Pugacheva. Galkin. Dictatorship

Alla Borisovna hit the nerve. Her short post on the social network seems to be discussed by everyone. From old women at the entrances (in the role of all the old women of the Russian Federation at once - Yuri Loza ) to prominent statesmen. From couch warriors of Z-telegram channels to irreconcilable fighters against the regime (also from Telegram). So I want to say a few words (although in general the text is not about that, do not rush to close it or, on the contrary, rejoice).

The funniest reaction I have seen is also in the telegram channel, but Moskovsky Komsomolets , a tabloid with hundreds of thousands of readers, is Music Critic Sosedov: “Who are you, Alla Pugacheva! You were once a singer, now you are nobody!

That's really it. Whether business - critic Sosedov. Neighbors - value. Everyone knows neighbors. Sosedov is forever in history, and grateful descendants will still erect a monument to him. Maybe even two.

Stupid loyalists argue that Pugacheva is allegedly offended by her homeland: they order didn’t give her some kind of , you see. And that in fact she came to sell property before the final flight abroad. It is now generally fashionable for state-owned anti-fascists to expose Jewish conspiracies. Perhaps only “ black mercenaries ” in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine turn them on stronger. Such is now anti-fascism in Rus'.

Smart loyalists focus on the fact that the singer is protecting a loved one, and this is humanly understandable. They cut off, that is, the political component of the statement. Oppositionists quarrel - that's the way it is. Some swear that they have always loved Primadonna's songs and are ready - straight from Tbilisi - to move to the Kremlin at her command even now. Although yesterday they would have been embarrassed to admit that they had even heard her songs at least once - after all, pop music, a low genre, something for the common people. Others resent the record's lack of radicalism.

The poles sometimes converge: Alexei Arestovich and Dmitry Olshansky (the former, perhaps, needs no introduction, the latter is a prominent blogger from among the Russian rear hawks) write that the Soviet Union is attacking Putin. Both rejoice: Arestovich believes that Putin is just building the Soviet Union - and received a stab in the back; Olshansky is sure that Putin is building a Russian national state, the Union is hindering him, and now there is a reason to finally get rid of the Soviet fetters.

I must say right away: I have never been a special admirer of Alla Borisovna, but I understand the scale of the personality, and the question asked by the critic Sosedov does not bother me. I consider her act very courageous, and the text of her speech is clear and thoughtful. Now to business.

The metaphor of the “rebellious Union” is not only spectacular, but in some ways even accurate. Pugacheva is from there, and her main fans are people over 50, whom the Union remembers warmly. They are the core of Putin's electorate, loyal supporters of the president, ready to approve almost any actions of the Kremlin. Almost - because it is possible to bring them, as it was with the pension reform or with the law on QR codes, which they did not dare to adopt.

But they are also carriers of almost medieval ideas about what is acceptable both in life and in politics. Songs are one thing, but the singer's personal life, scandals, a young husband (and not the first husband, and not even the second), the manner of communicating is another. And most importantly - in their world, a politician or an expert admitted to television should talk about politics, and certainly not a singer. Therefore, all attempts to draw Pugacheva into politics did not bring any special dividends to their initiators, even in calmer times. Actually, the head of the Human Rights Council, Valery Fadeev, who fell in anger at "harlequins, buffoons" and for some reason "graphomaniacs", who knows what they think of themselves, is talking about exactly this. And, by the way, he is a representative of the same generation and is just as ready to justify any orders from his superiors. And what is not free is an insignificant detail.

In general, if you are waiting for an immediate " fall of the regime " after Pugacheva's speech, then do not wait so as not to be disappointed later. Large-scale ladies in fur hats who filled the halls at her concerts will not go to overthrow the leader. Her speech is a brave act, the act of a person who, unlike most state-owned patriots, does not give a damn about the fate of the motherland, and, of course, here's what else is important: in fact, she has always been hyperloyal, built into the system and able to take from the system own. If it has already been brought, then the system has problems.

And here we turn to the main thing. Somehow, behind all this noise, one thing was lost. And what exactly drove her? The "Pugachev rebellion" has a clear reason: the Ministry of Justice has included Maxim Galkin in the register of individuals - "foreign agents". And Pugacheva, as a sign of solidarity, asked to be included in the same register (by the way, according to the law, a citizen may well do this, but writing on the social network is not enough - you need to write an application in the form). And the comments of the authorities, who rushed to denounce the presumptuous hypocrite, allow us to see what really stands behind the status of a “foreign agent”.

In certain circles, it is customary to joke that this mark is a kind of quality mark. It may, of course, be true, but it is also not only an indecent nickname from journalists blamba before any entry: “This message (material) was created and / or distributed” and so on. This is the need to draw up ridiculous and offensive reports on one's own spending, this is a significant loss of rights, this is the prospect of falling under an administrative offense that easily develops into a criminal offence.

I won’t repeat myself: it has been written a thousand times that the Russian law on “foreign agents” is not at all a copy of the American FARA , that it is applied arbitrarily, and soon, from December, the authorities will not even need to prove the fact of foreign funding - it is enough to record “foreign influence” , whatever that means. And it can mean, as we understand it, anything at all.

But over the years, all government officials, starting with Putin himself, have emphasized that the law is light, humane and, of course, completely non-discriminatory. You fulfill the simple requirements of the Ministry of Justice - and slander your health, we have a free country, not like theirs.

And then Pugacheva enters the stage, and behind her mince, pushing, prominent statesmen. “I am sorry that Pugacheva, the former most popular singer in the country, has lost touch with reality so much and is in solidarity with those who today want Russia to be defeated,” writes the famous United Russia deputy Pyotr Tolstoy. And the less famous United Russia deputy Sergei Solovyov speaks more specifically: “Of course, Pugacheva's statement in its essence is clearly defiant and frankly cynical. If a Russian citizen asks to be recognized as a foreign agent, it is the same as asking to be recognized as a traitor.” Well, and so on, there are plenty of examples, and the main word has been said.

Some saw the recognition of pop humorist Maxim Galkin as a “foreign agent” as bringing the very idea of ​​“foreign agency” to the point of absurdity. Also, a note about funding from Ukraine - that, it would seem, is absurd. Only now the neighbors have the resources to finance the "foreign agent" Galkin, how else.

But there is no absurdity here. There is clear logic here. Now so. Any critic of the regime is a traitor. In principle, the label is not important, any yellow star will do, but the title of “foreign agent” is more convenient than others. Russians in polls have always fixed the association: "foreign agent" means a spy. The authorities hammer a simple idea into the minds of citizens: any criticism of the system is inspired (and possibly paid for, although this is not so important) from abroad. Either you admire the leader, or you act on the orders of the enemy. There is no other way in our besieged fortress.

There will only be more reasons to criticize the authorities in the future. This is easy to predict. And taking into account how much the authorities have simplified for themselves the procedure for recording the innocent as "foreign agents", one can see quite beautiful pictures. The Ministry of Justice publishes another release on Friday evening - and at the same minute “foreign agents”, “foreign agents”, “foreign agents” ... can you imagine, 35 thousand “foreign agents” alone! What is the position, I ask?

Then 40, then 100, then ... Then, you see, the power will break down, and life will slowly get better.

But jokes aside, people call something like a dictatorship. Of course, it didn’t start to take shape yesterday, and not even in February 2022, but the story of Pugacheva’s speech gives an extra and very clear reason to see this process. Now it is customary for people of good will to thank the singer. Well. And thanks for that too, Alla Borisovna.

The opinion of the author may not coincide with the opinion of the editors.