A Joke

In light of all the recent talk about fugitives from the Hague Tribunal, I would like to share a joke that we heard from a taxi driver in Belgrade.

Radovan Karadzic is tired of being in hiding, so he goes to a plastic surgeon in Switzerland and says, "Change everything, make me completely different so no one will recognize me." The surgeon says, "No problem, Mr. Karadzic." So he has the surgery and when it's done he looks totally different. His face is different, his voice is different, his fingerprints are different, he's shorter...

So he goes to Belgrade to see what will happen, and he's walking around and talking to people and no one recognizes him. And he thinks, "That's ok, but I have to really test this. I'll go to Sarajevo." He goes to Sarajevo, walks around, talks to everyone, same thing. No one knows who he is.

But it's still not enough, so he goes to his village, and even there, no one recognizes him. He walks around the main street, talks to old friends. Then he goes into this little garden off to the side, where he meets an old grandmother, who looks just like you expect: hunched over leaning on a cane, peering out through thick glasses from under her head scarf. She looks at him and in her little-old-lady voice says, "Karadzic, is that you?"

Karadzic is horrified, so he flies back to Switzerland and tells the doctor it didn't work. The doctor says, "I'm so sorry Mr. Karadzic, we'll do it all again, no charge, and you'll look even more different. Absolutely no one will recognize you."

Once the surgery is over, he goes back to Belgrade and no one recognizes him. Again, he goes to Sarajevo and talks to everyone, but no one knows who he is. He returns to his village, for the final test, and he talks to all his cousins, and no one has any idea who he is. He turns into the garden, and the grandmother is still there. She says, "Karadzic, is that you?"

Karadzic is furious, and shouts "How do you know who I am?!"

The grandmother responds, "It's me, Ratko Mladic."