Why is there so much historical revisionism/nationalism among Serbians?

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

Over the past several years, many Serbian friends of mine (as have many Serbian strangers, both on the internet and IRL) have expressed opinions regarding the NATO bombings of Serbia during the Yugoslav wars (especially in 1998) from an entirely one-sided point of view that completely ignores the context of the bombings, exaggerates the death toll, and act as if Serbia was just minding its own business and then BAM everyone just starts bombing them. On my Instagram account right now, two girls have posted pictures of the bombings and acting like Serbia was the victim, playing the "women, children, hosptials, schools, everything was bombed" card as well.  Totally ignoring the context. Totally ignoring the fact that Serbia committed genocide.

Here's a direct quote from a friend's picture:
"The NATO bombing of Serbia happened 16 years ago today. Over 200 towns and settlements were bombed by over 1,200 planes. More than 2,500 civilians were killed during these bombings, 30 PERCEFNT OF WHICH WERE CHILDREN. More than 12,500 were injured and are STILL suffering if not physically, mentally. If loss of human capital wasn't enough, the estimated total economic damage caused by the NATO bombing was equivalent to $29.6 billion dollars. And through all of this inhumane tragedy, The Serbian people still stand strong with the love for their faith and culture, still knowing in their minds and hearts that Kosovo is Serbia and that yes, they STILL want to be Serbs!" *clapping emojis*

Additionally, many of them share things on Facebook that are basically "Serbian-supremacist"; for example, a guy shared an article that was titled something like "Russian archeologist finds evidence that Serbians built the first civilization".

I get ethnic pride is a thing. I live in an area that saw/still sees massive immigration from around the world, especially from Poland, Serbia, Macedonia, Croatia, Greece, India, Syria, Iraq, and all over Latin America, yet the intensity and historical revisionism doesn't come anywhere near that of the Serbian community.

I know there is a paradox in many former communist countries, where there is simultaneous distrust of the media and acceptance of the most wild conspiracy theories put forward by said media to justify nationalism (POLITICO had a good article on Russian media and Putin's control), but it seems that there's only the latter in Serbia. It's almost like Republicans in the lead-up to the 2012 elections, except there is no end with this.

Why is this? Can anyone elaborate?

[Antonio the Sixth]

There's nothing unusual about resentment and revanchism remaining prevalent among the losers of a war that took place less than 20 years ago.

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

There's nothing unusual about resentment and revanchism remaining prevalent among the losers of a war that took place less than 20 years ago.

But why is it so strong amongst Serbians? Is there any other particular reason?

[politicus]

Serbian nationalism is connected to Orthodox mysticism and the idea of being a frontier nation fighting Islam and saving Christian Europe. It is rooted in strong semi-religious myths of being a chosen people and many Serbs do not understand why the West chose to support Muslims over them.  There is a sense of betrayal and being wronged by the outside world. "Everybody is against us". There has been a need to create a narrative in which the Serbs are the good guys - persecuted heroes wrongly blackened by the decadent and ungrateful West.

This intimate relationship between state, nation and church is known as Svetosavlje, the principle of the Holy Sava. Serbian nationalists are often not personally religious, but this background influences their world view.

[politicus]

Modern Serbian nationalism has also a strong sense of victimization where Serbs are seen as being persecuted both by Ustaca fascists during WW2 and later being discrimiated by (the Croat) Tito and kept down despite being the biggest nation in Yugoslavia.

[politicus]

Anyway, the day before the battle at Kosovo Polje against them evul Turks God sent the prophet Elias to test the Serb King Lazar by giving him a choice between earthly victory and heavenly victory. Lazar wisely chose the heavenly version, and as a result the good Lord gave the Serb his eternal blessing, which  entitled them to the earthly kingdom as well, which their small minded neighbours have failed to realize ever since, so you see our failure to recognize this is an affront to almighty God and you shouldn't really question it.

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

Serbian nationalism is connected to Orthodox mysticism and the idea of being a frontier nation fighting Islam and saving Christian Europe. It is rooted in strong semi-religious myths of being a chosen people and many Serbs do not understand why the West chose to support Muslims over them.  There is a sense of betrayal and being wronged by the outside world. "Everyboy is against us". There has been a need to create a narrative in which the Serbs are the good guys - persecuted heroes wrongly blackened by the decadent and ungrateful West.

This intimate relationship between state, nation and church is known as Svetosavlje, the principle of the Holy Sava. Serbian nationalists are often not personally religious, but this background influences their world view.

Ah, thank you

[Sol]

Of course, Serbs really were treated quite horribly by the Ustashe.

Anyway, it's the Balkans. That should explain half of it already.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Protip: Find any Youtube video about the Balkans and look at the comments. Hours of fun awaits you!

