Carnival Policy

Now everything seems to be clear. Whoever wants to protest the take over of Studio B shouldn't go to the station or city hall but to the Chinese embassy.

As soon as all the undesirable noise had been removed from that station, as soon as it met all the conditions to join in the big system of objective and unbiased lying, Mira Markovic hurried to announce that Belgrade will get a China town. As if she wanted to calm city residents.

So the conclusion is that the Chinese can't stand Studio B and they set a secret ultimatum for its removal. When that happens they're prepared to lift the embargo and come to the city to build a Chinese quarter since no genuine China town has a Studio B. The two just don't go together. And so once again, in this time of international pressure, something had to be sacrificed. It wouldn't be right for Milosevic alone to give in the American pressure. Because of the international balance, or only because of women's equality, his wife gave in to the Chinese.

This would be a jollier version of events in Belgrade but unfortunately it doesn't quite coincide with reality which isn't laughable unless you can laugh when someone spits in your soup, calls you a jackass and slaps you around. The Americans maybe are to blame for the fact that Milosevic had to come to his senses and became a peacemaker but the Chinese obviously don't deserve Markovic's turn towards China town.

This is a grandiose national project to lose your mind which the ruling couple and their parties chose as the surest way into the future and the 21st century. Studio B was just one of the bigger obstacles on that road and China town in Belgrade is just the latest stage, a step towards the delirious kingdom of endless happiness and unlimited freedom.

It's true that Studio B, at the moment it was executed, was half dead. Its days of glory when independence meant brains and responsibility were long gone. Over the past three years, the TV station mainly failed to recover from the suicidal twists of its director and editor in chief who managed to get rid of the best of its staff. That blow was perhaps the worst and certainly contributed to making this regime take over seem like euthanasia.

But independence had somehow survived and in existing conditions, Studio B, however it was, occasionally made a refreshing change and provided a perspective from a different, non-Chinese side. If someone on another station could spoil the parallel reality China town story and ask for more details, we could remain unfeeling towards Studio B. Since it was the only different station, there' no way we won't see its demise as humiliation and insult.

Milosevic has told us that we can't escape from him even using a remote control. We have to hear statements from his cabinet and believe him when he says the CHinese are here.

Before China town, Markovic was preparing to bring the Russian winter to Belgrade but she seems to have given up that idea. Lately she's been traveling to some friendly countries, promoting her book and probably meeting with consternation that could have been interpreted as elation. She chose between Russia, Bulgaria and Greece and finally opted for China, probably won over by Chinese politeness. For someone with enough imagination, the possibilities were open, one after another.

Serbia, which the world so cruelly accused of aggressive nationalism, would suddenly, thanks to the Chinese, show its tolerance and readiness to live with others. Anyone who can do more and love someone so different come forward. Serbia, which is said to be isolated, alone and without friends, will suddenly become world champion in friends.

Don't believe for a moment that no one told Markovic that there aren't any Chinese in Belgrade except for the embassy staff. If there were things would be easy, China town would already be here and the lady would not have been asked for any grandiose vision. What small minds see as a problem is a fascinating advantage to her. She wouldn't want to see a spontaneously created China town, which reminds her of ghettos, and she certainly wouldn't want to see the Chinese, already spoiled by the West, in Belgrade.

So this is obviously about importing the Chinese from China.

Everything is agreed in advance, Belgrade residents are moved out from somewhere between Terazije and Kalemegdan and replaced with a colony on bicycles. Haven't we already seen mass movements of population here? And what happened? Nothing. In fact, it all turned out well, exciting and magnificent from Markovic's perspective. The masses are in movement anyway, historically.

Probably fearing of being misunderstood by our small souls, she shyly announced just a small part of her latest vision. It's quite possible that she sees all of Belgrade as China town. And why stop at Belgrade? Who knows what magnificent combinations could result from a mix of the Chinese and Serbs? Could the meeting of Taoism and Orthodox Christianity be motivating to humanity?

But with all due respect to Markovic, we must not forget that this is just another phantasmagoria program that Milosevic's Serbia has never lacked. I certainly can't remember them all but I never forgot how 100,000 Serbs were moved to Kosovo, how Swedish living standard were promised and achieved, how all the Serbs live in one state, how the new world order was defeated, how oil was found in Vojvodina, how a Balkan federation was formed, how aggressive America capitulated in Dayton before Milosevic, how Europolis was built.

The plans are getting more grandiose and imaginative but that's only because we live worse. The state of Serbia is being run by people whose ambitions are stimulated by poverty and failure and their visions are enhanced. If we sank already, that only means the step into the 21st century will be bigger. They say that Belgrade hasn't seen a party as good as the recent Belgrade Socialists meeting. And the congress in March will have to be an unprecedented explosion of carefreeness and exaltation. They're obviously determined to joke and party about everything going on here.

I think I can guess what you're thinking. But the problem is that we don't have a stick handy. And if you had a place to go you would have gone already. You told yourself countless times that you don't care and that you'll mind you own business and watch Studio B but you can't even do that any longer. You knew where you were while hate, evil and plunder ruled public affairs. But with China town looming, it's clear that new, unlimited and unpredictable prospects have opened up. No experience or ability will help. How do you know what those minds will dream up tomorrow?

You can't even join them because there isn't enough space in the carnival for everyone. The people who got there first certainly have an advantage. Besides, you never know if you can walk out of there and the carnival will have to end some time. So there's nothing to do but sit and wait and perhaps a stick will turn up in the meantime.