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Acceleration of Self-Segregation: On the Other Side of History

Author(s): Nikola Samardžić
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences
Published by: Helsinški odbor za ljudska prava u Srbiji
Keywords: Serbia; politics;

Summary/Abstract: Cold and eery speech of totalitarianism, which ought to have been irreversibly relegated to the near past, is once again in use in Serbia. Official and semi-official collectivism, under the pretext of the return to tradition, seems to be relying on quasi/mock historicism of 20th century totalitarian ideologies. As early as in 1993 Zbignyev Bzezinsky concluded that the 20t century was \"the bloodiest and most hate-filled century of mankind\", the century of politically motivated dying, of \"mega deaths\" and mass belief in ideological utopias and metha «myths.». But he also pointed out that Communism has not failed only because of victory of democratic ideals, but rather because of its own basic blunders and illusions. One is therefore to assume that communism was defeated not only because of mass trust in democracy, but rather because of the consumer philosophy which does not set limits to individuals, who thus guided by greed for material goods become «an allowed cornucopia», emerging as an alternative to «compulsory utopia» of totalitarianism. New modern, this time around, consumer degradation has not bypassed Serbia and its majority population. But it does not entail material and mass destruction, and is more benign than the totalitarian one. However in Serbia has in parallel survived a totalitarian, ideological blueprint, which was simply supplanted by national collectivism put in place by nomencalture and new ingredients in the past two decades of nightmarish wars and isolation. What followed were transitional pains and crashes. In those terms Serbia is not a solitary example. Only its initial structure, in the late 80\'s, seemed more favourable than the ones characterizing the others, on the other side of the iron fence. Then it was possible to assume that the trance of nationalism would wane in the face of temptations of democratization and Europeization. But it has not happened. On a similar pathway, or apparently similar one, democratic transition which tried to usher Serbia into a new century started visibly tottering, collapsing and losing impetus.

  • Issue Year: 2006
  • Issue No: 097-098
  • Page Range: 7-9
  • Page Count: 2
  • Language: Serbian