Opportunity doesn’t knock on the door of Balkan youth. A chat with a young Bulgarian man about the lack of future in his country.
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“The interim between the fall of the Soviet block and the coming of Euro Union style democracy for Bulgaria is neither good nor bad, it is just nothing,”
Vladi speaks with a strong confidence but also a deep sadness. The confidence comes from his Bulgarian pride, his sadness borders on depression for the state of his region. There is no way to deny that the economic case for Balkan countries is precarious at best. No opportunity, no jobs, no growth. ‘There ain’t no future and there ain’t no hope” is not just the screamed lyrics of American punk rock Defiance; it is the reality right now for Bulgarian youth in the prime years for establishing their careers. The only problem is… all that motivation and drive is wasted because career development opportunities are rare inside Bulgaria. Vladi’s words echo the sentiment of the Balkan region,
“The only chance many young Bulgarians see is to become part of the ongoing economic migration and seek career development outside of Bulgaria.”
After communism fell in Bulgaria, the former corrupt leaders changed their hat insignia from red stars to dollar signs. Corruption started taking bigger bites as it was fueled by capital gain. European Union style democracy has created an economic drain on the citizens of Balkan states. Vladi describes his peers,
“Passive people with a lack of drive, no motivation.”
photo by by KamrenB Photography/Flickr
A lack of motivation does exist but how can you find motivation when there is no opportunity? When it is yet another in a long series of occupier regime changes?
“Ottoman to Soviet to Euro thug, another day but no change, just the thumb always holding you down. There are those who say, ‘The past in Bulgaria, the communist era, was better. At least there were jobs, and our survival needs were attained.’ The retort is, ‘no, that is wrong. It wasn’t better, it was just survival with no hope, and that lack of hope now helps demotivate the community.’ Those who say it is better now are also deluded. There is ‘democracy’ and ‘free speech’, but is it really that? What good has it done for Bulgaria so far?”
Again, Vladi cuts right to the point. The people across the Balkans have been trying to exercise this new concept of Euro democracy, but the protests and free expressions serve little purpose other than a social pressure release valve. The real leaders ensure that they stay in power behind the scenes, and the masses are sated even though this is a time of dire need for drastic change. I can’t blame the powers behind the scenes though; they are just stuck in a political indoctrination program, which has no operating procedure for public outcry against an unsustainable system. There is no protocol for them, so they do what they can which is mainly changing the face but not the game. This is one drawback of Euro style McDemocracy. It manifests more and more not as the tyranny of the majority but as the tyranny of an elite few. Their demands are packaged as ‘the lesser of evils’ in the face of a massive shift in global economy. This same structure is seen as an endless repeated loop in global democracies.
Photo by KamrenB Photography/Flickr
The resulting reality for young men and women in the Balkan region is blank. There are jobs, as anywhere, but most are service industry jobs in urban centers. Sufficient work in rural areas is almost non existent. There is an economic migration both out of the country and out of the village. The ancient sustainable farming and husbandry practices are disappearing. Not because of any depletion of natural resources, but due to a cultural shift that is placing more importance on monetary and material pursuit. This, combined with low career opportunity, equals a drying up of village life. For those who have a sound education and the right ‘handshake, nod, and wink’ lucrative employment outside the Balkan region is possible, but that is not the case for most. This is where the choice is split right on the binary gender line. For undereducated women, the reality is the sex tourist trails of Western Europe. For men without the right credentials or contacts, the choice is to stay behind with no future (of course no data exists on male human traffic in Eastern Europe.)
On a much more positive note, there remain true spirited young Bulgarians who plan to return to the land while a large percentage of Bulgarian youth are off seeking fortune and CV bullet points.A desire for a more ecologically balanced lifestyle is causing these young Bulgarians to walk back to the village. Each step of the way recognizes the sustainability of village life. This is exactly what has preserved the pride and life of the Balkan region through its long list of occupiers.
The Balkan region is trying to figure what the hell they can do in the wake of its persistent communist hangover. The advantage might lie in the sustainable and preserved connection to nature that stills survives there, as well as the more intact swaths of preserved ecosystems in the region. However, corporate (read corrupt) powers are in a scramble to secure these fields of profit. Take a look at Romanian fracking operations and the huge public outcry fighting to block these acts of environmental ecocide. The duty to the people which communism promised and failed to deliver needs to be served. The same players in the ‘communist’ puppet show which corrupted the people’s system are now in charge of the greed that is bent on sucking the environment dry of all it can until their mighty purse bursts. The paradox of thug democracy in the Euro zone allows for a free voice through protest and the press. Yet the people’s voice of protest is ignored by the government. Look at the long series of protests in Sofia, and the underhanded maneuvers by developers in league with the police in Skopje. The voice of popular protest is used as a pressure release valve, or it is treated as something that should be avoided. The players use legal maneuvers crafted by the state and corporate concerns to sucker punch the masses into something none of them want.
Photo by by Georgi C/Flickr
“When we look at the press, the mass media (free press?) is driven more by its use for social manipulation than unbiased reporting. This is particularly blatant in the appointment of media mogul, Delyan Peevski, to head of the State Agency of National Security that sparked off protests on 14 June, 2014. Can you see how the greed machine has a strangle hold on the mass media? This is not free press.”
Vladi sees the problems, but like many faced with the need for huge social reform; he is also unable to find the answers alone. Help is difficult to find in answering the big Balkan questions. “Getting the situation out to the public is the problem, even documentary work to cast an eye in the realm of economic disparity in the Balkans is hard pressed to find a sympathetic ear. Most funding goes to those who have already well-established social connections and are willing to paint the European Union vision of cultural homogenization.”
Vladi ain’t dumb; he can see the path clearly. As time rolls on are we destined to continue down this dead end path and see more large-scale social disruptions across Europe?
However, if the voice of the people who still walk a path connected to their nature is heard, our ears will swell with a cry so loud that it cannot be ignored.
Flag photo by Free Grunge Textures – www.freestock.ca/flickr
First of all, wtf is this title??? Second, Vladi seems like too much of pessimist in my opinion (which is a typical Bulgarian trait btw). Yes, Bulgaria is in a pretty bad state, yes, we have the worst government since the fall of communism, but let’s not overlook all the progress we’ve made since the 90s. Nobody can convince me that what we had back then was better. Mafia idiots all over the place, no laws, no rules, nobody had an idea what was going on, massive illegal emigration. Now things are waaaaaaaay better, and we got to this point… Read more »