“Let the neighbour’s cow be safe and sound” *
by Helena Rill
The changes that have happened after the October 5 of 2000 when the new
government was established, after Slobodan Miloševiæ and the old regime had been
overthrown, haven’t had much effect on hate speech. It remains present in everyday
life, and often is a part of public communication.
Chauvinistic graffiti, attacks on religious and ethnic communities, insults based on
national, religious, and sexual orientation, doesn’t make the hate speech any weaker,
but quite the opposite, even stronger and more harsh, as a result of rage, feelings of
danger and impotence, as a reaction to the appeal made to the citizens of
Serbia/Yugoslavia to deal with their own responsibility for the crimes committed in
their own name.
As an example of this practice, in just one week, following panel discussions were
either cancelled or delayed, because threats and anonymous tips were made:
a) The threat was made that the Technical Faculty building in Èaèak, Serbia, would
be “stoned” if the panel discussion “Truth and Responsibility” was held there.
b) A bomb scare took place at the building of Dom omladine (Youth Home) in
Belgrade, where the discussion of the Postpesimists “Threathening Phenomenons
Tolerance” was supposed to be held.
The first time I heard of “Threathening Phenomenons Tolerance”, I wondered why anyone would consider tolerance to be something threatening. This is especially because
I come from Vojvodina where this word is often used, particularly in political speeches,
for strengthening one’s political positions etc. I’m under the impression, especially when
I’m feeling apathetic, that this word is such a cliché, therefore it cannot be perceived as
threatening and that its real meaning is forgotten. However, I was wrong. Tolerance
becomes dangerous for some people, and has been proved with this anonymous tip about
the bomb. In my opinion, it means that resistance is being set up against hate speech,
and those who use this kind of speech are frightened and feel in danger.
Why is tolerance becoming dangerous? I presume that is because finally it is
becoming important in it’s own right. It goes back to its basics, it makes us reconsider
and deal with our own responsibility and ourselves. Unfortunately, I often hear that
“tolerance means leniency towards opinions, convictions and behaviour we disagree
with”; that it is some kind of sufferance so we can all live in happiness and harmony.
Furthermore, I hear it most often in the context of national and religious tolerance, but
what about tolerance when it comes to ones with different opinions, different origin or
sexual orientation?
What is the essence of tolerance, for me? I perceive it as something much more
demanding than sufferance, which is, in my opinion, very dangerous, because it reminds me of sweeping the whole thing under the carpet, which is the cause of many problems
in this region, and in general, too. To be more exact, tolerance is not sufferance.
Tolerance is an active attitude towards differences, respect for them and it requires an
individual engagement: reconsideration, cognition of one’s own responsibilities, needs,
values, ideas, getting to know the others and learning about them and their differences.
It is easy “to be tolerant” when we think the same and share the same values, but what
happens when this is not the case?
However strange it may sound, I’m under the impression that’s where the circle of
cause and effect begins. As a response to hate speech, there’s a “Tolerance” campaign by
the Federal Ministry for National and Ethnic Communities. A reaction to this campaign is
more hate, which starts another circle. However, this time it seems to me that the circle
is getting smaller because for the first time in 12 years, the government has made a
strong statement: we don’t want hate, we want tolerance.
The Federal Ministry for National and Ethnic Communities launched the campaign
called “Tolerance” on the panel discussion “Threathening Phenomenons Tolerance”. It
gives hope that things change in Yugoslavia, because the official stand is against hate,
and in favour of a culture of differences. This long-term campaign has started with TV
ads in the form of cartoons, easily acceptable, and with the message that one picks up
very quickly. The leading character in one of these ads is a little cow, and the message of
the ad is to ”let the neighbour’s cow be safe and sound” as opposed to the very popular
saying that goes ”let the neighbour’s cow drop dead”. The other message is: “Tolerance.
It costs nothing, but it’s worth a lot “. These messages are placed on billboards in
Belgrade. According to Jelena Markoviæ, a federal assistant minister for national and
ethnic communities, the plan is to develop this campaign over the next 2 years, and to
make it a part of some school programmes.
What are the effects of this campaign? Here’s a story to illustrate it: A man asks a saleswoman for a certain kind of tea, at the market. Since she doesn’t have it, she sends
him over to another counter. The man is surprised and he asks her if she is sending him off
to the competition. The woman replies: ” It costs nothing, but it’s worth a lot “.
This panel discussion “Threathening Phenomenons Tolerance” has showed me how
strong the hate still is, how much strength it requires to fight against it, how important
this step is toward tolerance that the state has taken, and that there are young people in
the ministry/Ministry who believe in the things they do and fight for it.
Let’s be honest. Nothing’s will happen quickly. It takes years, even decades for the final
results to come. But, the problem should be addressed with an active approach.
* As opposed to an old saying ”Let the neighbour’s cow drop dead”