Lies, Hatred and Stupidity

With the worldwide failure of the social project called communism and with the realization of all it brings, sober pessimists have concluded that at least another decade or two will have to pass before the appearance of an entirely fresh generation ready to take over. It was the only way out of the moral blind alley, from general nihilism, because of which it is now possible to wage purposeless, evil wars, proclaim madness for strategy, paint a picture of oneself and the world from bare lies, and elect villains and bandits to sainthood.

But, as far as Serbia is concerned, not even this long-term hope has anything to base itself on. As things now stand, the deepest despair has the best arguments. It can't be seen how in these conditions a new and better generation could grow, that is, who could make today's children better than their fathers. For a good two hundred years it has been considered that the job of raising or at least upholding the standard of civilized society belongs to the educational system. It used to be said that the rise of Germany primarily began with the German teacher, which applied to Serbia as well in the time there was some kind of ascension.

There can't always be a Dositej in the place of Minister of Education, but when the place is given to someone like Danilo Z. Markovic, it is absolutely clear that education is not something to be counted on. Let's say that it isn't important that he looks and talks like some kind of crooked cattle tradesman; let's say that it isn't his fault that all the money from education and elsewhere has gone into the war. But this man who knew how to expect his students to bring a signed copy of his text book to exams in order to ensure that they all bought it, is now trying to persuade teachers that they were never better paid and that, in any case, they should do their ennobling work for nothing. He looks to undermine the strike with the help of loyal directors, he doesn't believe the strikers will hold out, he prides himself that he is being supported by country schools. Who would have said that schooling, that is the future of children here, would be placed in the hands which Markovic uses to hold up his belly, unaware of having become the favorite of bad students.

The faults of the school system are known; we know that many of the gifted have run away from it and succeeded in spite of this. But no-one completely gave up this institution and left children to grow like grass. In this way in Serbia, from pure indifference, at the moment an experimental generation of forgotten children is growing, as from some Balkan Summerhill. In fact, we can soon expect the question: what do Serbs need school for? I'm just waiting for someone to remember, particularly if strikes in schools are frequent, that education is in fact a leftist, Bolshevist fabrication.

Because when the ideology of pure blood takes hold, when there is a segregation between Serbs and non-Serbs, and war is fought about it, what comes is absolute educational pessimism. If the communists believed in the unlimited possibility of shaping human nature and creating the New Man, today's savage post-communist right wingers believe that a nation is given everything genetically, once and for all. Seeing it's known exactly what Serbs are like, seeing the finest moral imperative is inbred and cannot be taught but only inherited, what then is the use of education which might even spoil it and introduce something foreign into the essential Serbian soul? What's the use of knowledge acquired by others? Foreign languages? What's the use of general literacy?

The problem of teacher and pupil is obviously not only in Minister Markovic because (according to a new division) he does not fall among the worried but among the indifferent Serbs. If this division has any sense, he is in it because he indifferently leads the worried. The indifferent have fattened nicely, and the others worry because such as these lead them. Negligence could somehow be borne, but the problem is in that Serbia is decisively turning away from education, enlightenment, upbringing, learning of anything that hasn't been endowed to the people by birth.

When the MP Seselj kicks teachers who are demonstrating in front of the Parliament, it is because he has understood quicker and better than anyone the times that are coming. He wants power and knows that this kind of gesture only increases his reputation and popularity. Who cares about teachers and schools? Whoever complains, protests and strikes does so because he is helpless, which at the moment can't be respected. And because of this Seselj with a clear conscience demands the expulsion of Croats, and then of Slovenes and all those who would fight this, because they are traitors. Because of this he bravely states that all the journalists on strike should be fired because they are traitors.

In Serbia a change in the rules of the game is being prepared, i.e. all rules are to be abolished. The war is lost, the country ruined, and this will be interpreted by inadequate resoluteness, toleration of traitors and a general excess of democracy. With the war in Bosnia, Milosevic has finally destroyed all he had begun to gain in the eyes of the world with his acceptance of the peace plan of the United Nations. Arkan's "exploits" will be placed at his door, as will the terror over Sarajevo, though the Croats shouldn't be let off any easier because of Herzegovina.

At any rate, Serbia and the rest of the world don't have anything more to ask or expect of each other. It would be easy to stop all diplomatic efforts and for Serbia to gain the status of Gaddafi's Libya. Such a position outside will remove from the inside all consideration, of which there was some even if we weren't conscious of it. Seselj, Arkan, and maybe some other leaders of the extreme phalanxes, are entering a tough fight, and behind them will align themselves the generals, Academy, church, and other centers of power. The public will be divided in desperate attempts to establish which of them maybe owns some human qualities.

The ease with which Seselj came into conflict with practically the whole journalistic guild is the best proof that this profession has been finally written off. It isn't foreseen to exist. All that will be left are the weapons which pour in from the fronts. If this wasn't so I doubt whether Seselj would have gone so far.

In all of this, what do the schools, teachers, children have to look for? Like state, like school. And this state has already proved its ability to take such an incredible amount of lies, hatred and stupidity. All of this will have to enter the schools' programme, which means that we can expect new ideological contamination, very like the communist. Only instead of dialectics and class wars, "Serbianism" and Saint Sava will be taught as a historical, moral and civilization counterpart to the rest of mankind.

I don't see any more any kind of serious force which could dam this flow. Internal resistance is ever weaker, and the external pressure on Serbia will probably stop at its present day borders. Because who is interested in forcibly rearranging one mad little Balkan state? As in the case of Iraq, the West will be satisfied just to neutralize it and make it harmless to its surroundings.

Unlike the communist state, this one is born in defeat and will be that much worse and less tolerant towards its opponents. The problem of the minorities will be solved according to Seselj's recipe, as is already being discreetly done. For all the others who haven't run away from here, and who won't because they have nowhere to go, the survival strategy will consist of avoiding contact with the government and the state. But soon the process of mutual corruption will set in between the citizens and the government, which in the end will bring about a normalization of the situation at a morally low, but acceptable level.

If it's up to the schools, we shall get a generation of children, the same or worse, who grow up in an adulation of naked force, but not in the abstract way other children admire Rambo and Superman. Such as these will have local names, walk the streets and give rise to real fear. I don't know how long this could last, but I don't see how, in these conditions, hope can be found for a civil consolidation of this country, even at the beginning of the next millennium. All that parents can do is to take their children out of school, to systematically wean them from all they have learnt there and offer them ordinary Christian morals, even though they may not need them here for a long time yet.