Why is there so much historical revisionism/nationalism among Serbians?

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

Over the past several years, many Serbian friends of mine (as have many Serbian strangers, both on the internet and IRL) have expressed opinions regarding the NATO bombings of Serbia during the Yugoslav wars (especially in 1998) from an entirely one-sided point of view that completely ignores the context of the bombings, exaggerates the death toll, and act as if Serbia was just minding its own business and then BAM everyone just starts bombing them. On my Instagram account right now, two girls have posted pictures of the bombings and acting like Serbia was the victim, playing the "women, children, hosptials, schools, everything was bombed" card as well.  Totally ignoring the context. Totally ignoring the fact that Serbia committed genocide.

Here's a direct quote from a friend's picture:
"The NATO bombing of Serbia happened 16 years ago today. Over 200 towns and settlements were bombed by over 1,200 planes. More than 2,500 civilians were killed during these bombings, 30 PERCEFNT OF WHICH WERE CHILDREN. More than 12,500 were injured and are STILL suffering if not physically, mentally. If loss of human capital wasn't enough, the estimated total economic damage caused by the NATO bombing was equivalent to $29.6 billion dollars. And through all of this inhumane tragedy, The Serbian people still stand strong with the love for their faith and culture, still knowing in their minds and hearts that Kosovo is Serbia and that yes, they STILL want to be Serbs!" *clapping emojis*

Additionally, many of them share things on Facebook that are basically "Serbian-supremacist"; for example, a guy shared an article that was titled something like "Russian archeologist finds evidence that Serbians built the first civilization".

I get ethnic pride is a thing. I live in an area that saw/still sees massive immigration from around the world, especially from Poland, Serbia, Macedonia, Croatia, Greece, India, Syria, Iraq, and all over Latin America, yet the intensity and historical revisionism doesn't come anywhere near that of the Serbian community.

I know there is a paradox in many former communist countries, where there is simultaneous distrust of the media and acceptance of the most wild conspiracy theories put forward by said media to justify nationalism (POLITICO had a good article on Russian media and Putin's control), but it seems that there's only the latter in Serbia. It's almost like Republicans in the lead-up to the 2012 elections, except there is no end with this.

Why is this? Can anyone elaborate?

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

There's nothing unusual about resentment and revanchism remaining prevalent among the losers of a war that took place less than 20 years ago.

But why is it so strong amongst Serbians? Is there any other particular reason?

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

Serbian nationalism is connected to Orthodox mysticism and the idea of being a frontier nation fighting Islam and saving Christian Europe. It is rooted in strong semi-religious myths of being a chosen people and many Serbs do not understand why the West chose to support Muslims over them.  There is a sense of betrayal and being wronged by the outside world. "Everyboy is against us". There has been a need to create a narrative in which the Serbs are the good guys - persecuted heroes wrongly blackened by the decadent and ungrateful West.

This intimate relationship between state, nation and church is known as Svetosavlje, the principle of the Holy Sava. Serbian nationalists are often not personally religious, but this background influences their world view.

Ah, thank you