From: pshane@andromeda.rutgers.edu (Ana M. Shane)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia,soc.culture.bosna-herzgvna,soc.culture.croatia
Subject: Understanding the roots of hatred - it comes from the TOP
Keywords: peace, hatred, war, opression
Date: 30 Dec 92 08:41:16 GMT
Followup-To: soc.culture.yugoslavia
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

This is partly a reply to Faruk's question to name ONE person
politically persecuted in Serbia (and a Serb-Monte-Negrin). It
is also one more attempt on my part, on this net, to call all of
you to DO something for PEACE. It is not a defense of Bosnian-Serbian, 
Serbian-Serbian, Yugoslav-Serbian, or any other Serbian "rights", nor
a justification of the attrocities commited in the name of these
"rights". 

I am posting only some names of Serbian politicians and eminent
persons from cultural and social life who were in one or the other
way oppressed by the communist regime (from murder via a wide range
of personal, social and political devices to minor loss of job,
right to publish, and express their opinion in any public way).
There were a lot more...
 
On this list, you will see names of some of contemporary leaders
who turned to be even bigger monsters than the ones who were their
oppressors. This is not surprising, since they are all a product
of the previous regime, just like the Croatian, Moslem and Albanian
leaders. On the other hand, there are also people on this list, who
didn't become today's leaders (and would not and do not agree with
them) not just because they are not alive any more, but because
they somehow succeeded in preserving their honor and humanity.
 
This should be the warning to all of you on the net against a
simple mathematic-style logic: that an enemy of my enemy is my
friend, or a friend of my enemy is my enemy, or an enemy of my
friend is my enemy, etc. In human society such simplifications
don't work, and often fighting against evil does not automatically
mean that one is fighting for something good. So does the list
bellow depict a variety of "reasons" the one-time regime had for
getting rid of or neutralizing the people who didn't conform.
 
The "communist" regime of Tito was ostensibly against any form of
nationalism. This orientation served Tito's central government's
purpose to be the only POWER in the whole Yugoslavia. However, this
regime, as is apparent now, never really succeeded in uniting all
of the peoples in Yugoslavia, not because it oppressed the
nationalists, but because it so skillfully played them against each
other, counting on their fears, greediness, narrow-mindedness,
corruptibility and stupidity. In this game, the "communist" regime
succeeded not to suppress the chauvinists, but to destroy the best
characteristic of every nation: its national pride, traditions and
ethnic culture (as well as the national economy). It was in the
best interest of the "communist" regime to, in fact, develop the
worst characteristics of any nationalism: xenophobia, hatred toward
"others", narrow-minded selfishness, tribalism, etc. 
 
With the economic and political downfall of Yugoslavia, everybody
felt betrayed, oppressed, ruined, dominated... Moreover, the legacy
of "communism" was also in everybody's belief that the domination
and betrayal came from other national groups. I repeat again, there
was nothing "national" (insert your favorite nation) in being in
POWER in the "communist" Yugoslavia, as well as there was nothing
"national" (again insert your favorite nation) in being oppressed.
 
The list bellow is a partial document of how individuals in Serbia
were oppressed. I am posting it here to refresh your memories, and
in response to Faruk's disbelief. It is high time that we start to
understand that as individuals and as peoples, everybody in
Yugoslavia was equally betrayed, impoverished, oppressed and
terrorized. There were no "privileged" nations as some people in
this net seem to believe. There were only some privileged
individuals in power who were all above the law (from traffic
regulations to the criminal law) as long as they didn't threaten
the very TOP in this hierarchy.
 
Today we have a war. But as much as it looks like an ethnic war,
it is just an extension of the SAME greedy, ruthless and inhuman
power struggle that characterized the despotism of the "communist"
Yugoslavia. No leader in this war really cares for the people in
whose national name they are waging the war or making political
decisions. The state of the affairs in ex-Yu is naked bestiality
bellow any human justice. And everybody is only a loser - as
people, as individuals, economically, politically, culturally and
socially. 
 
