[BIG BROTHER CROATIA CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENT] Evict Filip Voloder!

This is going to be one of those "I can't believe I'm doing this" posts.

Only months, if not weeks, from now I'm probably going to view this as the most embarrassing collection of paragraphs ever recorded in my blog.

But I feel obliged to write them, because few weeks ago I hinted that I'm going to endorse one of Big Brother Croatia as my favourite. And, since I believe that words written in this blog are worthless without at least some connection to real word, I am forced to, grudgingly and not without great deal of soul searching, announce that…

…my personal favourite among all Big Brother candidates is Marina Bajlo.

The reasons that led me to believe that Marina Bajlo's victory in Big Brother Croatia would the best thing for this country are many. I'm not going to torture the readers with long and detailed argument. But if I have to make a capsule version of my case for Marina Bajlo, I would state that she represents the antithesis of Croatian Dream.

The unfortunate fact that Marina Bajlo was nominated for the second time in a row forces me to come out of Marina Bajlo fan closet and try my best in persuading those few souls who read this blog to at least consider doing something practical and meaningful to prolong the presence of Marina Bajlo in Big Brother House.

The simplest way (and most profitable to RTL Televizija, of course) is to cast your phone vote (or votes, to be more precise) for one of two other candidates –the one who is more likely to get more votes than Marina and be evicted on Friday.

To be frank, if it were up to me, none of three candidates should have been nominated. If I had any saying in the matter, two other candidates should have been nominated – one for hypocritical lifestyle and annoying manners, another for strictly humanitarian reasons.

However, I also understand that housemates may have completely different perspective than me and that their reasoning behind nominations, considering the specific circumstances, is more justified.

And, if I had to choose between those three nominated candidates, I would have easily picked one for the eviction. And, since Marina Bajlo is ruled out from that equation, that leaves only Zdravko Lamot and Filip Voloder.

Of all candidates Filip Voloder was the only one that left impression of being well-read, well-informed and able to engage in meaningful discussion about whole variety of difficult topics. Filip Voloder was the only one brave enough to explicitly and consistently express cosmopolitan and broad-minded worldview which is not exactly the most popular among citizens of his home town. As a child of family with background associated with traditional values of Croatia, he relentlessly attacked Catholic Church and advocated total abolition of draft in Croatia and transformation of Croatian armed forces in all-volunteer service, using well-grounded arguments in doing so. When confronted with Krešo's (Kreso's) words that could have been interpreted blue-collar homophobia he quickly intervened with his criticism, forcing Krešo to clarify his point and thus preventing him from becoming Croatian bigots icon. Needless to say, those words were censored by RTL Televizija in order not to offend Croatian establishment and those sections of young audience which is not exactly at the same wavelength with Limousine Leftism that RTL Televizija is trying itself to associate with.

However, willingness to express unpopular and possibly dangerous views (which he, thanks to financial status of his family, can afford) is any easy thing. Willingness to stand behind your words and handle difficult situations – a true test of character – is another. Filip Voloder failed that test most miserably, in ways and situations too numerous to mention. The straw that broke the camel's back was his shameful treatment of Alen in which he displayed the very traits he had so eloquently (albeit not that publicly) criticised in Ozren and Krešo (Kreso).

Zdravko Lamot, his best House friend and co-nominee, was perhaps a little bit arrogant, sexist or prone to violence, but at least all those traits were consistent to the character and the way he tried to portray himself to the public and other housemates.

Unlike Zdravko and unlike Marina, Filip Voloder came forward with something that everyone suspected from the Day 1 – that his financial resources exceeded the Grand Prize and that his participation in the show was motivated by the desire for social or business promotion. It is very likely that of all 12 original candidates Filip Voloder needs Grand Prize the least. Therefore, it is morally right to cast votes for Filip Voloder and finish his participation in the show as soon as possible.

Some may call this endorsement (or, to be more precise, anti-endorsement) pathetic (and in many ways they may be right), and some may call it desperate. But I believe that I'm doing this on principle. And if the certain on-line polls are correct, I am far from being alone in this - around 59 % fans of Big Brother Croatia support my view.