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Serbia
Culture & Identity
Serbia's Personality
Serbia is a violent and abusive older brother who used
to be the envy of his siblings, but has fallen hard, and the further he falls the
more desperate he gets. He views himself as a protector and leader of the other
former Yugoslav countries, but they have run from him and his rule and this divorce
didn't sit well for Serbia. He desperately sought to keep his siblings and the
only way he knew how to do this was through beating them into submission, but this
only forced them to run at the first chance they got.
Serbia's power ended in the 1990s with the Balkan
wars. They led brutal assaults with the excuse that they were protecting ethnic
Serbs and, although they did accomplish this goal, they also seemed to be making
a point that leaving them was not allowed and would be met with consequences. Slovenia left with little hassle as did some of the
southern states, but Bosnia & Herzegovina
and Croatia received Serbia's wrath as
Montenegro wisely stuck with them until the violence had subsided.
Identity
Serbs are proud of being Serbs and identify as such, but
what it means to be a Serb is changing. Many young Serbs understand the image they
have in the international light due to the Balkan Wars so have become more modest
and try to teach the culture and welcome foreigners. Meanwhile, a minority of older
Serbs continue to live in historic Yugoslavia, dwell on their past, and commiserate
with each other over the present.
This page was last updated: February, 2012