South-East Europe On The Edge Of Civilization: Create Problems And Then Offer Solutions – Essay

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We continue with the analyzing of Media (il)literacy within South-East Europe having in mind that having illiterate (media kind of) people within the area is blessing for the politicians.“I know, it is true, it was reported in the media“, people usually say in reference to the content of the news on any News channel in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo*, Macedonia…

2. Create problems and then offer solutions (by Noam Chomsky)

This method is also called “problem-reaction- solution.“ It creates a problem, a “situation” referred to cause some reaction in the audience, making this the principal of the steps that you want to accept. For example: let it unfold and intensify urban violence, or arrange for bloody attacks such that the public is the one who demands tougher security laws and policies to the detriment of freedom. Or, create an economic crisis to accept as a necessary the evil retreat of social rights and the dismantling of public services.

Croatia: The story of the Mayor of Croatian capitol in 2014/15, Mr. Milan Bandić, instead of being just a problem of  the Court and Prosecutor’s offices, exactly thanks to the two methods mentioned above became a problem nation wide. The country is full of corruption, with hatred being expressed against other who are different, nepotism and legally elected thieves are rife, and now it has a problem with the Mayor who has been in power since 2000 (three times elected) and is accused of allegedly being a “capo di tutti capi“ in reference to agreed upon tenders and the wasting of public money without a plan or purposes. So what  was the solution? Arrest him, than release him, so that he can conduct his duty, but he cannot talk to the more than 90 witnesses against him (who, by the way, work within the city council), than wait for the Prosecutor’s office to appeal on his release. The Mayor can be seen jogging every morning on Zagreb streets and talking with the people. That is the solution, yes, the solution of organized anarchy in South-East Europe.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Milorad Dodik, a Serb, president of the Republika Srpskaentity within Bosnia and Herzegovina, first said that genocide in Srebrenica in 1995 had not happened (a decision given by International Court in Den Haag), but just a huge crime. He than visited Srebrenica, on April 16 and repeated his claim that really huge crimes had happened in Srebrenica. Than the solution came from the words from a Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bakir Izetbegović who said, “It is good that Dodik has visited Potočari (part of Srebrenica, comment S.H.), but it would be much better if he admitted that in that place has happened a genocide.”

Why is this a solution? The easy answer is within the words of Bakir’s father, Alija Izetbegović, who was back in 1995 the president of the Bosnia and Herzegovina presidency who, when asked by Richard Holbrooke (USA) to ban SDS (Serbian Democratic Party) from the political field after the war in BiH, simply said…No, I can easily agree with them, much easier than with SDP (Social Democratic Party)…In the meantime, SDS became a very moderate party and SNSD (Dodik’s party: Union of Indepedent Social Democrats) became a right-wing party while at the same time having two strange words within their title “social” and “democratic.” Yes, the answer was given at that time, and has became the solution now. This solution makes us all cry for all the victims of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Serbia: When Aleksandar Vučić was elected to become the new Prime Minister of Serbia in April 27, 2014  the problem that he was faced with was the war against corruption, nepotism, hatred of others and ignorance in Serbia. The solution was that he via the media sweetly explains what the problems are and what he will do to solve them. But, on the ground in real life nothing has happened towards that. So far. Or is this just a circle of trust. One win of power, while another one came on power. And we ride the merry-go-round. Against the people.

Montenegro: “Cyrillic letter (writing) is not equal with Latinic letter (writing)“ claims the Montenegro opposition, which has asked for the Law for the protection of Cyrillic letter (writing) in Montenegro. The solution is there, in a country suffering from corruption and nepotism, to deal with the issue of letters (writing), instead of focusing on the everyday and people’s life. Yes, let us sit down and imagine what is next. Maybe, why we have such a small country? Let us make it bigger. Through letters (writing).

Macedonia:  The constant problem between the majority of Macedonians and the minority of Albanians is an artificially created problem. Why? Because the thieves in both ethnicities are thieves and nothing else. The problem of Macedonia just on the surface does indeed look like an ethnicity problem. The solution has been seen as the creation of enclaves, where simply the worth “law of rule“, instead “rule of law“, is the practice. But, let’s play with national issues, why not.

Like in all countries that came out from Ex-Yugoslavia, the most important problem is the “nation.”

Me, modest as I am, I have a solution: “The Nation is part of History. We just need to wait for the end of…History.”

Last but not least, what does Media (il)literacy have to do with the above mentioned cases? Again, the answer is very simple. The ones who read, watch and listen to the media about these subject, are just absorbing the content on the basis of (il)literacy and not on the basis an interaction of knowledge and news. We have to teach us to read everything, watch everything and listen to everything (as much as we can) and than to make that the foundation for the final solution on the basis of interaction of the facts. Easy to say, but very difficult to gain. Again, why? Language barriers, for example in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Croatia. While they do not need translators, they speak “different” languages. How will they then read, listen and watch other media from other areas? Even in Macedonia.

Finally, the solution for media (il)literacy is mixture of the news within one channel on which every hour there should be different news about same topic. It will be fun. Finally, after the wars. To have fun and see the stupidity and amateurism on one channel. Finally! Or not, depending who you ask.

P.S. Next time: The gradual strategy

Prof. Dr. Sabahudin Hadzialic

Prof. Dr. Sabahudin Hadzialic was born in 1960, in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 1964 he lives in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is a professor (two doctoral degrees), scientist, writer & poet (distinguished artist by state), journalist, and editor. He wrote 26 books (textbooks for the Universities in BiH and abroad, books of poetry, prose, essays as well as) and his art and scientific work is translated in 25 world languages. He published books in BiH, Serbia, France, Switzerland, USA and Italy. He wrote more than 100 scientific papers. He is certified peer-reviewer (his citations appear in books and papers of scientists from all continents) for several European scientific journals. He participates within EU project funds and he is a member of scientific boards of Journals in Poland, India and the USA. He is a member of the Board of directors of IFSPD (www.ifspd.org). Also, he is a regular columnists & essayist and member of the Editorial board, since 2014, of Eurasia Review, think tank and journal of news & analysis from the USA. Since 2009 he is co-owner and Editor in chief of DIOGEN pro culture - magazine for culture, art, education and science from the USA. He is a member of major associations of writers in BiH, Serbia and Montenegro as well as Foundations (scientific and non-governmental) Associations worldwide. As professor he was/is teaching at the Universities in BiH, Italy, Lithuania, Poland and India. Detailed info: http://sabihadzi.weebly.com.

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