On Russia and totalitarianism

[mahnmut]

There is a new version on Politkovskaya's death: it says that Berezovsky wanted to discredit Kremlin in front of the world and organized her assassination. Putin himself said that the way she was silenced would do more harm to the Russian government than her publications, therefore it wasn't in Kremlin's interests to kill her. However illogical it may sound, it may be true as well, because Politkovskaya's publications didn't have such a large-scale impact on the public opinion as her assassination has. Nevertheless, this statement sounded rather arrogant even from Putin's mouth and showed how deeply rooted the totalitarian manner of governing the largest country is rooted into the mentality of the Russians. However the problem is not that he SAID that, and not even that Politkovskaya was killed, but that almost noone inside Russia ever dared thinking of raising a voice and asking questions with more insistance.

But then, question comes, isn't THIS what most Russians really want? They've always been keen on the "Firm Hand" approach to governing (and being governed). It may sound ignorant, but don't they just like to have someone to tell them what to do? Without asking too many questions? You have to agree, it's easier this way. So, all Bush's lectures about "freedom" and "democracy", no matter how irrelevant they are in his case, are even more irrelevant in the Russian case. The only answer he could receive there would always be: "OK, interesting..."

After all, the proverb says that a nation deserves the governors it has.

(xposted)

Comments

[alphistia.livejournal.com]

Look at the American example today...Americans seem to be ok about their country being led by authoritarians if they can believe the chimera that they are "safer" from terrorism as a result. And even though Americans bloviate non-stop about how free they are, so many of them are extremely uncomfortable when anyone questions their national myths or otherwise exercises their freedoms. The Russians have their own centuries of badness to overcome...as do Afrikaners...as do Americans. Not many peoples seem to be able to look at themselves and come to terms with their historical or contemporary sins - probably a facet of being human rather than a feature of nationalism.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Yes you can see this even in such old democracies like Holland and even in France! People are the same everywhere, only some of them pretend that they are more democratic or more free than others.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

[xposted], you mean [stolen]? LOL xD
Np, i'm glad you raised the discussion on that forum as well...

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Yes you can spot some of your old 'friends' making silly remarks over there ;-)