[afleitch]

It also hasn't helped matters that Serbia was not 'hauled over the coals' for committing acts of genocide. It was ethno-religious in nature, with Bosniaks (Muslim) and Croats (Catholic) the victims and it is apparent that this sentiment still lingers. What's problematic is that only the massacre of Srebrenica is legally considered to be 'genocide' in the traditional sense, because acts of detainment, forced movement of people, abuse, rape etc don't quite meet the rather arbitrary requirements for what constitutes genocide.

So Serbia was never really charged with anything tangible and what it was to be charged with outside the usual umbrella of 'war crimes' is considered up for debate. Because of that, denialism sets in which is no doubt endemic (and I think the education system probably promotes that)

[ingemann]

snip

Why is this? Can anyone elaborate?

The Serbian attitude to these things are hardly worse than their neighbours. The main difference being that their neighbours share to larger extent the same narrative as the West.

Don't get me wrong I supported the Croats in the Yugoslavian Wars, but the Serbs was primarily worse, because it was them who occupied the most territories with other group living on it. But Serbian and Bosniak enclaves in Croat territory also "disappered" and so did Serbian and Croat enclaves in Bosniak territory.

So many Serbs feel that they just tried to defend themselves, and this view are to large extent just validated by the fact that there lives a lot of Serbian refugees from Croatia and Kosovo in Serbia.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

srpska stronk!

[free my dawg]

Anyway, the day before the battle at Kosovo Polje against them evul Turks God sent the prophet Elias to test the Serb King Lazar by giving him a choice between earthly victory and heavenly victory. Lazar wisely chose the heavenly version, and as a result the good Lord gave the Serb his eternal blessing, which  entitled them to the earthly kingdom as well, which their small minded neighbours have failed to realize ever since, so you see our failure to recognize this is an affront to almighty God and you shouldn't really question it.

Serb kids died, you know.

[politicus]

Anyway, the day before the battle at Kosovo Polje against them evul Turks God sent the prophet Elias to test the Serb King Lazar by giving him a choice between earthly victory and heavenly victory. Lazar wisely chose the heavenly version, and as a result the good Lord gave the Serb his eternal blessing, which  entitled them to the earthly kingdom as well, which their small minded neighbours have failed to realize ever since, so you see our failure to recognize this is an affront to almighty God and you shouldn't really question it.

Serb kids died, you know.

Yes I do. And they died in Bosnia as well. I led a field trip to Sarajevo with some students where we visited Pale and heard their stories. One of my best friends covered the Balkans for a daily for years and I heard her stories.

That does not mean I can not make fun of Serbian nationalist myths.

[free my dawg]

Anyway, the day before the battle at Kosovo Polje against them evul Turks God sent the prophet Elias to test the Serb King Lazar by giving him a choice between earthly victory and heavenly victory. Lazar wisely chose the heavenly version, and as a result the good Lord gave the Serb his eternal blessing, which  entitled them to the earthly kingdom as well, which their small minded neighbours have failed to realize ever since, so you see our failure to recognize this is an affront to almighty God and you shouldn't really question it.

Serb kids died, you know.

Yes I do. And they died in Bosnia as well. I led a field trip to Sarajevo with some students where we visited Pale and heard their stories. One of my best friends covered the Balkans for a daily for years and I heard her stories.

That does not mean I can not make fun of Serbian nationalist myths.

A friend of a friend's dad almost was killed in an airstrike. Such atrocities are nothing to laugh about.

[politicus]

Anyway, the day before the battle at Kosovo Polje against them evul Turks God sent the prophet Elias to test the Serb King Lazar by giving him a choice between earthly victory and heavenly victory. Lazar wisely chose the heavenly version, and as a result the good Lord gave the Serb his eternal blessing, which  entitled them to the earthly kingdom as well, which their small minded neighbours have failed to realize ever since, so you see our failure to recognize this is an affront to almighty God and you shouldn't really question it.

Serb kids died, you know.

Yes I do. And they died in Bosnia as well. I led a field trip to Sarajevo with some students where we visited Pale and heard their stories. One of my best friends covered the Balkans for a daily for years and I heard her stories.

That does not mean I can not make fun of Serbian nationalist myths.

A friend of a friend's dad almost was killed in an airstrike. Such atrocities are nothing to laugh about.

Agreed, but once again: That does not mean I can not make fun of Serbian nationalist myths (or ridicule Serbian nationalism in other ways for that matter).

[Antonio the Sixth]

Sawx is joking.

[politicus]

Sawx is joking.

Does not seem so. The second example would be in poor taste if he is.

[free my dawg]

Sawx is joking.

Discrimination against Serbs is no joke.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Sawx is joking.

Does not seem so. The second example would be in poor taste if he is.

He's parodying Snowstalker.