocrisy is that these same authorities product all problems for its citizens. Every moment of their rule will product more nad more damage, such as sale of Telekom, just to spent money for retain power, to settlement salaries and pensions and prepear its participation in the election.
highshalfbooze highshalfbooze 09:47 18.04.2011

best wishes

I wish him to persist until the end.
blue rider blue rider 10:16 18.04.2011

We have seen this many times before

Many times before, when they were radicals, before elections, they adopted a zen posture, talking nice staff, Viucic was calm and peaceful etc and then, they do something completely foolish and aggressive and left everyone thinking WTF was this. Who would want to team up with them? They did this because in reality radicals never intended to lead this country, they just intended to be strong enough to provide money for their members and naturally the leaders.

I thought Toma now actually wants to rule but NO. This is a clear demonstration that he doesn't want that. Either for the same reasons as when they were radicals, so sticking to the plan of having 30+%, nice salaries, a lot of municipalities, etc or, this is done in coordination with DS. Doesn't really matter.

That is why the biggest party in Serbia are "the non-voters". And it will stay like that until people change. Tadic, Nikolic, Jovanovic. All of them.
mrdax mrdax 12:32 18.04.2011

The Great famine

Mr Nikolic is giving his best to schedule elections before the famous day when Serbia will became a candidate for joining the EU.
He and his financial supporters are trying to prevent that from becoming a reality because they are aware that their politics is not welcome in EE and tycoons are not so delighted about EU as well.

The famous rhetorics " We want EU BUT..." is coming to an end and I hope that he will be eating "burek and yoghurt" in no time.
Filip2412 Filip2412 13:24 18.04.2011

...

In the early 90's we had intellectuals in opposition. Now, they are just like jackasses from some reality show. The opposition is shame for it's name. Toma Nikolic is not even a right winger, he's simply a crook and very mean person.

But wait, it can still go worse: Seselj is coming back.
Atomski mrav Atomski mrav 13:46 18.04.2011

Already on "Vukajlija"

Chris Farmer Chris Farmer 13:58 18.04.2011

Re: Already on "Vukajlija"

Cuddy: Former radical leader already in critical condition after only 2 days of hunger striking.

House: Not diagnostically interesting
mlekac mlekac 15:18 18.04.2011

Re: Already on "Vukajlija"

Chris Farmer
Cuddy: Former radical leader already in critical condition after only 2 days of hunger striking.

House: Not diagnostically interesting


Yeah, if there is no sudden nose bleed, or stroke without any apparent cause, House will not be interested at all...

Maybe Tome can develop some mysterious rush? Or sudden pain in ligaments? But not caused by allergy on styropore...
Atomski mrav Atomski mrav 15:29 18.04.2011

Re: Already on "Vukajlija"

styropore...

Styrofoam ;-)
fantomatsicna fantomatsicna 05:10 19.04.2011

Re: Already on "Vukajlija"

House: Not diagnostically interesting


East West House best
st.jepan st.jepan 14:37 18.04.2011

HUNGER ARTIST

Toma Nikolich is not David Coperfild, his hunger show is so shamefull that nobody can live with it.
So, now he realy have to starv til the end.
nsarski nsarski 14:52 18.04.2011

Let them eat cakes!

Toma Nikolic, after what seems to be 48 hours of hunger striking (although I cannot be sure of the accuracy of media reports) in an attempt to bring about early elections in Serbia, has been hospitalized.


Say what?!

jednatanja jednatanja 17:17 18.04.2011

LOL

Toma Nikolic, after what seems to be 48 hours of hunger striking (although I cannot be sure of the accuracy of media reports) in an attempt to bring about early elections in Serbia, has been hospitalized.


Having survived first 4 months (that is 120 days) of all three pregnancies on almost no food and miniscule amounts of water most of which I offered to the porcelain God anyway (involving only one single weekly hospitalization), I find this piece of news absolutely unbelievable. Good that the nature arranged it in such way that men could not bear children, at least not Toma Nikolić.
max.cohen92 max.cohen92 20:05 18.04.2011

Coyote...Willie The Coyote.

Only benefit of this low key play is that even the most misguided voters of his will finally assemble the puzzle and realize that he is definitely impotent in all political issues and in any kind of aspect as a leader. If this was his long masterminded “The Plan”, that`s by the way in a same range as Willie The Coyote ones, Serbia is at the very bottom of its misery for sure. If this person is taken for one of key players in this absurd theater called political life of Serbia, what are the values of complete underdogs ?
The best agenda is to give him our full support to sustain in his battle. Hopefully he`s not gonna let us down. I sincerely hope so…As someone wisely said in those dark times before our own Serbian Y2K was solved, only biology and mother nature can save us.
Chris Farmer Chris Farmer 20:28 18.04.2011

Re: Coyote...Willie The Coyote.

max.cohen92 max.cohen92 20:37 18.04.2011

Re: Coyote...Willie The Coyote.

That`s The Look.And look...
dolybell92 dolybell92 23:25 18.04.2011

Till Sunday

Toma will endure till the Sunday and then will rise again...
and - may become a "living saint" ?
Domazet Domazet 23:38 18.04.2011

Out of curiosity...

If I stopped eating for two days, most people would call it a DIET.

...how would these people call it if you stopped drinking for two days? Sobering??

On topic, I just can't imagine what possible excuse he will use to stop that hunger strike??? I'm dying to hear that one. Maybe I should start a hunger strike to make him tell us that?

PS With my luck, he'll go to the end in spite. And I'll have him on my conscience...

Arhiva

   

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