Not from USSR, not from Warszawa Block state... is Non-Aligned ex-Yugoslavia area good enough?
Quote:
Originally Posted by AmateurEmale
Do you find that 20+ years after the end of the "Cold War" (1991-92?) that more people in Eastern Europe are comfortable with freedom, free markets, competitive multi-party elections, and civil liberties?
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Sounds like common Westerner illusion, sorry.
To be short - unfulfilled expectations. As most of Yugoslavs in 1990 I was hard against communism; as most of ex-Yugoslavs now I realize the size of my mistake.
I have no illusions that there is any perfect system; also I know that history tell us that switch from one system to another brings deterioration in next 10 years or so, but I'm pretty sure in one: we wasted 25 years.
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In
politics and management old system was more democratic - on pre-1990 elections you can be elected as independent candidate with own beliefs which you could (and usually will) keep and promote in clear boundaries*. Now you - de facto - have to be member of some party and you have to vote solely in accordance with the party's head decision, without any personal influence (because of it now doesn't matter who is minister, some president, or anything else). Basically, on elections we choose one (or consortium of) party-headquarter(s) to be dictator in next 4 years.
* boundaries - there's some topics which was exclusive for education, scientific, artistic, informative and other pure theoretical purposes: race theories, any form of people's inequality theories, any form of slavery theories, matter of capitulation and similar. Practicing of slavery, capitulation, restriction of liberty and inequality was banned by Constitution.
Essentially, everyone could choose or be chosen - from ex-convict to academician (even brother, family of ex king). And friends, children and relatives of previously chosen ones could be academician or convicts as well, 99% based on personal qualities. Percentage today is very different.
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From "little man's" point of view economic situation now is far worse. Earlier you had a secure job in producing average 3-to-5-years-behind-west products, but with more equal quality and accessible to all. Of course, we were jealous sometimes - let's illustrate this in car industry - on Germans because they produce Golf I 4 years before us, or Golf II again some 3 or 4 years before us; there we wanted that our "standard" car become well equipped Golf II as in Germany and not some basic model of it or YU-built variants of BMC's, Renaults or Fiats. Eastern cars we watched with undisguised contempt, cars for pensioners and loosers, or, in best case, for people who build way too big houses so they can't afford something decent. You have only one car which is more than 8-9 years old and you are not a student? Strange. In other hand, typical Yugoslav could only dream about Rolls-Royce, some W123 or 5-er BMW was about maximum for "regular people", bigger cars were only for movie-stars, owners of biggest private companies... work is usually not enough for 7-er or S, you have to be a little lucky.
Sorry, guys from east, but for Yugoslav in that times cheap destination is main association to your countries. We don't underestimate you, we appreciate you as people, we understand that you deserve to live better, we even like you, and that's fact. However, many of us goes to Romania, spent 15 days on coast, spends on everything relentlessly, give tip to everyone - and save money comparing to stay home. Or went to Bulgaria or Hungary just for one evening to dinner in some of their great restaurants will cost you only fuel, bill for entertainment and food is next to nothing. Pastime in Austria or Italy was slightly more expensive than in YU but accessible, specially one in Greece, but with much better nightlife. Again, and to finish with the story of vacation - majority of Yugoslavs spending their standard 15-day summer holidays (of guaranteed 24 work-free days) in Yugoslavia; main part in usual way, in resorts on our coast or mountains, or in social-owned resorts (very cheap or free).
We are not well understood west standard, for us upper or upper-middle class German was western standard. This has opened up too big appetites. Monkey see - monkey do. "Just see full-size b-w TV in 1980s store in UK? Who on the Earth buy this? Strange, we have b-w only as portable or these Russian toys."
It sounds as if we were assholes, I know, but when we go to west and see shine... we believed it is for everyone, as at home. Also, Yugoslavs who worked on west always going home in some good car, with lot of money and pictures of their big houses under construction. Later, regular people realized that they work about everything there, excessively saving and live just for day when they will back in Yugoslavia.
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Culture is more or less same - than and now. Domestic is main, but you have influences both from east and west (maybe little more from west now). Old eastern books, movies... works are recognized as quality ones but sometimes boring, western as superficial ("light fun") and relaxing in general.
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Publishing of
pornography in Yugoslavia was legalized in 1974, without limitations for foreign materials, but in reality it was allowed from 1968. Earlier there was some entertainment erotica mags... However, since producing of pornography for money is form of prostitution which is form of slavery, making of scenes like this was banned. Models shooting in Yugoslavia had to be amateurs (and they usually was), even for educational materials. So our mags usually reprinted materials from western ones, and some original foreign porn was normally on sale (mainly German and CCC).
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AmateurEmale
Are the girls much more uninhibited than they were years ago?
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Yes, they are.
Here girls always were more relaxed than western or eastern ones; hardly any will refuse to let you make her company. However, if you want something more - sex or romantic relationship - things dramatically change. You'll have to invest more effort and time to do something.