Sometimes, and increasingly often, Croatian reality is so entertaining that in its analysis it is best to ignore the tools of historiography, sociology or political science, and seek help from psychology. Because if anyone other than the HDZ had plastered the entire city of Zagreb with billboards with the Yugoslav flag, paired with a rainbow flag, the outcome would undoubtedly be the following: The billboards themselves would have been massively vandalized, the customers would have been immediately summoned to the police for questioning on suspicion of undermining the constitutional order, while on HRT, as on all television stations with a national concession, primarily on Nova TV, which in Croatia functions no less on national positions than public radio and television, debate shows would have been organized in which someone who might defend the position of those who put up the billboards would present a clownish opposition opinion. Exactly as it was in the debate shows on the topic of Thompson and his record-breaking concert in recent days.
However, since the posters were put up by the HDZ, which was only discovered a day later, and certainly confirmed two days after their appearance, and in that interim phase of uncertainty, no one was hurt, nor did any of the kosher journalists raise any issues about it, we have just received further proof that symbolic street vandalism never happens by accident. Or rather, it happens excessively.
All this brings back memories of the case of the street exhibition in Rijeka, when photographs of the flags of all the countries that were in power in Rijeka, including that of fascist Italy, were displayed on billboards in the city, and only those posters that featured the flag of Yugoslavia were destroyed.
At the same time, another aspect of the problem takes us from psychology and those who have real control over the street right to the logic of the political mainstream. Namely, just as it is the case throughout Western Europe, where the ruling conservative Christian Democratic, or people's parties, in order to avoid losing votes and power, take over the rhetoric and even political proposals of the radical right, in Croatia we are seeing exactly the same thing. Which is further emphasized by the fact that the Homeland Movement, a radical right-wing party that has nothing in its program except a showdown with the Serbs and Yugoslavia, and in practice nothing more than the pursuit of personal interests, is part of the coalition government.
And in such a context, the logic of political action and the environment created in this way simply pulls HDZ towards competing with them and all the other parties that have broken away from them, in right-winging. In other words, HDZ is trying to steal their topics and show that it still stands on the defensive of such an ideology, which is clear to anyone who is able to see what is beneath the surface, but which still needs to be literally drawn to the more naive.
So, the HDZ mayoral candidate literally told them. We are against Yugoslavia and gays, just to make sure there is no confusion. Unlike these freaks from Mozmo who make up the Zagreb government.
This type of political message will, of course, in no way affect the outcome of the upcoming local elections and another victory for Tomislav Tomašević and the Možemo party in Zagreb, this time in coalition with the SDP. Just as no amount of mass attendance at Thompson's concert can affect the outcome of those elections. But it will have an impact on further inflaming the already hysterical right wing and fueling the spirit of the nineties.
Which brings us back to the questions of psychology for the end of the text. There is probably no case of a country and its state policy that has achieved all its internal and foreign policy goals, both those that are unquestionable and those that are morally and humanly problematic, and then instead of moving on in search of new goals and life in a different context, it decides to conserve and go around in circles with the same themes, obsessions and nationalistic rhetoric. This is absolutely incredible because it is a characteristic of the defeated and powerless who are unable to overcome their own trauma, and not of a society that has achieved all its goals.
Therefore, only psychology can truly help in understanding Croatia and its society and politics.
In the meantime, it's funny how suddenly the flags of a 'hated' country on the streets of the capital are not a problem.
(Peščanik.net)
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