****************************************************************
 
Partial LIST of Serbs and Monte-Negrians who experienced
"communist" oppression:
 
 
Milovan Djilas (served a sentence in jail, couldn't publish in the
     country)
Aleksandar Rankovic (forcefully "retired")
Slobodan Penezic Krcun (murdered in an "accident")
Koca Popovic (forcefully "retired")
Marko Nikezic (dismissed as a "Serbian Liberal")
Latinka Perovic (dismissed as a "Serbian Liberal")
Pasko Romac (murdered in a "suicide" after he lost against the
     Vojvodina "Autonomasi")
All those who were against the "Autonomasi" ("Autonomasi" were
     Serbian in majority) in Vojvodina were dismissed from their
     functions (one example that comes to memory: The Director of
     Novi Sad Fair: Mica Novkovic)
Dobrica Cosic (expelled from the Central Committee in 1968 for
     disagreeing with the official politics in Kosovo and Metohia)
Jovan Marjanovic (expelled from the Central Committee in 1968 for
     disagreeing with the official politics in Kosovo and Metohia)
The "famous" 8 professors of Belgrade University who were dismissed
     from their positions, forbidden to teach, publish and
     otherwise work in the country because their theoretical and
     philosophical positions didn't suit the one's in power. Among
     them some of today's politically engaged in Serbia: Mihailo
     Markovic (SPS delegate in the Parliament, Ljubomir Tadic
     (campaigning in Monte Negro), Sveta Stojanovic (M. Panic's
     adviser). In order to remove them from their positions,
     Serbian "communists" created a special law by which the
     Universities lost their autonomy.
Lazar Stojanovic (imprisoned and served a sentence because of a
     non-commercial film he made in class while a student of the
     Academy for Theater, Film and TV)
Aleksandar "Sasa" Petrovic (forbidden to film anything and
     dismissed from the Academy for Theater, Film and TV because
     he was L. Stojanovic's adviser)
Dusan Makavejev (His movie "The Mysteries of Orgasm" was forbidden
     and he couldn't "find a job" in the country after that).
Scores of '68 students from Belgrade University were blacklisted
and for years "couldn't be employed" even in totally non-political
positions.
 
etc...
----------------------------------------------------------------
WARNING: This list is comprised just on the basis of my memory, and
is in no way complete. There are many, many more individuals,
groups, organizations that were oppressed in Serbia. Those
interested in the post-WWII history of Serbia and the political
oppression should contact at least Srdjan Popovic, a lawyer who
defended many of those politically accused. (Azem Vlasi was one of
those).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
One more time, dear readers, let's talk seriously and
creatively and without nationalistic stigmas. It is in the best
interest of all our peoples that some way be found to STOP the war.
I don't see that nationalism will help it: IT is the main
psychological tool to make people fight and kill one another.
Imagine only if everybody who is against the war could unite, at
least so far as to design a mode, a way to stop the war. Imagine if
our leaders (all of them) had on their minds the PEOPLE when they
were making decisions. Imagine if the good people of Croatia,
Bosnia, Slovenia, Monte-Negro, Serbia, Macedonia (or at least of
those whose States are fighting now) could agree that they don't
want to fight each other under any circumstances and that all the
disputes and "rights" are not worth one human life. Even before
this country or these countries were destroyed by war, they were
already so destroyed that there was enough room for anyone who
wanted to build and develop. It is not the peoples who are going
to see a "better life" without the "other" nations, but just the
rulers in power, the black marketeers and the war profiteers.
 
Happy New Year and let's really work for

        __________  __________   _______          _________   __________
       /   ___   / /  _______/  /   __  |        /  ____  /  /  _______/
      /   /  /  / /  /         /   /  | |       /  /   /_/  /  /
     /   /__/  / /  /___      /   /___| |      /  /        /  /___
    /   ______/ /   ___/     /   _____  |     /  /        /   ___/
   /   /       /   /        /   /     | |    /  /    __  /   /
  /   /       /   /_____   /   /      | |   /  /____/ / /   /_____
 /___/       /_________/  /___/       |_|  /_________/ /_________/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ana M. Shane                               pshane@andromeda.rutgers.edu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PS. I have received my first hate letter! It came from Ljubljana,
    Slovenia. Let me just briefly say that I don't blame Slovenian
    people for anything. I don't BLAME Slovenian leaders for
    making the war. I just questioned their morality. Slovenian
    leaders are in no way engaged in the Balkan war. They are also
    unfortunatelly in no way engaged in the Balkan Peace. And they
    had a much better chance then the UN, USA, the whole world!
    
   
Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia