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The Balkans: Similarities Between Facebook and Communist Party of Yugoslavia

Categories: Eastern & Central Europe, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, History, Humor, Politics

In his customary funny style, Sead Dzigal provided a list [1] [MKD] of similarities between Facebook and the Communist Party of Yugoslavia [2] (CPY):

  • Facebook – social networking
    CPY – socialist networking
  • If you are not a Facebook member – you are a nobody
    If you are not a CPY member – you are a nobody
  • Everybody on Facebook are your friends, even though you don't know half of them.
    In the CPY everybody are your comrades,* even though you don't know half of them.
  • On Facebook you support various actions and causes without lifting a finger.
    In CPY you are a member of a zillion committees, boards, assemblies, without lifting a finger.
  • On Facebook you've got FarmVille,
    in CPY you've got zadrugas [3] [a form of kolkhoz [4]] and land reform [5].
  • On Facebook you've got “Like,”
    in CPY you've got “Long live comrade…!!!”
  • Facebook – often invading your privacy,
    CPY – often invading your privacy.

.aNTI [6] reacted through a comment [7] [MKD], using a phrase often attributed to Vaclav Havel [8]:

This post is filled with cliches and anti-communist propaganda. The only thing worse than the communists are the anti-communists.

Recenzent agreed, and trying to prove wrong the current anti-communist prejudices about how things changed, he noted [9] [MKD]:

  • The media used to be run by the political party. Today they can be pro-government or anti-government, but are still run by political parties.
  • You can get a job much easier if you are a political party member. Regardless if it was CPY, SDSM [10] or VMRO-DPMNE [11].

He also noted that passive “support” for various actions remains a staple of current political parties too, as well is fighting dissenters using conspiracy theories.

* The words friend and comrade are synonyms in most South Slavic languages, such as Macedonian, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian…