Come back, comrade Tito! - Hell no, do I look insane?

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Pozdravljeni, dragi tovariši! Hello, dear comrades! Just before last Christmas, Slovenia celebrated 20 years since "the mother of all referenda" - the vote in 1990 where a landslide majority (88.5%) chose independence and practically gave a legal beginning of the process of dissolution of the former Yugoslavia. Formally, the federation was a pact between 6 republics. According to the Constitution, they had the right of "self-determination", but while the communist party was strong, the lawyers kept explaining that that right had been "consummated" at the creation of the federation.

In 1990, the case was already being interpreted in a different way, and the Slovenians left the federation. This rendered the whole pact void, and Slovenia saw the broad bright European path standing in front of it. And it walked it quickly and efficiently.

Today, Slovenia is practically a prosperous Central European country - member of EU, member of NATO, of the Euro zone and of the Schengen customs area. With a living standard worthy for "real" Europeans (an average monthly salary of 960 Euro). But... There's a big "BUT". Strangely, surveys are showing a growing nostalgy for the former Yugoslavia and specifically for Josip Broz Tito. And most strangely, it's the youngsters who feel it the most. Even those who never lived under Tito.

The Slovenians are an important indicator for the entire former Yugo region. It's no coincidence that they're often called "the Slavic Jews". They don't succumb to passions and they've always walked through the historical tests wisely. The youth radicalism of the 80's was being expressed in the graffiti "Burek - Nein, Danke". When the federation was an obstacle to them, the burek became a harmless collective symbol of their disdain to the "southerners". And that was it. Without any loud and extreme manifestations of nationalism, they prepared well for the dissolution of the federation, and they left it without any casualties and destruction. While the Serbs were rattling sabres against all their neighbors and were scaring the world with claims on half the Balkan territories, the Slovenians appeared as "civilized peace-lovers". Of course this didn't stop them from doing nice profit from arms supplies to all sides. They built highways with European funds, and then they announced they wanted to limit the traffic, so they started selling the most expensive vignettes in Europe. Smart bastards.

But Tito's strangely rising popularity is no coincidence either. His prestige is complex and multi-layered. The former communist dictator is usually associated with ridiculously low prices and extremely high social security, and with the enormous prestige of Yugoslavia - due to its unique independent role in the game of the world powers. It was neither entirely in the Soviet bloc nor exactly in the Western one, and it took full benefit of its dualistic position. It was forming and pursuing its own policies, often in defiance of both centers of power in the world, and no one would dare say a word against it. Because these people have something unique in their mentality - it's the "jebem ti picku" [lit.: fuck your pussy] way of thinking (if anyone has watched some of the Emir Kusturica movies they'll know what that is) = "yeah okay, preach whatever you like to me, brother, I'll nod and then I'll do things MY way; and if you don't like that, fuck off!" That's basically the Balkan way.

It may sound funny today, but much of the Yugo strength rested on the good will and good agreement between the Yugo peoples at the time. It's worth pondering about the question how come they needed a (benevolent) dictator in order to get along with each other so well.

The Tito cult is resurging across the entire former Yugo area. In the first years after the collapse of the federation, his statues and monuments used to suffer wide-spread destruction to the hands of his former subjects who were doing their best to erase the memories of the past - not because they hated it, but maybe because too many deep scars and wounds were put into it in a very short time in the process of the dissolution. But today we're seeing more and more graffiti on the still remaining monuments, and the renovated ones, saying things like "Come back, Tito!"

There's also this new anecdote that when Tito read those, a voice came from the heavens: "Hell no, do I look insane!?"

The old graffiti in Ljubljana which used to say "Burek - Nein, Danke" as an expression of the Slovenians' desire to divorce as far away as possible from their Yugoslavian past, are now getting substituted with "Burek - bi, Dzamije pa ne" (Burek - yes, but no mosques!"), much in line with the rising xenophobic sentiments in the rest of the continent. And the Slovenian investors are re-directing their focus back toward the lands of the former Yugo federation. Probably because it's not easy to make a breakthrough in Europe itself.

