When politics messes with beauty

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

The Miss Universe pageant that's gonna start in São Paulo on September 12 became a reason for strained relations between Serbia and Kosovo. Just when things between these two started to look somewhat quiet, a picture of Miss Serbia and Miss Kosovo caused an uproar.

It all began when during the rehearsals for the contest and between the time spent in the hairdresser's saloon, the gym sessions and the charity events, the two beauties found some time to make friends and even have a picture together. Then Miss Kosovo placed the pic on her Facebook wall. OH THE HORRORS!!!

The backlash came almost instantaneously. Both girls were accused of national treason. The Kosovars reminded the 25 year old Aferdita Dreshaj about the bloodshed in Kosovo caused by the Serbs. But she refuses to get defensive and is stubbornly keeping the photo on her FB.

In turn, the Serbs accused the 21 year old Anja Saranovic that by posing for a pic next to Miss Kosovo, she's officially recognizing the independence of the former Serbian province. This forced Anja to make a statement where she emphasized that she still considers Kosovo "an inseparable part of her fatherland", and she even called Kosovo "the Serbian Jerusalem".

Whether she believes what she said, we may never learn. But we've seen yet another example of politics messing up with people's lives and politicizing non-political events, and pulling out the worst side of people. It reminds me of the story about the Montagues and the Capulets, where the grudges between the two warring families caused the death of the two kids who fell in love, Romeo and Juliet. Will peace ever be achieved in the minds and hearts of people, if even they have to wait a bit more after achieving it on paper? One can only hope. Time heals wounds, but how much time will be needed?

Comments

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

interesting to see other nationalities do this, not just Americans.

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

There's not as much that's exclusive to Americans as anyone thinks. People are pretty much the same everywhere.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Politics is an ugly thing. It surely calls the dark side of people. On a personal level, people can be friends and be ready to take a bullet for the other. But when you add politics into this, things start getting grotesque pretty fast.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Some grudges (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Pakistani_relations) remain for a very long time, if both sides don't do genuine steps to overcome them. Others heal naturally (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France%E2%80%93Germany_relations) due to shared values and interests, or with some help (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_and_Reconciliation_Commission_%28South_Africa%29) where needed, if the sides involved are wise enough to bury the hatchet and work it out together. But even then some grudges remain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French%E2%80%93German_enmity) as a distant echo to stir the dreams of the disturbed minds.

[paedraggaidin.livejournal.com]

This merely reinforces my long-held belief that nationalism is by far the worst and most dangerous "ism" of them all.

Because, seriously, who the f$@k cares what happened 50, 100, 150, 500, 1,000 years ago? What the hell does it matter if someone's great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather stole land from someone else's great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather back in the days of the High and Mighty Karplaxian Empire?

It. Does. Not. Matter.

Now, granted, the Kosovo-Serbia thing is recent and it is understandable for there to be bad blood from the recent troubles, but to mutually condemn beauty pageant contestants over a frickin' photograph and accuse them of treason? This stuff is just so purely juvenile and asinine, it makes me wonder how the hell we evolved out of the tree-climbing, poo-flinging stage of primate history.

At least Miss Kosovo has the sense to reject this petty nonsense.

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

it makes me wonder how the hell we evolved out of the tree-climbing, poo-flinging stage of primate history.

The lyrics of this song (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/tool/rightintwo.html) sum it up I think.

[404.livejournal.com]

Oh you silly Europeans and your wars of ethnic cleansing.

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

The indigenous peoples of Northern America are waving to you from their unknown graves.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Don't judge us too hard. We sure have a very messy history (not to mention geography).

[peamasii.livejournal.com]

The US is much better at waging modern war than the Europeans, we can all expect to see more of the same US-led technological warfare with minimal civilian casualties for decades to come.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Yeah, if only they had butchered 630,000 of themselves over something that didn't even really exist on account of everyone was a bunch'a dumbasses. Wotta revoltin' development.

[xforge.livejournal.com]

Borders are bullshit. The friendship of a couple of skinny 20-something blonde girls is not a reason to roll out the tanks and bombers. People need some goddamn perspective.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Aferdita is actually brunette.

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

Why is this such a problem? I'd be happy to be 'friends' with both of them.

(yes, I know I'm going to hell for that)

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

I'm joining you in hell. I hear those 72 virgins are overrated.

[404.livejournal.com]

Both are too damn skinny. They need some meat on their bones.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

Why are you going to hell for expressing attraction to two very hot women?

[airiefairie.livejournal.com]

They are just gorgeous...That is all I can say.

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

/thread!

LOL

[foreverbeach.livejournal.com]

99.999% of the global population are rubes. There's no other way to put it.

Re: LOL

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

You're a bit more extreme than me. I've reached the conclusion that this share is 95%.

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

the irony is that beauty pageant like this have similar theme as the olympic games; to allow countries to compete in a healthy, friendly way and hopefully find some common ground in the process.

If making friends is treasonous then both countries shouldn't have sent contestants in the first place.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

I wish they did the Olympics like they did in the old days with both the men and the women. ;P

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

My admittedly cynical comment is that it's a fucking beauty pageant and the nationalists on both sides should STFU.

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

You consider that "cynical"? You're a sweetie. :)

[devil-ad-vocate.livejournal.com]

Why do I think that most of the screaming came from the Serbs?

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

They're loud like that. Have you watched an Emir Kusturica movie?

[soliloquy76.livejournal.com]

Sonofa... late again. Nothing left to say except "I'd hit that."

[404.livejournal.com]

giggity.

[stewstewstewdio.livejournal.com]

It reminds me of the story about the Montagues and the Capulets

More like the American Hatfields and McCoys. They were two feuding families that kept their feud alive for generations. The really ridiculous thing was, eventually, nobody could remember why they were feuding in the first place. But the feud continued. I have not doubt that it was probably about something as stupid as this.

[onefatmusicnerd.livejournal.com]

It was over a hog and it lasted 15 years, unless you count