Pluted conscience

The last week Moscow has been shaking a scandal associated with “novels” or sexual actions regarding its students from at least two teachers of the Moscow “elite” 57th school, many years of personnel for the enlightened class of the capital. The chronicle of the events of the week was summed up by colleagues at Medusa. The scandal has become a reason for fierce discussions on social networks (you can read some important remarks and evidence here ) and the requirements to dismiss the school administration or close it at all, accompanied by outstanding specific individuals over the past quarter century. A few hours ago, a message appeared that the school principal Sergei Mendelevich resigned . Andrei Arkhangelsky explains why, through the thorns of these painful processes, we are approaching the best world.

The world of a circle, a narrow community living for centuries like this ( Palevin’s novel has just come out, where he describes with voluptuousness how the circle is stormed and absurd, in three generations - in the nineteenth, XX and XXI century). Living under a self -reproducing authoritarian rule, and it's not even about the patronymic of the tyrant, but in the self -reproduction of the stick and the shout "Built!" Living with the not yet sealing horror of 1937, with a hostage psychology. With the feeling that he is here - on bird rights, that he is only tolerate here; that he is not dear here; that Belarusian, what sits out, "while the country is working." From the last decade, it was added that, it turns out, he himself - the “grandson of the executioners” and the apartment in the center inherited from those who worked in the bodies; They gave him an apartment, and he curses, and he uses the apartment himself ... Gad - as a great writer, Sorokin, would add at the end.

All this creates a unique atmosphere of the slave market, a mug in the settlement, eternal self -deception and self -control, multi -level conscience (“yes, that is, no”). And gives rise to misunderstanding - the contour outside. “Why did she say that? Why was it silent before? Why didn't they talk about this? .. This needs to be decrypted !!! ” - Foreign colleagues write when you explain to them elementary things . “Fifty -seventh school” is such a metaphor for the existence of an intellectual in Russia (well, well - a self -thinking person). And in this cold wind I want to save at least something, this fragile world. That is, in relation to the 57th school-to grow another generation of thinking and doomed to suffering-but there is hope that at least not for physical suffering-people.

And suddenly-bang.

Everything collapsed, this whole world, and the propagandists now like to pronounce this phrase “fifty -seventh school” itself - a chant; As Nabokov wrote - as if rolling wine berry in his mouth. Because it is now a plot : at best, about Lolita, and in the worst - about Humbert Humbert (novel is allowed in the Russian Federation). “Fifty -seventh school” sounds very close to the “fifty -eighth article”, shot. There was such a universal expression - “fifty -eighth”, and then could not explain anything; Now this consonance speaks in the soul, is given in the subconscious, and the topic itself is suitable for a symbolic punishment - "fifty -seventh."

“Fifty -seventh school” is such a metaphor for the existence of an intellectual in Russia. And in this cold wind I want to save at least something, this fragile world. That is, to grow another generation of people thinking and doomed to the suffering of people.

Why this is done not by duty, but even with pleasure - the answer is simple, it seems. There are no ideal circles, communities and schools - and it is especially pleasant to make sure that everyone was “equally bad”. This situation is ideal for the current negative ideology. Which on the outer, mass circuit says: “The West is bad, we are saints”; And at the internal, more deep level, another inspires: “Every person is equally bad. The person does not change. Man is a bastard, vile, he will never become better. ” Oleg Kashin noted that much of what appears on the television screen today is deliberately conceived so that the audience has a feeling "will never be good." He is right, the goal is just that - to suggest that it will never be different here and nothing will change; This is a convenient form of control and a guarantee from any changes. Such pessimism, which becomes a national idea.

There are elite schools, there are elite universities (graduates of the results recently visited the Kremlin, and the keyword in the reports about this meeting - precisely the "elite"). There is nothing bad that the future elite is studying somewhere; And, loving the country, it is quite natural to love its future elite, and the place where knowledge and talents are valued more than money. Yes, I would like to study at the 57th school (although I also had a good school), and I am worried because the scandal will damage its reputation. I treat this school with sympathy - as a good edition, but not my own; Because you think-well, at least someone else will remain.

