The fairy tale about the barrel

The outgoing year was a jubilee to a certain extent. This year was entirely the centenary of 1913, all the Soviet people, known primarily by the fact that everything in the world was compared precisely with him.

In school textbooks, two barrels were depicted for clarity - huge and tiny. The tiny refined oil production in the 13th year, and the huge-for example, in the 64th. In a small bag, the entire crop of wheat of the 13th year was quite fit, and from the gigantic bag literally bulging ears of the 78th. A skinny book informed us about the state of literacy of the population in the 13th year, and a thick book-about the same, but already in the 54th. Well, and so on.

It was interesting, by the way, to consider these pictures. Especially in early school childhood, when the ideological or educational role of these pictures escaped from attention, and only, so to speak, aesthetic. After all, it is really fun: here is a tiny cow (the number of cattle), and next to it - huge and fat from our fat and abundant era. Well, almost like seven different -caliber elephants on the shelf of a grandmother's sofa.

And already much later, we learned that this very 1913 was and remained the top of the Russian Silver Age, crushed and hidden by the years of the Soviet regime. But his secret, powerful, infectious energy was fed by several generations, including mine.

And what happened this year? A lot of things were. Both bad and good, as this, however, always happens. Something caused painful questions, something thought of, something was published, something was composed. Unfortunately, several necrologues were composed.

What else was? There were many "laws", one more absurd, laws composed as if specially so that any person could be subjected to judicial persecution for anything, if necessary.

And as always, there is an endless battle for the language.

In recent days, all frolic about the official announcement of the list of words prohibited to use them in the media space. This list, it seems to me, should be brought to the attention of the maximum number of fellow citizens, and therefore should be replicated as much as possible in all media, and many times. According to the principle: "Children, write down and remember those words that you never must pronounce under no circumstances."

The authorities, striving for totality, always attacks the language - the only, by the way, real, and not imaginary public "screening". The ban on obscene vocabulary in media space is okay, this is not the first time. If they succeed (what I strongly doubt it), this, of course, will not mean “ocultation”, as it seems to them, its language, but its impoverishment and, as it were, to express it, “ohandicity”. This bright and expressive layer of the language will again go underground, where real free literature will blossom, as it was already in the 60s-70s.

Mat is okay, he will not give himself offense. He will go away, as it was already repeatedly, in folklore or in uncensional literature, where he will hardly harden, enriched with new, unprecedented word forms, and will be back and later with a bag of gifts will return the winner to a public space.

Mat is, as they say, a special article. But I easily imagine how oak, devoid of linguistic flair and just feelings of the boss’s humor in order to fight, of course, with extremism, will pursue people for the words and phrases spoken in figurative meanings. And this will be another attempt to straighten the language by truncating halftones, negligence by the magical flicker of direct and portable meanings leading the role of the context and motivation of any statement.

You think that the assumption is what statements like "Friends, yes shoot someone this dull asshole!" Or "we should buy a new car, but there is no money, and where to get it, I don’t know. Bank, or something, rob?" Can a person easily attract, implausible? I am sure not. If they need it, take and attract. And some prosecutor without blushing will lead quotes from your speech practice as evidence of your criminal activity, such as calls for violence or intention to commit armed robbery.

In those conditions when portable values ​​are not protected from straight lines, all metaphors, epithets and other paths are materialized sooner or later.

That's what, what, but they cannot be given a language. Under any kind. Yes, he himself will not be given to them. For attempts at violence, for attempts to stupid straightening, he will take revenge on them-both in a large and so little one. Do they want to speak language? Here the language from time to time shows them the language, so he puts on public display how exactly they speak them.

There was little reasons for sparkling optimism until the very last days. But the amazing events of the last month spilled with such an unexpected and so powerful rain that we simply did not manage to rejoice at them either, neither really comprehend them.

Here they say: "Special operation." Well, it is clear that the special operation, and not the triumph of humanistic ideals and values. But when in the process of special operations they nevertheless release, and not planted, it is in my philistine opinion “better”.

And what are these "values"? Neither the Chekists are in power, nor the numerous members of the "voluntary society of assistance to the Vertukhay and executioners" do not know such words as, for example, nobility, disinterestedness, dignity. And the “honor” in their understanding is such a thing, which, in accordance with the charter, the younger in rank gives the older in rank, and only the right hand and visor of the cap serves attributes of honor. All.

They do nothing just like that. And they do not need to attribute to any such humanism - they do not even know what it is. Do they somehow change their tactics? More likely.

And these days I constantly recall Herzen's phrase that "we are going with the one who releases and while he releases."

Free - good. They plant, press, try to ban something-bad. And you have to fight this.

Will they change the pressure tactics to freedom? Well - this means that it is necessary to change or adjust the tactics of resistance.

And be vigilant, of course. However, I would like the vigilance to not degenerate into conspiracy imagination. Just because it would be destructive to ourselves.

And we need to be funny and vigorous. Because all the most important thing is on our side. Language, history, and the future does not belong to them. They belong to us, normal people of modern civilization, for whom the ideas about personal dignity and the domineering need for the creative, and therefore, in a master's attitude to life, do not weaken at all, but are only supplemented by new tones, colors and nuances.

So we will live on. We will tirelessly look for and find reasons in order to enjoy life, enjoy each other and delight each other. Happy New Year.