Do people look down on "village life" in your country ?

Posted by Extra_Loquat_5599@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 67 comments

Pozdrav svima. I live in a village in Bosnia. I have my land, I grow my own vegetables and fruit, I make my own rakija and ajvar. My needs are simple. I heat with wood, and my biggest daily concern is often the weather and my tomatoes. I also run an international online business. It earns me enough that I could live like a corrupt politician in Sarajevo if I wanted to. Big car, fancy clothes, apartment in the city center. But I don't want to. I save almost everything. I don't care about Rolexes, BMWs, or showing off in cafes. The problem is the social side. I've noticed, especially when I interact with people from the city, that they kinda look down on this lifestyle. There's a feeling that gardening, making your own stuff, and living simply is something you do because you have to, not because you choose to. It's seen as low status. Like I'm just a seljak who doesn't know any better. They act almost sorry for me, or treat my lifestyle as a quirky backwards hobby, not a deliberate choice. My own neighbors mostly get it, but even some family members ask when I'll finally "move up" to a proper life in the city. So I'm asking you all: How is this viewed in your country or region? In your experience, is there a strong cultural pressure in your country to display wealth for status?

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67 Comments

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WildOne5303@reddit

Everyone wants the “village life.”

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fk_censors@reddit

When Romania was very poor, it used to be like that, city life was glamorized and village life was disdained. That's when it was considered cool to drive a car, and riding a bicycle was only for humble people. As Romania's economy rapidly grew, perceptions changed, and people, now with a lot more money and leisure time, began appreciating the simple life, being outdoors, getting exercise, and living closer to nature. Driving a car is now lame compared to biking. Many prefer a stroll in nature over sitting and drinking on the sidewalk or in a smoky neighborhood bar all day long. Escaping poverty and misery really changed attitudes.

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AmbientRiffster@reddit

In Serbia they do, for different reasons. There is a certain certain urban snob type whose family moved to the city 1 or 2 generations ago and they look down on rural living as something they fought and escaped from, very common in new money families. There are also very disconnected city types who are disgusted by the sight of dirt and farm animals. On the other hand, a lot of younger people also romanticise the village because they have no idea how hard life can get out there. For me, I only have negative opinions because of the failings of our government. My dream is to own a house with a yard in a smaller town just outside the city, but the infrastructure, job opportunities and social life are so bad that I won't even consider it.

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Extra_Loquat_5599@reddit (OP)

How can you be disgusted by dirt? that is so extremely weird. Animals i kinda get but dirt? like soil ? That has to be a Belgrade thing

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ExtremeProfession@reddit

Many people are disgusted by the idea of getting dirty and having to scrub their shoes and wash their outfit after walking in the mud.

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Archaeopteryx111@reddit

You’re living a dream. Everyone wants a homestead where they don’t have to deal with corporate overlords. Don’t change!

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Belt-Helpful@reddit

The problems come when the kids have to go to school.

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Archaeopteryx111@reddit

Makes sense.

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Dauincap@reddit

Everyone wants a homestead lifestyle until they are faced with the reality of living that life. Spoiler it's not that nice.

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Archaeopteryx111@reddit

Everyone wants what they don’t have.

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Ok-Carpenter8823@reddit

I think there is but I live in a village and I aspire this kind of life. The simple village-life I mean. I'm working on it. I am slow and I'm not there yet but getting closer. My family is very different, they search for living big and being powerful but there are other people in my village who are searching something more similar to what I am searching. We have many people growing veggies and some people have chicken, sheep, donkeys etc.. I'm happy to learn to live slower and more in nature and I love to see that there are other people, who think similar :) thanks for sharing

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TastyRancidLemons@reddit

In Greece it's a bit weird. Most Greeks are very proud of their village in every place you go. They will visit it often throughout the year, they will talk about it all the time, spend a ton of money fixing up their village properties etc But life is too hard here to allow us to live there, so most stay in the cities. There's also an Athens specific phenomenon, where many Athenians will indeed look down on village life, and villager is even an insult. But this is often just a thing from more afluent or middle class people who were born in Athens, as opposed to people who moved there. Thessaloniki and Patra don't have any such bias, people don't look down on village life there.

