As cliche and cheesy as it sounds you need to learn to love yourself before others can love you. It sounds like you are self isolating as a form of self sabotage and self punishment. You need to wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and say “I have a right to exist”. When you are out in public and feel insecure you need to say to yourself “I have a right to be here, this is my space like everyone elses”. You are not a criminal, you have done nothing wrong and you don’t owe anyone anything especially money. I struggle with avoidance as well and what helps me is to book appointments or tickets to events to force me to go. Unlike going for a walk in the park which I can do any time so I put it off and never do it. If you start going outside you will build up your confidence and meet new people.

It sounds like you and your friend are neurodivergent.

There’s a really good video essay about Nolan’s Western depiction of the Odyssey: https://youtu.be/yFn1JfOd3b0

Comments sections on youtube videos from psychologists talking about parental narcissistic abuse?

Higher crime rates and lower standards of living suppresses wages which in turn makes it more attractive for US businesses to outsource labour to.

Interestingly, the term “ethnic cleansing” has its origins in the balkans: https://www.liquisearch.com/ethnic_cleansing/origins_of_the_term

In the 1980-1990s Serbian politicians used the term as a way to deny genocide because genocide has a legal basis where as “cleansing” does not. Of course they did not want to be found criminally responsible.

My assumption is smaller countries are weaker and easier to dominate.

Communists/anti-imperialists across the world, and especially in the west, wish so much to believe a fantasy of the Yugoslav wars where the communist Serbs were defeated by NATO.

The reality is after the death of Tito in 1980 nationalism was bubbling up among the different states and by 1991 communism was dead in Yugoslavia. Talks of separatism was happening with every ethnic group in the 1980s but for Belgrade the rhetoric had become that of Greater Serbia. You will not find a single speech or letter from Milosevic in the 90s that even remotely resembles socialist values. In fact you will not find Serbian soldiers with socialist/communist values, no “brotherhood and Unity” or celebration of Tito. It was purely nationalism and fascism, Chetnik, orthodox and even monarchist symbols were displayed. There was no hammer and sickle or red star.

If you wish to understand what happened, you will have to look into the history of WWI & WWII in the region. I don’t have time to go into depth but here is a short article that slightly touches on it: https://detsvenskahatet.aftonbladet.se/chapter/del-4/

If you’re asking if the Srebrenica Massacre happened? Yes, it absolutely did. 8000 unarmed Muslim Bosnian men were rounded up and killed by Serbian forces (with the help of the UN). There is an abundance of evidence: photos, videos, mass graves and witnesses.

Here is a video which shows one of the killings part of the Srebrenica massacre (warning graphic): https://youtu.be/lwi7w6lIjys

In the video, a Serbian Orthodox priest is seen blessing members of the Scorpions unit before they go on to kill the Muslim men, he says: “give strength to the most faithful Serbian army to fight and to win against the enemy of the Serbian people.”

The victims were identified as: Safet Fejzić (17), Azmir Alispahić (17), Sidik Salkić (36), Smail Ibrahimović (35), Dino Salihović (18) and Juso Delić (25).

This is also a good documentary about it: https://youtu.be/Vj9hPamC04U

Bonus, the human Safari of Sarajevo. How wealthy foreigners paid to sniper civilians in Sarajevo: https://youtu.be/6-9nZkdaNrQ

I can understand wanting to side against NATO in every conflict, they were not there in good faith (never are really). I also believe that there was outside interference to stoke the flames of nationalism in Yugoslavia, after all a strong united balkan nation threatened the economic interests of Western Europe and the USA. But it didn’t take a lot of effort for the whole thing to crumble, it fell faster and easier than any other “target” like Libya or Syria. The USSR, Czechoslovakia divided and Germany reunified without war. China, Vietnam, Cuba and even Venezuela are still kickin. The balkan rabid fascists couldn’t wait to slaughter the “other” for revenge for something that happened 50yrs ago which was revenge for something that happened 30yrs ago which was revenge for etc. etc… Out of all the communist countries I find Yugoslavia the most disappointing.

RIP Comrade Parenti, my life changed forever when I accidental came across your lecture all those years ago. Now that I read your books I forever continue to learn from you.

The fact that one publicly shamed you and another put you down after you cried It sounds like they’re on some psycho power trip. I would not be surprised if it’s nothing to do with you or the cost of tax payer money but these people get off on bullying others. Sadly the health care industry is full of narcissists and bullies.

Here are some things I would say to the psychos:

1. “We spend billions on the defence industry for hypothetical security threats that never happen, why can’t we spend that money to save british lives from ACTUAL health threats that they can die from? How many people die from war every day vs. How many people die from cancer/strokes?”
2. The cost of hospitalisation and the long term complications of your health problems would cost the NHS more than paying for the medication for the rest of your life.
3. I would straight up infront of everyone, like you have written in your post, accuse them of eugenics. “If the medication is costing the government too much what is your solution for me? What is your final solution for me, for disabled, sick, or genetically unclean people who are a burden to society?”
4. Brag about how much you’re costing the NHS to piss them off. “Yeah I’m such a welfare queen, I hope my health gets worse so I can bankrupt the country, sometimes I think about eating car batteries so I can end up in the ER and suck dry their resources. Call me Princess Kate because I’m recovering from cancer and a huge drain on the tax payer”. I don’t think they’re allowed to deny you your prescriptions but I’m not familiar with NHS entitlements so I would check with the NHS before doing this.

Most importantly, don’t show them you’re upset because they feed on your tears.

Did Russia betray Assad? The way the transfer of power happened so quickly, without resistance and no push back from Russia seems suspicious. Maybe Russia got sick of Assad?

So you would rather assist with war crimes/genocide than live in poverty? I would rather serve crack than serve the empire.