A recent public opinion survey in Croatia showed that only 25 percent of respondents support the Government, marking the largest drop in support since measurements began in 2004. Although the survey was presented as yet another sign that this Government is losing support, no one has questioned what is glaringly obvious – 25 percent??? In words: twenty-five percent.
In this country, a quarter of citizens still support the Government, assuming the sample is representative. With the possibility that it concerns a few elderly people scattered across Croatian backwaters, convinced that this is the Cvetković-Maček government, this data truly prompts reflection on these Croats, a people best at shifting responsibility onto someone else, most often their closer and more distant neighbors. Are Croats really just well-meaning sheep eternally deceived by wolves among themselves (and outside of themselves), or perhaps it is indeed true that they have the state they deserve, meaning their reality perfectly reflects themselves? A few everyday examples, which in themselves carry no particular weight, cataloged in one place may provide insight into what kind of people Croats are and what kind of state they deserve. For instance, you want to repair an old torn necklace of mainly sentimental value. Since it is an old watch on a chain, you take it to a watchmaker, naively believing he might be interested in doing something that day. A big mistake. Craftsmen whose trade is dying do not want to deal with some old and worthless necklace, saying it is too much work for too little money.
And everyone knows that Croats have their pride and would rather take out another loan and involve some good acquaintance as a guarantor than work for peanuts. A Croat has his dignity and knows what friends are for. Or you enter a store, leave aside a bag with Lenor and a mop cloth, just for a few moments unattended, only to go to the back to get something. Although the entire operation does not take long, by the time you reach the checkout, your Lenor and mop are gone. Should I say that no one saw anything, this is not a land of complainers. And you can bet that it was not taken by someone who has less than you in life. Or someone who desperately needed Lenor. The same goes for a few stolen millions, or a slacker colleague whose job everyone else does. Croats recognize a good opportunity when they see it and act swiftly. Furthermore, all of you who are internet-savvy have at some point searched for subtitles in Croatian for some series or movie. The amount of incompetent and imbecilic translations is truly astonishing, as is the realization that so many Croats simply do not understand how modest their knowledge of English, and even Croatian, is. Croats do not let such technicalities unsettle them; they are always experts, proud of what they have done. From here to serious overestimation of one’s own work is a very small and entirely logical step.