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casual_philosopher02@reddit

as a Patra local that's it, most of us that are ACTUALLY from here have our village 30 minutes away , at MOST an hour, so we are not disconnected, I was studying philology and going to gather olives on the weekends

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narisha_dogho@reddit

I'm born and raised in Athens, but i support the farmers and so do most people i know. I think it has nth to do with where you grew up, rather your political stance.

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casual_philosopher02@reddit

I believe people with bizzare political stances are usually disconnected on most topics, they have the safety of distance from such problems

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TastyRancidLemons@reddit

Good point about the distance! Also, I still stand with the farmers. The media could never make me hate them no matter how hard they push (even though I'm a city person).

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casual_philosopher02@reddit

people that disagree probably never had to do any farming in their life so they think farmers must be responsible of any foul thing that the weather brings them... They have not realised how food gets on their tables, ignorant and insensitive

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East-Raccoon135@reddit

I live in NYC where people are very disconnected from nature. I would say it depends on your political beliefs and values, but many of the people I know on the left really look up to “homesteaders” as we call it here, people that live off the land and while many couldn’t do it themselves, as they are too used to the conveniences of modern city life, they don’t look down on it negatively. In comparison in Albania I believe the city people look down on “villagers” more so, which is ironic because Albania historically has had a bigger connection with the land and more rural peasants

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Normal_Ad2456@reddit

Yes, because in America, if you want to have a homestead, you have to be pretty well off. People usually try and save hundreds of thousands) if not more), in order to begin their “cottagecore lifestyle”. In Albania and other Balkan countries, villagers are usually not leaving because they don’t have a lot of education, so they wouldn’t be able to found a good job in big cities. They live off the land, usually with lots of physical and financial struggle (especially in the past). Their life is not as aesthetic or comfortable as the life of a cottagecore girly in the US. Basically, many of the people who remain in the village don’t have any other options.

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Archaeopteryx111@reddit

I live in the US and want to buy a place in Romania to have my own cottage core lifestyle when I have enough money. 🤷‍♂️

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Normal_Ad2456@reddit

How much do you think you need to save to do it?

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Archaeopteryx111@reddit

Land and house prices have been going up fast. My grandparents plot of land was worth like 20K euros 20 years ago, and now it’s probably worth 150K euros. This is in a provincial city in Transylvania.

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East-Raccoon135@reddit

Of course it’s a hard life but the bigger problem is that globalization and urbanization has led to mass depopulation of rural villages and mountain areas, people are forced to leave because of lack of economic opportunities schools hospitals etc. In Albania Hoxha actually instituted a policy to prevent mass rural -> urban migration and the rural areas were thriving more than today. People should have the option to live in rural areas if they want and not be forced into the cities. Personally I think disconnection from nature is really toxic and unhealthy for us humans.

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Normal_Ad2456@reddit

Oh yes, of course, I agree. I am just explaining why “village life” is looked down upon. People always tried to imitate the “higher social classes” and viewed the working class as beneath them, even if they themselves belonged in that group.

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DarthTomatoo@reddit

I just want to say that I read NYC, I didn't look at the flair, so, when you said Albania, I read Albany and I wondered how there could be such a difference.

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Bazhit@reddit

Bro ur living the dream.

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scorpio9872@reddit

Dude dont change things that make you happy just to make others happy. As long as you are happy and feel fullfilled with your life, who the fuk cares what others think.

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Dej234@reddit

Pazi samo da ti inflacija ne pojede ušteđevinu i dobar si

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LeeSunhee@reddit

I think you have the best of both worlds! I also live in the countryside but I am poor. I have to drive 2h every day into the city to get to my job. What kind of an online bussiness do you have? Dropshipping?

