Comments by "Nattygsbord" (@nattygsbord) on "Why did Yugoslavia Collapse?" video.
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USA only have one culture - and that is American culture. And I don't think it is much multi-ethnic either since everyone speaks the same language and have the same values, traditions and follow the same laws - with the Spanish-speaking minority as an exception, because for some strange reason do they seem unable to learn another language like everyone else..
People might be blacks, asians, caucasian, or native americans. But they are all english speakers and consider themselves to be Americans first and foremost.
Problems will always be involved with multi-culturalism as I sees it. Should torturing animals, marrying children, mutilating kids, and stoning gays, jews and atheists be legal?
If two groups in a society have very strong different view on those issues regarding moral values, laws and traditions you will be unable to make a compromise that make both sides happy. So you get a cultural clash, and mutual hatred between the two groups.
Dividing up the country could be a good idea so each half of the country can have the laws that they wish. But if you have to share your country with a people you despise, then you will have a cultural clash and perhaps even a civil war.
So multiculturalism is never a good thing.
Multiculturalism is much more than just eating pizza, noodles, fish&chips, hamburgers, and falafel.
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"Basically serbian propaganda"
Nope. I think he tries to be neutral. As a westerner the knowledge of this topic is limited and thus most people prefer a neutral stance. And you take neutrality as being pro-serbia, which is not. I personally blame Serbia for the war and sugarcoat things less. But nevertheless do I understand why people carefully avoid strong statements on this. Its not easy to access good information here in the west.
"I am sick and tired of foreigners patronizing the Balkan nations"
Its easy for us who are done with our state building process to look down on other parts of the world which have not come as far. I can see why people want independence. The EU have made me realize that independence and democracy for my country cannot be taken for granted.
I do endorse civic nationalism.
But ethno-nationalism is something I mostly only got negative feelings about... black lives matter in USA and muslims in Western Europe only cause hatred and divide. They put their own groups self-interest above the interest of their country. So I only got contempt for this movement.
But if foreigners and racial minorities act loyal to their country then I have nothing against them.
The tragedy of the Balkans is that you got similar language, culture, history and everything. But yet you kill each other. You have a nice climate and beaches, but instead of enjoying life you fight wars.
Your countries are smaller than the Swedish province I live in. But still wars are fought for this tiny plot of land. And the land is not even holy like Jerusalem or containing oil - nope. It was a poor Ex-Communist country back in the 1990's, and wars were fought getting control over poor areas. A meaningless war in my opinion. Perhaps a breakup was inevitable as people in the comment section say. But why wasn't it then done peacefully at least.
When Norway broke up with Sweden in 1905, it didn't lead to a war. And today are relations between the two countries very good. Sweden had peace for 200 years now.
But will all Nordic countries form a Scandinavian country together? I doubt that.
We Swedes ruled Finland for 800 years. We gave them our laws, our religion, and the most modern state apparatus in Europe back in the 1600's. Our school system and railway system is the same. The finns were treated as equals when they were part of the same Kingdom. They had their seats in the Swedish parliament. Swedish troops fought to defend Finland against Russia, and Finnish troops fought for Sweden.
But the language difference is still great. Finlands language got more in common with Asian languages than it got with European ones. So all efforts winning the hearts and minds of Finns for 800 years have been wasted. They do not want to become Swedes again after they have declared independence from Russia.
And as a Swede I cannot blame them. I would not want to be ruled by another country that speaks another language either. No matter how rich, sophisticated and kind they might be.
So if 800 years of kind occupation did not work to turn Finns into Swedes, then I am not surprised Austro-Hungrian empire got torn apart either with it much greater cultural barriers.
And the EU project of merging 30 European countries from all 4 corners of Europe just seems like insanity created by historically ignorant people.
"I'm disgusted by Serbs who fail to condemn the politics of Slobodan Milošević"
I agree. Not all Serbs are bad people. But those who cannot even condemn this warmonger, dictator and murderer then I got nothing more to talk about with them. They have a rotten moral compass. They are the reason why I dislike that country.
"After WWII ended, German enclaves in the east disappeared"
The German world fell apart already in 1918. German was until pretty recently having almost the same status as English on the Balkans, since it was the language of the Austrohungrian empire and all small countries that sprung up from that empire had to learn it.
So if Czechs, Hungarians and Yugoslavs wanted to speak with each other they could use German. But after the empire fell apart and also Germany got mutilated in the next war - there was very little reason to keep on using this language. And the German speaking minority got kicked out from many places in Europe after WW2.
A typical thing of a fallen empire I guess.
Personally do I think that countries with provinces with a large foreign minority should try to be respectful and sensitive to that minorities demand and don't try to shave its will down their will with force. France is granting Alsace-Lorraine much independence, but the province is still a part of France despite the majority of the population are Germans.
And same goes for Åland, which have a 90% Swedish population but is part of Finland.
So ethnical conflicts and tensions can be minimized and war being avoided. Personally do I think that both Åland and Alsace should change owners. But the 2nd best alternative is probably much local self-determination.
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@antemesinMisericorde
"You say all six nations of ex-Yugoslavia have the same culture, what you basically mean is, Serbian culture is seen as the norm. Otherwise, let me tell you, there is no difference between Scots, Welsh and the English."
There is an British culture and there is an English culture. They are closely linked.
Same goes for Croatia and Yugoslavia.
And that makes this conflict seem so unnecessary and tragic. The cultural differences are so small that reasonable people should have been able to work them out. At least most of them.
It would have been another thing if you shared your country with ISIS... then it would have been more difficult to combine pork, beer, short skirts, and music with the fundamentalist values of the other half of the population. So I would see why a failed state would have been unavoidable in such a case.
Not all countries end up in civil wars like Syria, Iraq and such. Switzerland isn't having Italians, Germans and French trying to kill each other. So sometimes I do think that cultural differences can be worked out.
"Croatia and Slovenia are accused of sabotaging federal financing of which they were actually largest contributors"
I agree with you here.
I can also admit my ignorance about Eastern Europe in the 1990's.
Richer part of countries suddenly did not want to pay for poorer parts. Richer Czechia broke off from poorer Slovakia, so Czechoslovakia became two countries.
And Yugoslavia also got torn up.
Personally I do not see economic plus and minus between provinces as a problem, since every country haves them. But on the other hand, if you do not feel solidarity with that particular part of the country you get a problem...
Germany's unwillingness to pay for Greece economic problems in one such example.
So would you like to work your ass off each month and put all your salary into a bank account which you share with your lazy unemployed drunk uncle who constantly like to over-spend money?
- Personally I can understand if people have a bit mixed feelings about this idea.
"Serbian culture is seen as the norm"
All I am saying is that it is related to the other cultures on the Balkans.
Just as it would be tragic if the English, Irish, Scots, Wales, Canadians, Americans, and Australians would fight a war against each other.
Of course do all those nationalities have their own sub-group of British culture. They are similar but different.
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