Comments

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

Aren't there similar nostalgia movements regarding Stalin in Russia and about the GDR in the former East Germany?

Basically, these are people who are being stupid and are willing to say they want a return to communist autocracy because 1) they never experienced the real deal and 2) it is a safe bet that they will never get a chance to.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

The oldies who used to love Stalin are almost gone in Russia. Now, disturbingly, many young Russians look like this:

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

Ironic. When it came to mass murder, Hitler was kind of a piker when compared to Stalin. Although, he did have nicer uniforms and a flare for the Wagnerian.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

You do have a point - they never experienced the real deal and maybe that's why they're so romantically deluded into these hallucinations.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

The guy on the right. He'd make for a good prop/lock on my neighbourhood's rugby team. Too bad he's wasting all that potential for bullshit.

[paedraggaidin.livejournal.com]

The fall of Yugoslavia was a case in point of why nationalism is by far the worst "ism" of them all. Also, Tito was the only Communist leader who was in any way respectable.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

All I know is, while we were having difficult times making ends meet here, AND being the Soviet's puppy, Tito's Yugoslavia were driving western cars, traveling freely around the world, and saving money in bank accounts. In dollars and deutschmark.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

And while our football team considered it an epochal success to get the world cup bronze in 1994, and our volleyball team had some occasional success every now and then, Yugoslavia was vomiting tons of world class winners in all collective sports (football, volleyball, basketball) both on national and club level, year in, year out. Maybe their team mentality, I dunno. And sport is just one of the fields where the rest of East Europe was only able to look at them with great envy.

[farchivist.livejournal.com]

That's because Tito's Communism then was like China's Communism today: "communism with Yugoslavian characteristics". Or rather, "This is what we're calling Communism today. Even if it looks a helluva lot like Western capitalism."

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

^Seconded. On both counts.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Reminds me of this (http://community.livejournal.com/talk_politics/293716.html) post and this (http://community.livejournal.com/talk_politics/333104.html) and this (http://community.livejournal.com/talk_politics/388620.html). Good times.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

"Good" isn't exactly the word I'd use for the communist times.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

No i mean the time when you were on the Balkan-anecdote wave length. You should keep those posts coming more often.

[luvdovz.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Those are posts for connoisseurs.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Slovenia is the only country from the former Yugoslavia that's in the E.U. (i.e. full membership) too (I only know this because it was on Jeopardy! last week DOH!)

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Well, Tito was one of the few true Magnificent Bastards produced by Communism. I'm not surprised that there's this kind of nostalgia. By present situations in what used to be Yugoslavia Tito's era looks a lot safer, though he was as repressive as any other dictator. It probably helps that it's been decades since the man was last among the land of the living.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Fun fact: Tito liked saying "Yes, I'm a dictator, and yes, this is a dictatorship. But you like it, don't you?"

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

And also: "As long as you listen to me and do what I say, everything will continue to be all right for all".

[mikeyxw.livejournal.com]

"Yes, I'm a dictator, and yes, this is a dictatorship. But you like it, don't you?"

Fun in a date, not good in a leader. I suspect the young people may be confusing the two.

[mrsilence.livejournal.com]

they had the right of "self-determination", but while the communist party was strong, the lawyers kept explaining that that right had been "consummated" at the creation of the federation.

I get the feeling they meant "consummated" in the same sense as a marriage is consummated on a wedding night. At which point the partners to the marriage have been "fucked".

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

I was thinking the same while typing that. :-)

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Eleven years ago I posted to titoville.com saying that he was sorely missed even then.

Of all the Eastern bloc dictators Tito was probably the most preferable. It seems that, in the most part, Yugoslavia under Tito was more or less a federation that was prepared to genuinely experiment with 'workers self-management'.

Plus he had the balls to give Stalin the finger. I like him for that.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

I don't know what Tittoville is and I don't know what Melbourneunitarian is, but you do seem to post quite a lot. :-)

Duty Calls

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Actually, to be fair to the Internet I also learn a lot from it as well.. :)