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No-Championship-4632@reddit

I don't look down, but it's unnecessarily romanticized when it's nothing like that in reality. And it is boring as hell (unless you hire people to deal with the boring part, but then it gets rather expensive).

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flushbunking@reddit

They pretend to look down on you, they actually resent what you do, as you are a mirror reflecting what they are not.

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Imaginary_String_814@reddit

Not from my experience in Austria. Many people move also back to the country side after studies or creating families.

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Tykki_Mikk@reddit

People from villages and the countryside look down on people from cities and the capital People from cities look down on people from the countryside and people from the capital People from the capital look down on everyone else And everyone thinks/assumes others look down on them even when some people mind their business and don’t care.

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_kReddid@reddit

Pozdrav brate. You should dont give a f*ck about it! Enjoy YOUR life.

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Extra_Loquat_5599@reddit (OP)

I usually don't but some lady saw my dirty hands and pants today and said some passive aggressiv shit and it pissed me off ...

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db27272727@reddit

Is someone like that the type of person you want to interact with anyway? Quality over quantity. Your life sounds amazing and more and more people are realizing that nowadays.

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_kReddid@reddit

I understand you. But you know who you are and what you can do. Does she know how to plant tomatoes or how often to water it? I guess not.

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sabinpro@reddit

The people who have been tricked by the MATRIX wants to show off and regards village life as low life. Reason: Firstly, they dont have FREEDOM in their life; they are busy on 9-5 and hardly have time to THINK about better life. Secondly, they have never got what they want in their life. Once they got enough money ( not easy for majority ), they will have DESIRE to have something better and that will be the time they will come searching for village life, self sustainable farm, freedom, own business and so on. Live your healthy life in village; ignore the rest. I have been going through what you are going now. Even the family members thinks like you dont have work LOL

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Tableforoneperson@reddit

Nothing says freedom as having farm with animals which must be fed daily and agricultural works which must be done according to certain seasons/periods.

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sabinpro@reddit

Dont go for animals cruelty; dont have them :) Agriculture with Seasons/Periods wont matter because you can live there in your home and do it or hire someone to do it if you are travelling anyway, it seems, you are not on that stage

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08YOY80@reddit

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Tableforoneperson@reddit

I think life in a countryside is difficult. One thing is sit in the countryside with open laptop another thing is to live from agriculture and animals.

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thestoicnutcracker@reddit

It's extremely frowned upon, but at the same time, due to the fact that the capital is extremely overcrowded, many say at times that they wished they could move to the countryside.

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Stock_Investment_490@reddit

What do you care? Some people will think you are stupid, some wouldn't. Do they live your life? Do you depend on them for living yours? If the answer is no, then who fucking cares what someone thinks about this way of life. Would you like everyone to praise your perfect life? Not gonna happen. It's not something everyone wants to do or sees value in it.

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catt-ti@reddit

I'm not from the balkans but this mentality is common around the world. Young people prefer to move to the large cities citing money and opportunities but in doing so they sacrifice something far greater because you just can't have a good quality of life in large cities. Also, they fail to realise that conditions in large cities are getting worse and that opportunities and wealth are becoming harder and harder to come by. Whoever has land and lives in contact with nature has the true weath. There is nothing less satisfying than living and working in a concrete jungle, day in day out, having to buy your happiness and distractions, whilst counting down the days before your few days of holidays. Country life is not always easy but it is satisfying and rich in a way that cannot be compared.

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Mazuran27@reddit

Podrav brate! Croat decendent here. I was born in America and still live here. I currently have my house for sale to move to Croatia. Exact, middle of nowhere, small villiage life. You're living my dream right now. Fuck what everyone says and enjoy! Ugodan dan!

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Sea-Temporary-6995@reddit

Bro you're living the life! BUT! You're right about the opinion of many city folks. What you can do tho: buy a little bit more expensive clothes, suddenly their opinion will change. Yes, people are superficial like that (I know from experience).

