Concomitant inferiority

Over the past two years, Russia has lost the ability to appreciate human lives. Boris Vishnevsky column

Two years ago, a wave of coronavirus epidemic covered the planet. Then almost each of us has its own sad list of friends and loved ones who became a victim of an epidemic. It was familiar to open the door with his shoulder, without touching the handle, to say hello with his elbow, and press the elevator button with a key from the doors. Masks or respirators have become an indispensable detail of clothing, and an antiseptic in a pocket - as familiar as a handkerchief. And everyone learned the words “saturation”, “CT”, “Ivl” and “Social distance”. And the “zoom” did not become a lever on the camera, approaching or moving the object of shooting, but one of the main means of communication. And the absurd word "self -isolation" entered use ...

“The world will no longer be the same,” we sighed about the “well -shaped” time. I am sure: after February 24, many would prefer even that “covid” world to the current one.

We would prefer to argue about vaccinations, “mask regime” and QR codes, and not about the “special military operation”. Supporters of which, as a rule, do not bother with help to those who, as a result, became a refugee and came to Russia: they are completely indifferent to them.

The St. Petersburg practice shows that the overwhelming part of the volunteer work on the help of refugees from Ukraine is both those who want to leave for Europe and those who want to stay in Russia are taken on those who can, to put it mildly, are skeptical of a special operation. Such as the human rights activist and archbishop of the Apostolic Orthodox Church Grigory Mikhnov-Vyatenko and his wife, poet and city defender Natalia Sivokhina , as a journalist and owner of the Grandfather Golden Pen Grand Prix, Galina Artemenko , and many, many others.

The clips of refugees and volunteers, which are constantly organizing for them, are currently organizing medical care or transportation to the border, then the preparation of endless lists and the collection of things for refugees who are deprived of the most necessary, then the delivery of these things to the PVR is the “temporary placement of refugees in Tikhvin near St. Petersburg.

How they have enough strength for this literally ascetic work - do not even imagine.

But where are those who with all their souls “for” the special operation? But where: the emblem of “United Russia” flaunts on the front door in the mentioned PVR.

Apparently, they believe that this designated participation in the fate of refugees is quite enough -

And let volunteers take care of the rest, who periodically stigmatize either “national traitors”, then “foreign agents” ...

Yes, in the previous, “covid” world, it was difficult to sometimes convince someone or to dissuade: a blind conversation with the deaf was often turned out to be a conversation.

• They were annoyed by those who assured the aplomb: they say, “there is no coronavirus”, “all this is not more dangerous than the flu,” and scared “the dictatorship of the World Health Organization”.

• They were annoyed by those who bravated the unwillingness to vaccinate and observe elementary safety measures, without thinking about the health of others.

• They were annoyed by those who easily rushed in loud words-in hundreds of letters from citizens who came to me in the legislative assembly in the fall, “fascism”, “genocide” and even the “Holocaust” called the requirements to present QR codes at the entrance to the bar.

However, even those who rushed these words perfectly understood that it was, to put it mildly, a polemic exaggeration.

Because it is difficult to seriously compare the prospect of showing a piece of paper with a picture at the entrance to a catering, a store or a museum to be in a gas chamber with a prospect.

Now everything is fundamentally different.

Those who repeat that a special operation is a “struggle against fascism” do not consider this an exaggeration, on the contrary - they are sure of this.

As they are sure that “there was no other way out”, except to start a special operation, because otherwise “they would definitely attacked us”.

State media explain that today - everything is like during the Great Patriotic War. On the other side are “fascists”, “neo -Nazis”, “punishers” and “Bandera” who are not and cannot be mercy. This is called the "division" of the enemy, it should eliminate any doubts that "our business is right." If people are dying, then this (as the state propagandist Norkin recently stated) - “concomitant damage”. And after all, he is not alone: ​​it is not difficult to find examples of hot approval by fellow citizens of “concomitant damage” on the network.

This is a very disturbing symptom: it seems that such a thing as “empathy” has almost disappeared from public life.

But a quarter of a century ago-during the Chechen wars-it was completely different: not to recall that someone openly rejoiced at what happened in Samashki or new Aldes. And on television, no one would dare to call the death of people from the rocket, which accidentally hit the market in Grozny, "accompanying damage".

Yes, of course, there was another time: journalists could freely talk about what was happening in Chechnya - and citizens could talk about it freely without fear of punishment. The State Duma conducted a parliamentary investigation of events in Chechnya and even discussed the possibility of impeachment to the president for the beginning of the Chechen war. A million signatures for the cessation of that war were collected and transferred to Boris Yeltsin . And in St. Petersburg, a mass rally against war was held on the filled Palace Square in March 1996 ...

All this was - and it was precisely because the attitude of society towards what was happening was different.

There are reasonable doubts about the data of sociological surveys showing today the overwhelming support of the special operation.

In a situation where citizens see criminal and administrative cases every day for “discrediting” and “fakes”, they will not give frank and truthful answers. In this way, you can “measure” not so much the level of support for the actions of the authorities as the level of fear.

Nevertheless, a sufficiently large number of citizens (albeit not like that, as VTsIOM reports) really supports what is happening. Putting out any other information from yourself (which, we note, it is easy to find on the Web) and because of this without experiencing sympathy for those who become “concomitant damage” on both sides of the conflict.

But the “restoration of Mariupol” was widely announced - what it is planned, at the request of the St. Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov , to spend the budget money of the Northern capital (despite the fact that the legislation does not provide for spending from the budget of St. Petersburg in the territory of foreign states).

It is clear that these restrictions will bypass: they will create some fund to which subsidies from the budget and voluntary and compulsory business contributions will be sent to the “non-profit organization”.

The governor assures that there is enough money in the city’s budget, taxes are received in an amount exceeding the expected one. And against the backdrop of these statements, voters write complaints about the lack of schools and kindergartens. And the queue for receiving housing for those who have no benefits (not disabled, not orphans, not many children) stretches for 40 (!) Years. I do not exaggerate at all: according to the “general queue”, those who got into it in 1981 now receive housing. Because for the construction of social housing, the city has no money in the right amount. And the annual capital repair program of residential buildings was carried out in St. Petersburg by the end of June only 7.5%...

"Maybe let's start with the restoration of St. Petersburg?" - I asked in June, speaking at a meeting of the St. Petersburg parliament. The majority silence was to me by the answer -

As in the discussion of the issue of introducing initial military training in schools (so that again, like half a century ago, children were taught to collect and disassemble an automatic machine with closed eyes and put on speeds for speed).

The authors of the initiative assured that Russia today, as before, had only two allies: the army and navy. I answered them that this is a hackneyed phrase attributed to Emperor Alexander III. And I would like Russia to have allies not only the army and navy, but also science, education, culture. And so that Russia does not appear, as it is now, in the political and economic “self -isolation”.

Returning to the beginning of the article:

In the former, “covid”, the world, with all its terrible, and sometimes deadly features, there were empathy and solidarity. And a huge mutual assistance in the confrontation with the epidemic.

And an unusually aggravated feeling of vulnerability and values ​​of every human life. And the general hope that we can handle this disaster and become stronger.

There is nothing like this now. Neither empathy, no solidarity, no respect for human life.

"When will it all end?" - They ask me three times a day. At deputy receptions, in the subway, on the street, in the store ...

“I don't know,” I answer honestly. - I hope that soon. Relatively soon. Well, it cannot last so long! "

To stop - it is necessary: ​​every day of continuation, then it will result in a month of returning to the normal world.