I’m sure I’ll offend someone with this; good. This needs to be said and people have to start becoming aware of this. The following is possibly the biggest hurdle for the Bulgarian people and it needs to be discussed.
A few months ago I was on Bulgarian English-language news website Novinite.net, where I often got into discussions with other readers through their commenting system. One day one of the people argued that foreigners that come to live in Bulgaria must be the lowest of the low in their country. Why else would someone move to Bulgaria? Most of the commenters on the newsportal are Bulgarians that have moved abroad, mostly the USA. They are very hateful and find reason to despise just about everything. They point: the corruption is the fault of them, they hate parties on both sides of the political spectrum, except for the extreme right-wing party Ataka. It’s like they’re reading the news just to get an affirmation that their move abroad was a good choice. These people are among the most negative Bulgarians I’ve come across and they mask their own insecurity and feelings of inferiority by pointing, pointing and pointing.
Many people I meet have trouble understanding why someone from Holland would ever move to a country like this (twice!) and even bother to pick up a few words and sentences. To me, Holland is organized, linear, and everyone stays in their own bubble. To some that might sound appealing, but to me that sounds boring – and on top of that, the weather’s always shit. I went to Bulgaria to taste a little more of life. The food is better and more authentic, the people are not emotionless robots when they’re working, and they worry a bit less about their time. Whereas in Holland people look up the exact times of the bus and try to be at the busstop the minute before the bus comes, here people are more likely to simply go to the busstop and wait. That’s what I like, that’s why I’m here.
But why I really believe there’s some type of underlying inferiority complex in the Bulgarian society is the expressions of powerlessness people give. They feel their vote won’t change a thing, they feel it doesn’t matter who they vote for, they feel corruption can’t be solved….. They feel completely powerless to change anything about Bulgaria. That’s why I believe this is a more important thing to handle than fixing corruption, the justice system, or anything else. People have to believe they can make a difference; and then they will. The state of Bulgaria is improving, but slowly and with a determination to make a difference, from person to person, this process could speed up ten-fold.
People need to stop pointing at politicians, politicians need to stop pointing at each other, companies should stop pointing at politicians and politicians should stop pointing at companies. We ALL live in this country and we ALL want to have the best we can get; every time you point a finger, you can also pick up some of the litter on the streets and make a real difference.
Life’s not perfect people, nor will it ever be. Stop expecting to get something great, while you don’t believe other people deserve something great to happen to them. You are part of those other people, we are one society. Now stop pointing or holding out your hand and DO something. Anything at all. Make a difference today.
BasBasBas.com is about my life abroad. I regularly write about my adventures in Istanbul, Bulgaria and travels in the region, but like to ponder about the future also. If you’d like to stay up to date, you can subscribe to my RSS feed or get email updates in your inbox. You can also follow me on Twitter.
Comments
13 responses to “Bulgaria’s inferiority complex?”
Quite contradictonairy though ey, this poll of yours. Haha. Good post though. I’d agree.
Not my poll, mate. I clipped it from that Novinite news site to show how much the blame game is played. 😉
Hi Baz,
Interesting point about Bulgarians not understading why expats come here. I’ve yet to meet a Bulgarian who really understands why I came here. The taste of money abroad does turn Bulgarians against their own country, but then in their later years quite a few want to return to their roots (with the money they have made of course.)
As for the worse peopel coming to Bulgaria, that just comes from affordablity. Who is to say the the lowest of the low are always the poor folk?
In my opinion, that’s one of the best articles of yours I’ve read so far. It is not only because it concerns Bulgaria ( I am Bulgarian) and the problems of our society, but also the truth which you tell in a straightforward way. I completely agree with you.
Bas, I fully agree with you. This is good post, interesting topic. But Holland is not perfect either. Here politicians are fighting over how to handle the economical crisis. The so called Christians are again trying to gain power while not contributing to real solutions.
Also here the “blame game” is played. Better organized and certainly richer than Bulgaria, Holland is not near perfect.
Also here people complain rather than do something for the society.