The propagandists now like to pronounce this phrase “fifty -seventh school” itself - a license; As Nabokov wrote - as if rolling wine berry in his mouth.

Other sympathizers of the 57th school are also afraid of this-that now everything will collapse, all in the mud, everyone quarreled, this train. It hurts - and this is noticeable; Because everyone is now “grinding”. And the feeling of disgust becomes dominant; In Russia, “something” often turns into “everything”. This disgust obscures, it seems, already the very essence of what is happening. And some voice (even voice) no, no, and exclaim: why did you need to start all this? ..

Here, for example, is the director of the 57th school, who decides to quit; And he is clearly not guided by a circular from the ministry, this is a spontaneous reaction. He behaves, obeying some kind of inner feeling. And other teachers who do the same. And the parents who ask them all to remain, also behave, obeying some unusual instinct. And the discussion of the scandal inside the school itself, started by the school itself. "Closed World of the 57th School"? Why. Just completely open, painfully open - at least now. Note that this was a personal initiative-to discuss a painful, and not by someone’s order. And such behavior just refutes the thesis that “nothing will change”, that everyone is equally bad. Not all-if you still decided to take out the IS from the hut. And that is why - not equally bad.

What? What makes the directors, parents and society do so, to discuss and do it to themselves?

In this place, a journalist from the Soviet multi-stage, from the moral department, in the 1970s he made an indent and wrote from the red line: conscience.

So it will be until the public sea calms down and makes some rule for itself.

Fortunately, in the conditional “Facebook” we can independently, collectively and equally decide what is good and what is bad, what is unacceptable and how to behave in this situation. In thousands of network “party committees” and “female advitons” on this and other occasions at this very moment, in fact, new ethics is painfully formed - by itself, spontaneously, and not according to the circular from the department. This was already written by Ekaterina Shulman, and we can repeat: during all these, as it seems, there are no meaningless networking battle, new moral standards, new values ​​corresponding to the new time. One assessment is ridiculed, in its place another appears immediately - and it sweeps it with another wave; And so it will be, until the public sea calms down and makes some rule for itself. So society is born - in the discussion of unpleasant, painful, terrible. So the society of responsible and self -critical people is born, and so in the future - ideally - will be at the level of the whole country. Mikhail Ratgauz gave an exact metaphor: “Facebook turned into a bathhouse with a laundry room. No matter how you put your nose here once a day, foam, chemicals, steamed hands of banners fly into your face, to the blood of the rubbing unclean conscience. ” Everything is so. In fact, Facebook is now steamed conscience. The story with the 57th school is precisely the conscience that fell into the steam room of the public space, according to Hannah Arendt, but-the pairs of bones does not break. And somehow she will get out of the steam room, dries out, but it will be different, as after repatched. That is how painful, and morality is formed in society. When the society puts up poor assessments for behavior - because this is the first sign of conscience.

There is a well -known objection to this - that all this would be good in an ideal society, where all the norms from top to bottom have long been accepted, divided by all and are based on humanistic ethics. And the long “silence of the school” is justified by the fact that if this happened with an open and independent system ... If in a free society ... if with impartiality ... if we had a Doberman-Pincher. And the case happens in a completely different society-which itself exists, as it were, inside the state, in the form of a defending fortress. And the state uses this case for gloating - or using the wrench, as it can only.

How to behave in this situation far from the ideal of society?

The answer was given by Kant. In such cases, act and behave as if you are already existing in an ideal society and, therefore, when choosing you are guided by perfect considerations. It is as if there are no punitive organs, there is no fear, there is no closed environment, there is no feeling of besieged fortress, there is no feeling that you are on bird rights, there is no this train, hissing and gloating. To behave as if none of this and you just need to solve this issue for ourselves, for your own conscience. Otherwise, this word will remain a meme, preserving the mocking connotations - because, of course, it is more convenient to live when all words are shifted by semantic vertebrae. But it is worth returning to this word its only meaning-that at least something survives after the bath.