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Extra_Loquat_5599@reddit (OP)

Fuck that, thats some cigan type shit

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Sea-Temporary-6995@reddit

I am not talking about kitschy shit. I am talking nice normal clothes. Most people are superficial and their first impressions of you will be based on what you wear and how you behave.

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quantumdotnode@reddit

Living the dream there well done. Kudos to you. Don’t let those losers bring you down. The trick is to be a billionaire but dress like a homeless person. Was told that by a billionaire (not from Balkans, American dude)

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Snoo-42876@reddit

I love the village and everything about it. the way of life, both the good and bad things. Love all of it. What I absolutely cannot stand is the village/small town mentality. If I were ever to leavy city life behind and move to the countryside I would probably isolate myself completely and go insane lol (if there even is someone to talk to, considering villages are dying)

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SerdarSokoSivi@reddit

Totalno si prešao igricu, jebe ti se za sve ostalo ljubi te brat. Nadji ženu ako išteš i jebe ti se za sve. Svaka čast

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OverallPhrase4623@reddit

Yes, sadly!

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Nicknameno-31@reddit

Samo ih pitaj zasto onda posjecuju etno sela i obajvljuju slike gdje sjede na balama sjena i placaju puno da bi jeli na takvim mjestima a svako od njih ima neki kucu ili makar babu i dedu na selu gdje ih je sramota da odu i da kazu odakle su. U svim razvijenijim državama privilegija je imati svoje imanje blizu grada,a ako si iz Bosne realno skoro sve je blizu kada imas auto. Ljudi koji imaju svoje imanje nisu primorani na buku,proizvode vlastiti hranu,udisu čist zrak, dok ovi oz grada sve to moraju da plate. Zasto svako iz grada zeli vikendicu ali nema svako novca da je sebi i priušti,o kući da i ne govorim. Kod nas postoji stereotip da su ljudi sa sela neobrazovani i ograničeni.Ali čovjeka ne određuje mjesto ko je i šta. Mnogi su zavidni pa im je utjeha pa se gade na takav način života,iako nikada nebi priznali.

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Dismal-Recording3069@reddit

Mate you are living the dream. In Greece most of the population would look down. Because everyone moved to Athens. I believe that what matters is the quality of life my friend and you have great quality. Also just curious what business do you run ?

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FrontFit7058@reddit

Dude thats my goal after some time to come back home and do that.

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deadly_gerbil@reddit

Hi there from Bulgaria! And you will be surprised but we have common problems. Probably I don't make as much as you but I do have a comfortable life. With my partner we don't go to the sea side each year or have lavish vacations and ppl are putting their noses in places they don't belong. We too choose to have a similar simple living style. And we don't show off with clothes and stuff. At the moment my most expensive gadget is the e book reader, but ppl are dumb and if it is not a tablet for games and FB(apple products)it is not considered expensive. Most of my days I wear overalls that I purchased brand new from a thrift shop for less than 5 eur . I love it. So many pockets for a garden job. Friends and family are looking at us like second hand ppl, but they dont know what I have in my bank account . And it is not their job to know. Sometimes that treatment is a bit harmful for my soul. I see my brother and his kids once a year just because we don't fit in their idea of insta life. However we love our slow, steady and simple living style. The joy of home tomato is so much.ore than someones opinion. Keep the vibe. The slow lux of good living is what ppl are envious of.

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RoughdayzAhead94@reddit

The village people look down on city people , only the poor live in cities

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determine96@reddit

Village life, like having livestock, farming isn't seen that bad, but depends on the scale of if, so the money are important. If you are big land owner, producer, or have significant amounts of livestock and making money nobody will shame you for it. And also depends of the city/town and the people's fortune mostly. If you are just a worker with low salary in a cuty, you may praise and envy the villagers because they have their own meat, eggs, milk etc, so they can eat fresh homegrown stuff.

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s8n_codes@reddit

I think you you should do you. It is your life, so live it the way you want, be it a homestead or an apartment in the city. I don’t know anyone who would look down on your lifestyle. And I don’t think it should matter to you. You just take care of you and yours 😊

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