Non-Handshake Reflections: Pussy Riot

In 1492, Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, known since then as Pope Alexander VI, was elected head of the Catholic Church. The same one whose children were Caesar and Lucrezia Borgia.

Even against the backdrop of the non-Victorian morals in the Vatican of that time, the pontiff’s reputation was, to put it mildly, extravagant. Numerous mistresses with whom he cohabited quite openly during the period of his cardinalship and papacy (that is, in violation of celibacy). Eight children from five of them. Bribery and poisoning as political tools. Confiscation of property from local oligarchs for the purpose of personal enrichment and strengthening of power. There are serious reasons to suspect him of an incestuous relationship with his own daughter.

And four hundred twenty-five and a half years later, another Alexander - Blok - wrote his “Scythians”.

There are these lines:

 "We will not move when the fierce Hun

 He will rummage through the pockets of corpses,

 Burn the cities and drive the herd to the church,

And fry the meat of the white brothers!”

I had never thought before about why “drive a herd to church” is put on a par with “rifling through the pockets of corpses,” “burning cities,” and “frying the meat of white brothers.” Moreover, driving a herd is quite in itself, a worthy and even romantic activity. Unlike.

If, however, you don’t drive him to church.

And now I'm thinking. And I have a question: if the head of the Catholic Church was such an immoral, corrupt type and a villain (and he was elected by cardinals who were also not distinguished by good morals, and the votes of some of them were obtained by bribery), maybe it would not have been possible to drive the herd into the church of the then Rome shameful? At least - as a protest against the Pope and the Caesarist regime.

But what to do with all these simple (and not very) sincere Catholics? For whom the temple is, in a sense, like for all of us: Orthodox, Muslims, Jews, atheists, the burial place of our fathers, mothers or grandfathers. Such a holy piece of land.

And it doesn’t matter who the chairman of the board of directors of OJSC Ritual is.

Would you like it if, over the grave of your loved ones, people in garb provocatively for a cemetery turned on sound-amplifying equipment and staged dances with the performance of flamboyant ditties with political content? This is regardless of what political platform you stand on. For at this moment you are standing on cemetery ground. And the words “shit” and “bitch” are like defecating on this earth.

Most likely, you would consider such a performance an outrage. In America, the desecration of shrines is classified as vandalism. Well, at least it’s not “Hunism.”

And now voices are heard: the Pussy Riot action is morally justified, since it was directed against unrighteous and hypocritical church hierarchs. Violating the very church canons that are set to protect.

And, most importantly: “How can you not understand: the core of everything is there—“Virgin Mother of God, drive away Putin!”

What if this “prayer” was performed not by feminists, but by Nashists led by Kristina Potupchik? And not in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, but in the Cathedral Mosque? In a Hasidic synagogue? And instead of “drive Putin away” it would sound: “Tame Navalny/Udaltsov/Nemtsov/Ryzhkov Jr.? Khodorkovsky snobby? Eradicate the sub-rabine? Shame on McFaul and McCain? Collective Shenderovich otbutskaya?

Then what about moral justification?

There is not and cannot be a dual-use morality. Morality, it is generally beyond political expediency. With our own hypocrisy and good intentions, we will not overcome the hypocrisy of the “forces of evil”, but will only increase the overall level of hypocrisy. THIS road will not lead us to the temple.

I even feel a little uncomfortable that I have to repeat such elementary truths.

It was not enough to remind the next time that the Volga flows into the Caspian Sea.

But, perhaps, you will have to. For it is enough for the “regime” to declare that this is the case, and thousands of millions of indignant denials will pour in from our side. Like Volodin propaganda. (It’s not for nothing that he is from Saratov).

There is no more effective way to manipulate the progressive public than playing on its reflexive “if he (the regime) is against, I am for.”

Does this mean that we should withdraw from defending the arrested punk prayer participants?

Of course not.

After all, they are facing not a fine, not, after all, 15 days, which, due to their irresponsibility, they may have deserved, but an unfair, vindictive punishment, as if not under Article 282.

But precisely in order for our voice to be heard by the average citizen, and not just by members of our fan club, it is necessary to respect the views of this very citizen. Even if some of them seem prejudiced to you.

Or after March 4th you understood nothing and learned nothing?