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

[politicus]

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. "Everybody 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.

[politicus]

Modern Serbian nationalism has also a strong sense of victimization where Serbs are seen as being persecuted both by Ustaca fascists during WW2 and later being discrimiated by (the Croat) Tito and kept down despite being the biggest nation in Yugoslavia.

[politicus]

Anyway, the day before the battle at Kosovo Polje against them evul Turks God sent the prophet Elias to test the Serb King Lazar by giving him a choice between earthly victory and heavenly victory. Lazar wisely chose the heavenly version, and as a result the good Lord gave the Serb his eternal blessing, which  entitled them to the earthly kingdom as well, which their small minded neighbours have failed to realize ever since, so you see our failure to recognize this is an affront to almighty God and you shouldn't really question it.

[politicus]

Anyway, the day before the battle at Kosovo Polje against them evul Turks God sent the prophet Elias to test the Serb King Lazar by giving him a choice between earthly victory and heavenly victory. Lazar wisely chose the heavenly version, and as a result the good Lord gave the Serb his eternal blessing, which  entitled them to the earthly kingdom as well, which their small minded neighbours have failed to realize ever since, so you see our failure to recognize this is an affront to almighty God and you shouldn't really question it.

Serb kids died, you know.

Yes I do. And they died in Bosnia as well. I led a field trip to Sarajevo with some students where we visited Pale and heard their stories. One of my best friends covered the Balkans for a daily for years and I heard her stories.

That does not mean I can not make fun of Serbian nationalist myths.

[politicus]

Anyway, the day before the battle at Kosovo Polje against them evul Turks God sent the prophet Elias to test the Serb King Lazar by giving him a choice between earthly victory and heavenly victory. Lazar wisely chose the heavenly version, and as a result the good Lord gave the Serb his eternal blessing, which  entitled them to the earthly kingdom as well, which their small minded neighbours have failed to realize ever since, so you see our failure to recognize this is an affront to almighty God and you shouldn't really question it.

Serb kids died, you know.

Yes I do. And they died in Bosnia as well. I led a field trip to Sarajevo with some students where we visited Pale and heard their stories. One of my best friends covered the Balkans for a daily for years and I heard her stories.

That does not mean I can not make fun of Serbian nationalist myths.

A friend of a friend's dad almost was killed in an airstrike. Such atrocities are nothing to laugh about.

Agreed, but once again: That does not mean I can not make fun of Serbian nationalist myths (or ridicule Serbian nationalism in other ways for that matter).

[politicus]

Sawx is joking.

Does not seem so. The second example would be in poor taste if he is.