“Back to the USSR!”

Disputes about the relationship between the artist and the authorities unexpectedly became the main topic of the past month. The instigator of this heated discussion, of course, was Nikita Mikhalkov. Who, without knowing it, “awakened” the peacefully sleeping intelligentsia, first with his author’s statement “55” - a “toast” in honor of the president, then with an open letter to the same president with a plea to remain in his post and subsequent discussion of these events in the program “ To the barrier! (NTV). The fight between Erofeev and Mikhalkov caused an unprecedented resonance and surprised the audience with the unconditional victory of common sense and self-respect (Erofeev) over “servility” and “lordship” (Mikhalkov).

In general, the month of October passed under the slogan “Back to the USSR!”, deja vu was observed in all spheres of life, displayed on television screens in the best (worst?) traditions of Soviet propaganda: the pretentious congress of “United Russia” with the speech of a “simple Russian woman” weaver Lapshina, culminating in the hysterical euphoria of the delegates; the president’s anniversary, which took place to the accompaniment of the already mentioned “song” by Nikita Mikhalkov (“55” in the “News of the Week” program) and Leonid Mlechin’s no less obsequious program “Group Portrait with the President” (“TV-Center”); the shameful scandal surrounding the exhibition of Sots art in the Tretyakov Gallery, initiated by the Minister of Culture Sokolov and inflated by the champion of morality Pushkov, who in his program “PS” (“TV Center”) showed us not only pictures banned by the Ministry of Culture, but also many other things to the delight of lovers “strawberries” and “porn”.

The wits rejoiced at the appearance of a new media character - Deputy Minister of Culture Pavel Pozhigailo, whose participation in two programs by Vladimir Solovyov (“To the Barrier!” and “Sunday Evening”, NTV) became a “culture shock” for many. The eloquent official uses the expression “my birthday” and calls the great artist Evstigneev only “Pleischner.”

Ksenia Larina, Echo of Moscow