What bothers you about your people/nation?

ArdianTH

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Seeing a thread about what people would like to change about their language, this idea about a thread in which we talk about what bothers us about our people came to my mind.

I was born and raised outside of Kosovo, yet I do have strong ties to this land as many of my relatives still live here and we used to visit this place a lot during my childhood. Being part of the "war generation", I witnessed the destruction that took place (on the land and on the lifes of the people) which only strengthened that bond during my early teens, when I was almost obsessed with the Albanian culture, history and heritage. Luckily, this absurd nationalism faded as I grew older and met people from the other side of the borders, especially while pursuing my academic career.

Now, with the rose-tinted glasses taken off, I notice a great deal of things that actually really bother me during my stay in Kosovo.
1. The driving. I don't quit understand why it seems to be mandatory to overtake cars that are actually going way above the speed limit already. And while their is no possibility to overtake, you just tailgate the heck out of the guy in front of you, until he's so afraid that you might end up with your Audi logo pressed against his rear windshield that he'd rather just park his car on the side of the road only to get rid of you suicidal maniac. Ten seconds later, he witnesses that you overtook him only to take a right-turn on the next junction. An other thing is going onto the road, knowing fully well that you'll make the other car heavily break... just because you couldn't wait another 5 seconds.

2. Having (or not having?) a personal space. Went to an ATM. A guy was already withdrawing money, so I kept some distance. For some reason, a middle-aged woman thought the space I created between me and him was for her to fill in. Or going to a store and suddenly feeling your lumbar spine being dry humped by the shopping trolley of the family behind you.

3. Public service. Parked my car inside the parking lot of the bus station of Prishtina. Went to the office to pay the pay and display ticket. The person working there took it, looked at it, turned around to talk to the young (and quite charming) girl behind him (private convo), turned back to me after two minutes, only to tell me that he's not responsible for cars and I should go to a different desk.

4. Littering. The landscape here is incredible. There are mountains, beautiful forests, vast green fields and blue lakes, yet everyone looks at nature as if it was a huge place for their garbage disposal. When I was out with the guys and refused to throw my trash into the local canal which is supposed to be used to water the field, they looked at me as if I was an alien. And what is up with the plastic bags in stores? Why do I get a plastic bag for a bottle of water that I'm going to drink right away? And why do they look so surprised when I don't want a plastic bag (or mutliple plastic bags, as they'd never put food items together in one bag with, let's say, condoms)? Don't get me wrong, I'm not the guy that washes the tin foil he wrapped his food in, but this?

Dear fellow Albanians, please don't feel offended. I just think making a country function starts with simple things like the ones mentioned above which, though, are only symptoms of bigger issues. However, artificially "cleansing" our language from Turkish and Slavic loanwords should have a very, very low priority on anyones to-do-list (talking about the thread concerning what anyone would change about their language).
 
I agree with a lot of what you write. True nationalism needs love and respect for his land and his inhabitants, and his culture (not completely frozen). Hate for the others nations doesn't bring any profit to anybody, and fruitless competition not more. On another side, I think that too many people (kind of "elite") get interesting experience and knowledge outside of their countries but do'nt return in sufficient numbers to their land of origin to change things. It's a rough post of mine because it would merit to be developped but I'm a bit tired by these matters. But the subject is of some interest and others will develop better than I do.
 
I agree with all of those above but I would love to add couple of others:

1. Don't blame other countries/institutions/people for your problems. The banks did not force you to borrow money. America/Germany is not at fault for the corruption in your country.
2. Do not base your self worth on what your ancient ancestors did or not do. Do your best to contribute to your modern society and the world in some positive way.
3. Please spay/neuter your pets and do not abandon them in the streets. Too many stray pets.
4. No smoking means no smoking, damn it!
 
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I agree with a lot of what you write. True nationalism needs love and respect for his land and his inhabitants, and his culture (not completely frozen). Hate for the others nations doesn't bring any profit to anybody, and fruitless competition not more. On another side, I think that too many people (kind of "elite") get interesting experience and knowledge outside of their countries but do'nt return in sufficient numbers to their land of origin to change things. It's a rough post of mine because it would merit to be developped but I'm a bit tired by these matters. But the subject is of some interest and others will develop better than I do.


problem with many nationalists or so called patriots is, that they do not care that much about the contemporary societies in their countries and often they instead care for the past. they don't love the country but the ethnicity inside the country because they tie it to the countries past. imo true nationalism only needs love for the culture but yet i think true nationalism is still not something good. you are either stuck in the past or in the present. you shouldn't love your culture, but just appreciate the good sides of living there. at the same time people should always be open for change.
 
As a son of albanian emigrants born and raised in italy i should better say the things that should not be changed of albania, cuz the ones that should be changed are to many. Just kidding. ;)

1) MENTALITY!!!!!
Some tracts of albanian mentality make sense but others don't and are horrible to me, here i will link some of them but first let's create a little context of how did we get here: Albanians in the past were honorobale warriors, they had all the possibilities to create some beautiful cibilization of their kind but instead they preferred to serve the others without caring about their country.
I hat how albanians are fake patriots, their patriotism comes only when there's the soccer match Albania-Serbia or when we talk about HOW THE OTHERS STOLE OUR HISTORY AND LANDS, and aldo lots of things are true, others are nonsense such as claiming alexander the great was albanian, ancient greeks spoke albanian, albanian is a kind of superior language that originated all the other i.e. languages, the albanian culture is superior yet there was no contribution in any field by any albanian, there is nothing that the world will remember about albania, yet albanians are the best, KUQ E ZI, etc.
They love albania and would die for their country but are the first to pursue their own interests despite of the country's needs, just look at the political class, wich is just the reflection of the people.
Albanians want economical progress yet they don't innovate themselves the country, they think that someone else will come and illuminate us with the key to success, they are born hardworkers, give them any mansion and they will do you the best work possible, yet they score 0 in creativity, whatever requires a little bit of brain and courage is a lost cause for albanians, the albanian buisness owner is the typical restaurant that has opened his buisness in the same street as 100 other people that guess what, HAVE A RESTAURANT.
As a conclusion to cut short: albanians are proud of nothing, and it's a pattern that repeats itself in europe: the souther you go, the poorer it gets and the prouder people are of it, the richer and the norther the country is, the less proud and more self critical they are of themselves.
Notice it with the rise of fascist movements (with the esception of germany) and of the first democracies: Italy, portugal, spain, albania, kinda greece, tukey, all mediterranean and fascist wereas england, france, nedherlands, belgium, etc. were all democracies.
 

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