I hope so.* I just learned the other day about something I
didn't know about in the Serbia/Albania thing.* I was really
into that war, as I had a rare friend who was on the "opposing
side" and she'd send emails from her house giving daily reports
to a small group of 1000 of us daily updates, until her phone
lines were finally cut.* But I got to hear an opinion that was
ENTIRELY OPPOSITE of what I heard on the news everyday and that
people were talking about. She ended up ok, as the phone line
was fixed as the conflict started to settle. anyway, what I
learned recently is what is often declared the True Heroes of
that conflict.* If I remember the name of it right, it was
called: The White Shirt Brigade. Before, during and after the
conflict, they got up.* They put on their white shirt and tie
and they went to work. They avoided streets with conflict.* They
didn't get involved in the fighting.* They just kept going to
work.* Day in, day out. Albania and Serbia.* The White Shirt
Brigade. They were aware of everything.* But they have families
to feed, lives to lead and they just kept plunging forward,
avoiding getting killed of course and keeping their families
safe and their businesses running. We never hear about the White
Shirt Brigade, nor do we ever. It's not news.* It's everyday.
But THAT'S what makes it news worthy for me, for it lies in
stark contrast to the images we are presented on TV.* A dramatic
singular event replays over and over and over again until we
believe it's ALWAYS HAPPENING, all of the time, everyway, and
this far off part of the world is in ultimate RUIN. But it's
not.* It rarely is.* Even in WWII, people from Germany went to
work every day.* People in English, went to work everyday.* The
shit was happening around them, but what could they do? History
never records these, the bravest of the brave.* They carried on
through it all.* Not untouched by war and conflict, no.* But
they perservered and kept the Reality of "the Everyday" alive
until the world around them wanted it again too.
[oh and a PS, I'm not Albanian or Serbian :P** I followed the
war because a friend of mine pointed me to her small email group
and thought I should know about it.* So I guess I've never
changed.* It's interesting to me, only if it's interesting to
someone I know.* I have my own interests that aren't world
news/politics related :D ]
