Western man in the west

How do Russian liberals relate to the West? Who are their supporters? What do quite sane democrats-intellectuals write about systemic and non-systemic opposition? What are they saying about Russia in an American university environment? Who is the supporter of our “right” in Europe and America? I decided to devote the cycle of articles to this by no means obvious topic.

The Westernik needs to live in Russia. Here he has a strong position, how nowhere. Of course, the authorities do not trust him, he cannot see the state career, he does not like a significant part of society, he is in an absolute minority. But his position is consecrated by culture, it is culturally sane. And let the crowd fluctuate your tripod, you know that something important and difficult to define, such as everything that is opposed to ignorance and obscurantism , always on your side.

Suppose you say that the vile Putin authorities missed all the possibilities in the fat oil years and did not build a single road of the European class, while in Norway during the same time ... (well, then it is clear).

Or you say that the oligarchic Putin regime supports themselves that it does not allow people to choose those whom they want, in particular, mayors and governors, as is happening in all civilized countries . And almost 25% of the population (if not more, and its most enlightened part) is deprived of representation in parliament due to the ridiculously high registration barrier for parties, which in our conditions are even impossible to carry out normal campaign, while in France there are enough 3 people, so that the party, and by notification, and not registration, was created.

Or you give an example of the aged Rosneft, or the obvious connection of certain crimes with the heads of the United Russia party and, together with the reasonable share of indignation, summarize that after the official is accused of such a crime (or only suspect of it) of some England or America, he will not be in the official’s chair, and the investigation of all circumstances will begin in the same way A minute, as the media will inform about the case. Because in the world that is called civilized, reputation is more expensive than life, and here ...

And at the moment, so to speak, the celebrations, when the polemic course of thoughts exposes our civilizational lag, formulating his considerations, the Westerner feels, as it were, who was attached to a certain space of mind, truth and justice. This space unites him with many smart and educated people both in our unhappy and, alas, wretched country, and beyond, where the social world is much more pleasant and fair.

It would be surprised if this Western was aware if he found out that the educated Western man from the same America, France or Norway, realizing in which context they compare his homeland and our missing Russia, willing his head at best and say: everything, you know, more difficult, we also have flaws, only our own. This is with personal communication. But if it is not you say it with inspiration, but he, say, reads, then he will not say anything good in response. And either he simply spits, or mutters something about the Russian maximalism and idealism, about the not very sane Russian intelligentsia, that is, he will take the same position that the Westernik occupies in relation to our Russian unprincipled swamp. And this is at best.

Here I have to say that I am in a difficult position. The fact is that, as a person and writer, I, of course, despise Putin-Medvedev’s power from head to toe. And of course, I sympathize with those who criticize this power, disassemble its numerous crimes and shortcomings on the bones, who fights this authority - here I am not only liberal in the usual definitions, I, perhaps, is even a radical of the John Locke type, who, as you know, said that if the authorities violate the convention on a fair and honest attitude between it and the people, then the people have the right to everything, including armed uprising. So the clever Locke wrote, and I agree with him.

However, everything that I will say in the future will not strengthen, and, alas, will even weaken the positions of those of my colleagues of liberal-westers who rightly carry the Putin autocracy, but, constantly comparing Russia and the West, make, in my opinion, the most serious methodological mistake. And a methodological error is the softest thing that can be said.

Here you need an explanation. Before perestroika, I belonged to an environment that not only did not sang Soviet power, but did not even want to work for the Soviet regime with a little finger. That is why we, people with a higher and sometimes good education, chose marginal social niches so as not to strengthen the vile power even with a random spit. Books and information from the West, and mostly we were Westerners (although, of course, not all), we received from foreigners coming to the country-professors, artists, publishers, wives and husbands of our emigrant friends. With them we talked about everything in the world, including about this West itself. These were mainly culturally sane people-they scolded Margaret Thatcher, who reduces the costs of culture and education, scolded Reagan, who was just a vulgar collection. It was clear to us and not very. It was much more important for us that both Reagan and Thatcher were seriously criticized by the Soviet system, and the fact that they did something wrong there from the point of view of a refined intelligentsia, it was somehow on the drum.

It was especially funny when some cultural left foreigner (and the cultural and left was often synonymous) spoke a completely dazzling thing: yes, they say, censorship and party control, but still you have free medicine and free education. What, what did you say in such cases, we yelled: “What is there, on dick, free medicine - you saw our clinics, you stood in line for hours with the grandmother from all over the region?”

I am to the fact that culturally sane people in the West react about the same when they hear Russia compared with the country well -known, like reality with Ray. Yes, they agree, in the same Europe or States a much more flexible social and political system, but to represent the Western world as a pole of justice means to be an idealist who does not mean anything in the reality of Western civilization. And about the so-called freedom of the Western world, which, they say, are an example to all pioneers, only the most vile right, like the youngest Bush with a company, the reckless Sarah Palin and members of the Champathy movement, in which the percentage of obscurantists is such that DPNI Belov-Potkin is just some kind of some kind of Pen-Club of some kind.

That is, when we say, but in the States in the same situation , but in France or Norway at the same time , we must understand that, from the point of view of the cultural democrats of the Western hemisphere, we turn into recent simpletons, repeating the propaganda of the most zealous republican agitators from Texas or Nevada, who wash the brains of their electorate, alas, not much more enlightened. our.