Hedonistic Russia

Cars with white balls and ribbons drove along the Garden Ring today. People thought that these were weddings, dozens of couples who decided to seal their lives in the January frosts. But, of course, these were activists of the “For Fair Elections” movement. Not a wedding, but a middle-class divorce from Prime Minister Putin.

From a technical point of view, there are no questions about the action. A loophole in the law is being exploited - demonstrations need to be approved, but cars with balls can be ridden around the clock and anywhere, regardless of the wishes of the mayor's office. Because we have freedom. By definition, the action could not fail - even if one car entered the ring, photographers would be all over it. In a word, this is an adequate format in a situation where it is already clear that Facebook is not alone.

Something else is more interesting. How is all this understood and in what words is it described – both by activists and by their critics. The key word of current Moscow politics is comfort. The debate, in fact, is about what political activism is: whether it is a source and conductor of comfort or, conversely, an obstacle to a comfortable life in the city. There are no other significant disagreements between the parties. In fact, don’t argue, like in kindergarten, about whether Putin is bad or good. From the ruins of Putin's majority, the ghost of “Hedonistic Russia” rises, dressed in a Tom Ford suit.

See for yourself. Irina Yasina writes on her blog about “ the pleasure of being stuck in a traffic jam .” Varfolomeevdoubts that some Muscovites could really need to do urgent things on this frosty Sunday day (there were also those who were dissatisfied with the traffic jams, because it was uncomfortable). Navalny actually wrote a wonderful appeal , starting with the words “Take as many cars as there are in your family” (is this how he understands his target audience? Has he just lost his sense of reality? It’s not clear). Maybe the future of civic activism is car rallies? Remember how Posner told those gathered at Sakharov via video, out of warmth, that he would stand with them here as long as necessary?

Now we know what politics is. This is when we go out in several of our family cars on the way to Mega on Sadovoe. The sun is shining, the air conditioners are working, and we are just having a lot of fun, because we are against Crooks and Thieves. Sort of like a high-end ego massage. Political activism in Moscow ranks alongside Cuban cigars, ski slopes and holidays in Mauritius.

What do the critics say? From their point of view, comfort in the city is when everyone just goes to Mega, without being distracted by various forms of foppishness with balloons. Processions lead to misfortune. They distract people from happiness and pleasure and create traffic jams. Returning comfort to Moscow means banning the opposition. See, for example, the rhetorical device from Pavel Danilin.

Members of “Hedonic Russia” have much more in common with each other than is commonly talked about.

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