Аннотация: The cultural reputation of modern Russia. From a transitional society to a political system with a criminal sub-culture. A cultural essay.
The cultural reputation of modern Russia. From a transitional society to a political system with a criminal sub-culture. A cultural essay.
At beginning a media campaign arose in connection with the departure in other world of the children's writer and cultural activist Vladislav Krapivin (September 1, 2020).
Several days passed.
The German Foreign Minister expressed himself in the sense that effective steps are required from Russia to investigate the "Navalny case", otherwise measures will be taken by Germany and its allies.
These two facts prompt reflections on Russia's cultural reputation.
In the standard version, the political system is identified with the country, with the state. When naming a country, we, as a rule, do not separate this state in the historical continuum (from one side) and the modern political system (from another side)... But, sometimes, such a separation occurs ...
Cultural reputation is arriving over centuries. It is escaping over several years. It is restoring over decades ...
From the partition of the Commonwealth in 1795, Russia began to be perceived by Europe as a dangerous, aggressive state. Alexander the First was sensitive to this tendency, and he was extremely cautious in the historical period following the fall of Napoleon the First. Russia acted as a friendly state committed to European historical and cultural values.
Nicholas the First, during the period of revolutionary changes in Europe, intervened in the events in Hungary (1849), and as a result, received the Crimean War of 1853-1856.
For all the contradictory reputation of Russia, the positive component in this reputation was of more volume. This was facilitated by the development of culture in Russia, and the participation of Russia in the European coalitions under Peter the Great, under Alexander the First, during the First and Second World Wars ...
After 1991, Russia began to be perceived as a country in transition. She seemed to be moving from an authoritarian order to a democratic order.
However, during 20 years, a new shade has appeared in the cultural reputation of Russia. Especially clearly, in our opinion, such a new shade began to be felt during the leadership of the Ministry of Culture by Vladimir Medinsky - a man whose career was accompanied by scandals and accusations ... Vladimir Medinsky fought with them, he refuted, tried to refute ... But, in general, he was sitting firmly in the minister's chair ...
So, a new shade. What is this shade? The impression was that a criminal sub-culture was developing more and more intensively in Russia. The film "Brigade" (2002) and the ascent of the actor who played the main role - the role of the leader of a criminal group - to a level of the social and political elite (2020) became significant moments.
So, in the period from about 2002 to 2020, the criminal subculture, presumably, formed. Russia's cultural reputation has not disappeared anywhere. The positive aspects, in our time, still outweigh. But the modern political system from some time is not identified with historical Russia ... Russia has its own reputation, and the modern political system has its own ...
Over a twenty-year period (1) the Federation Council, one of the chambers of the Russian parliament, ceased to be elected in the normal sense of the word, (2) electoral filters were introduced, (3) significant events took place - the election of the governor of Primorsky Krai in 2018 ... Many other examples of exchange. The strength of political power was growing. The positive cultural reputation was decreasing. An exchange... But this essay is not a writing to present such examples of exchange ...
And in 2020, while analyzing the media company, associated with the death of the respected Vladislav Krapivin, we made an unexpected conclusion - the modern political system in Russia is critically lacking a positive, cultural reputation. ('However, modern official structures are in dire need of a positive, cultural reputation. We have famous writers, powerful cultural figures!').
Several days passed. The above-mentioned statement by the German Foreign Minister followed. It seems that the criminal sub-culture began to be perceived as an integral feature of the modern political system of Russia.
No one is in a hurry to enter into dialogue on specific or general topics. (Any citizen can set up an experiment - in case of meeting a professional scammer, try to establish a humanitarian dialogue with him ...).
It seems that the question is posed differently by the German Foreign Minister - or a concrete actions (on the part of Russia) will be, or - a certain reaction of Germany and her allies will follow ...
Perhaps the positive, cultural reputation is critically lacking - for the modern political system of Russia...
[MDCLXXXV. Vladislav Krapivin. For some - tops, for others - roots? The note. - September 1, 2020.]
September 6, 2020 16:13
Translation from Russian into English: September 6, 2020 20:48.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Культурная репутация современной России. От общества переходного периода к политической системе с криминальной суб-культурой. Культурологический очерк'.