Jovic’s Oedipus

by Viktor IVANCIC

Feral Tribune, Split, Croatia, March 22, 2002

Last Wednesday Josip Jovic wrote in Slobodna Dalmacija that Feral “exhibits deep enmity with respect to the existence of an independent Croatia”, that “it attempts to discredit the modern independent Croatia using the NDH [Independent State of Croatia, pro-Nazi puppet state in WWII] mold”, that Feral “systematically attacks and mocks” the following – “Croatian history”, “Croatian church”, “Croatian army”, and “all that is Croatian”; then that Feral’s journalists “cooperate with the spying underworld in Croatia and abroad”, that they “pull out of the shady underworld alleged witnesses of crimes” in order “to use propaganda and portray the Homeland War as a criminal and aggressive war,” all that with assistance of “those who are prepared to sign a blank check to finance such endeavors”, although Feral “does all of that not only because they are paid to do so, but also because they believe in their mission”, because “Feral’s ideology is a direct heir of Orjuna [pro-Yugoslav Croat organization, based in Dalmatia], so that “their Croat-phobia is becoming increasingly aggressive”; furthermore, not only does Feral promote “Orjuna ideology” but it also employs “Orjuna methodology”; just like “their ideological forefathers used to beat up members of the Croat Peasant Party”, “Feral beats up with words, sentences, and pictures”; they “forge articles” and consequently “Feral resembles a Communist wall-paper”; its humor is “ideological”, “debased”, “primitive”, “vulgar”, “boring”, and “hateful”; actually “their humor hates everything Croatian”, and that is obviously “a matter for psychiatrists” as it clearly “hides Oedipal complexes”, as well as complexes of “mixed marriages”, “delayed outset puberty”, “uncontrolled urination”, “cocaine induced hallucinations” and “disturbed identity”.

But then the brutal editorial hand in Slobodna Dalmacija recklessly censored Jovic’s article, so that the second edition of the Wednesday issue appeared without musings about “mixed marriages”, “delayed outset puberty”, “uncontrolled urination”, “cocaine induced hallucinations” and “disturbed identity”! All these complexes turned into simply “complex-like syndrome of Oedipal complexes”! Thus, in a typically Stalinist manner, commentary of a distinguished Croat journalist was literally mutilated: brilliant assertions about anti-Croatianism, Croat-phobia, hatred for everything Croat, Orjuna ideology, Orjuna methodology, Orjuna-like violence, cooperation with foreign spies, slandering of Croat history, Croat church, Croat army, Croat lettuce… remain, but not a trace of mixed marriages, cocaine-induced hallucinations and other crucial inventions!

How long will Croat journalists, especially those with clear nationalist orientation, be exposed to torture of censors?! Why is Josip Jovic denied the right to freely express his opinion? Why would he have the right, without offering any superfluous arguments, to write about Feral’s anti-Croatianism, Orjuna-like ideology, violence, Croat-phobia, selling out to foreign powers, Communism, and “complex-like syndrome of Oedipal complexes”, while he is denied the freedom to write, also without any argumentation, about Feral’s mixed marriages, uncontrolled urination, cocaine induced hallucinations? Gentlemen censors, free speech cannot be blocked! Just like defecation in the midst of dysentery cannot be stopped!

As Jovic’s colleagues, we are shocked by this action of the editors of Slobodna Dalmacija. We remind them that Josip Jovic, as an extremely patriotic Croat author, proven nationalist and opponent of everything Yugoslav freely published even during the worst Communist oppression in the long gone year 1989. Then, for example, he wrote about possible “dissolution” of the former Yugoslavia into independent states, to spite Croat-phoebes, supporters of Ojuna, and pro-Yugoslav traitors: “In the conditions of ethnically mixed population the principle ‘one people, one religion, one state’ can be implemented only with pure violence and with arbitration from abroad. That is why I personally believe that dissolution has less than one percent of chance of happening, probably because I fear that sort of outcome the most.”(Vjesnik , February 19, 1989)

Therefore, we repeat: Gentlemen censors, , free speech cannot be blocked! Just like defecation in the midst of dysentery cannot be stopped!

Translated on March 19, 2003