A better world starts…………. (you know)
congrats on the article, bas! As you know I am a foreigner here as well and I can tell you that I feel the same. People here love complaining about the problems they have but they do not want to take any action against it. Sometimes I have the feeling that everyone is against everyone and I describe Sofia as being a jungle. Every animal in the jungle fights for a meal, no matter what. People here just look to get something without actually caring too much about the means of getting there.
There are many things in Sofia that need to be solved but small things that can easily be fixed really make me wonder why I also chose to be here. One example is the trash company: every time they pick up the trash, the workers just throw the empty cans in the middle of the road. They don’t give a s@@t about where the containers land, they just to their job (in their view). The effect of their ignorance: mad drivers and less parking places in a city that already has way too many cars. Is it that difficult to put back the empty containers in the designated places?
💡 great essay, u read my mind
but I dont live in BG . I am a CITIZEN of our world and I feel better that way, and not as a Bulgarian, French or German citizen. Im the same person everywhere and Im not complaining. Life is what we make out of it. ❗
“…the expressions of powerlessness people give. They feel their vote won’t change a thing, they feel it doesn’t matter who they vote for, they feel corruption can’t be solved….. They feel completely powerless to change anything …”
Sounds like the mindset of the people in my country too, we all seem to have accepted a general state of apathy and tend to act out on this by not voting, and constantly attacking the folks who are our neighbors and the source of “the problem” because they are a conservative or liberal and we are on the other side.
So maybe it’s not so much a disenfranchised Ex-pat Bulgarian thing but more of a disease they catch from us once they move here to the good ole’ melancholy USA…
Well said Bas. I have been reading your articles lately, great stuff.
I have unfortunately given up on Bulgaria and Bulgarians but it seems to me you have not. Respect.
Keep the fire burning.
// Bulgarian 🙂 living in Sweden
good one! good gob!
I must agree on both of your views, for BG and NL.
if I could even add some more…
for BG, the notion that money are in the roots of everything is the biggest misconception everyone is having. and although people are not leaving in their own bubble, like the dutch, they act as if, sometimes. self-interest always before common-one, I guess it comes as a heritage from the abrupt communist-society-break.
As for the dutch :), well you must acknowledge that the Netherlands is one, if not the most, internationalized country in Europe. here you can meet literally any kind of person, combined with the vision people have for the country (sex,drugs,party!)
I am really having fun of all the freaks all meet around 😀
Hey mate!
First of all why do you judge people, society and a whole country just from what you’ve seen on a news forum? I’m Bulgarian and currently i live in Holland. I used to live in the states as well so I know many Bulgarians who are abroad and they all love our god damn country just because it’s one of the few where you actually feel alive. Many people, many opinions but just because a few said that the sediment of Europe settle down in Bulgaria it doesn’t mean that everybody thinks like that. Personally I think that many people from UK (usually pensioners) and other countries of course come to BG because in many ways the country is better than theirs AND it’s a lot cheaper. I went abroad for many reasons but as soon as finish my education I pray to God that I will land on Bulgarian soil.
Err… yeah, actually, I lived in Bulgaria for a year and have a lot of friends there, so your assumption that I’m basing it on just what I’ve seen on a news forum is wrong.
I figured what was on there would serve as a good introduction and example for this post. I’m not saying anything about your country, but just about the way a big group of Bulgarians feel about their own country. I love Bulgaria and I really recognize what you said about feeling alive there.
So I wasn’t talking down on Bulgaria. It’s a great country, but I feel it’s a shame that people aren’t more proud of and confident about BG.
I feel many Bulgarians (although usually not the youth) think Bulgaria is the way it is and that it will not change… they have learned to laugh about it, but don’t feel they deserve a better Bulgaria. It’s good to see young people are much more ambitious.
It’s also not everyone of course that thinks like this. Dutch people are cheap (as in not wanting to share / spend money), but that doesn’t really hold true for me. Yet when someone makes that assertion, I’ll agree with them.
Anyway, maybe you’ll see my point. I’ve worked for various Bulgarian companies and organisations and have met and spoken to many Bulgarians… So I base my assertion on my own experience and not just something I read on some website.
Actually, I highly doubt you read the whole post.