Translated material
About freaks and people
In the Kremlin
About freaks and people
November 27, 2006 Alexey Makarkin
Leonid Radzikhovsky lifted an important topic in the “hedgehog” that in society there are a considerable number of characters who, with undisguised joy, met reports about the death of Anna Politkovskaya and Alexander Litvinenko. Previously, they rejoiced when Galina Starovoitov and Sergey Yushenkov were killed. Any next murder of the famous human rights activist, democratic policy or “dissident from organs” will meet these individuals with joy.
Does this mean that the Russian people are totalitarian and completely hopeless to adapt to the values of freedom and democracy? You can talk a lot on a high topic that the crowd is not a people. And also that even in those societies that have magnificent traditions of democracy are much more than 5% of those who do not give a damn about this democracy - especially when we are talking about kitchen trepidation (the Internet now, in fact, replaces such a kitchen).
In addition, the contradictory attitude of many Europeans towards democracy also demonstrates the electoral behavior of voters - albeit minorities, but rather big. It is enough to recall that almost 20% of the French in the nearest elections are ready to vote for the ultra -right Le Pen, and in 2002 he received about the same. More recently, almost a quarter of the Bulgarian voters (recall that Bulgaria has already joined NATO and will become a member of the European Union after a few days) voted for a fierce nationalist and xenophobe, who took second place in the presidential election. A few years ago, the same thing was in Romania, who is also going to the EU now.
What are such - very common - phobias in relation to the Russian people, far -reaching conclusions, which are made on the basis of, frankly, disgusting chatter of a number of subjects from among worried radio listeners and permanent visitors of different forums? Of course, an emotional factor plays a role - when you read a phrase such as “Politkovskaya received its own, and I am glad of it”, I want to deal with the bastard quite inadvertently, “with an enthusiasm for a person”. And it is precisely this opinion that “the voice of the people” can be calculated - although normal people (who are most) reasoned in a completely different way - “a sorry for the woman, she had children.”
Apparently, we are talking not only about emotions, but also about dissatisfaction with low ratings of democratic parties and the current weak demand of liberal politicians. Hence the strongest disappointment among the people, who does not understand, does not value and is generally a Xenophobic crowd of freaks. And the identification with the "people's" folk "point of view of the characters of the malicious-tribute, who use the Internet in order to spread their abominations without fears for their own well-being. At the same time, it is somehow forgotten that many of the representatives of this “crowd” are absolutely normal people who, by the way, themselves supported the democratic movement themselves, voted for Yeltsin and, from the words of the now forgotten investigators, Gdlyan and Ivanov, considered Ligachev’s unpopular Partbox of all time and peoples. Then these people were a people for the Democrats, who rebelled against the communist dictatorship. But as soon as the political conjuncture was changed, the people disappeared somewhere and turned into a crowd.
At the same time, we note that Russian liberals are very significant for the human rights component - this is a political reality belonging to almost all political forces of democratic orientation. It is only necessary to understand that in any more or less stable society, human rights activists (also dissidents) are in the minority. There was such a liberal Senator Eugene McCarthy (not to be confused with his namesake, who hunted witches hunting in the first half of the 50s). In 1968, in a wake of protest against the Vietnamese war, he decided to unite all her opponents - from progressive professors to hippies. The result is support among part of the activists of the Democratic Party and a complete rejection of the senator’s position by most Americans. Then, only the explicit minority of the Americans supported the even more radical position of Jane Funds, which did not hide their solidarity with the Vietnamese, who killed American guys in their jungle (this is an extreme degree of dissident, causing fundamental rejection and many hundred percent liberals).
Only during a period of sharp weakening of state power, human rights activists become the idols of society. In the early 80s, most Soviet citizens (“crowd”) desperately envied Academician Sakharov, who, although they were sent to Gorky, to a four-room apartment (but, I must say that even then a clear minority believed that the main dissident “should be shot”). In the late 80s, when oil prices went down, and the authorities showed its incapacity, the same Sakharov, who boldly polemicized with Gorbachev at the deputy congress, became a hero for many of the former envious people (“people”). As well as the first president of the Czech Republic was the human rights activist-idealist Gavel, and the second-the technocrat-pragmatic of Klaus.
What to do to the democrats now? Firstly, stopping to complex about the fact that there are some freaks around that do not understand good intentions-this is not only incorrect, but also unproductive. Secondly, without leaving political human rights (one should not abandon your own identity), we must pay more attention to social initiatives, the development of acceptable alternatives to the policy of the current government in matters that concern most people. And this is the lack of equal opportunities, the increase in prices, the problems of education and health care, etc. Thirdly, to engage in the not too popular organizational “draft” work - albeit not very spectacular, but effective, especially if you look a few further a couple of years.
Author - Deputy General Director of the Center for Political Technology
Alexey Makarkin
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