DT: What kind of experience was it to meet the Serbs personally, and what are the similarities and differences concerning the „marketing“ that the Western media reserved for us? Do we look like savages with a knife between the teeth, as they describe us? Manuel Ochsenreiter: (laughing) This question sounds a bit like: “The Serb, the unknown entity.” But there is a tragic true core in it. Serbs are stigmatized by European mainstream media and politics since the early 1990s. Without a doubt the Serbs are the underdogs in the mainstream media coverage. The explanation is easy: Serbia is one if the main geopolitical obstacles for the West in Europe. And the historical or recent enemies of the Serbs – Croats, Bosniaks and Albanians – are the lap dogs of Brussels and Washington. The Serbs are always portrayed through that specific geopolitical template. It has nothing to do with the “Serbian nature” or the “Serbian national character”. The Serbs I met were always very honest and compassionate people with a strong sense for their nation. They have a strong sense for politics of history. Even those Serbs who have a strong degree of reluctance against the Federal Republic of Germany – of course because of the German involvement in the NATO aggression against Belgrade in 1999 – were always overly friendly and outspoken polite with me. I can´t complain at all. Among my best friends the Serbs are definitely overrepresented.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 21:31:54 +0000
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