Thank you for your beautiful essay. The tandem power of memory and propaganda has certainly served the patriotic Russians of the Great War and those that stood in the cold, long bread lines of the 80's and 90's. But what of the Russians that have only known the autocratic reign of Vladimir Putin? Many have experienced unknown freedoms and benefits of Russia's growing economy. They have websites, Twitter accounts, and access to all Western amenities. In their lifetimes, they may never have experienced the treachery of the war-loving NATO countries. Propaganda often deletes ugliness, regardless of political beliefs. Music and film add another layer of protection. Mr. Putin, however, must experience their lies, their threats and their treachery on a daily basis. He must research all actions and prepare his country's defenses as best he can. I have good Canadian/Ukranian friends, and a brilliant young Russian in my family. We never believed that Russia would cross the Donbass border. The missiles, the troop build-up and the years of carnage pushed the SMO into a protective action. Mr. Lavrov attempted to persuade Kiev to abide by the Minsk Accords. NATO pushed Mr. Zelensky into his full-scale battle, and we have to bear the horror. Please trust that the majority of Americans stand with humanity, and beg to stop this war. However, politicians often are blind and unduly selfish. Hopefully, hands across the oceans will prove stronger. Thank you again for your excellent contribution.
I don’t know about Russian propaganda, but I know the U.S. propaganda has worked phenomenally well. There is not a single person I know, including my family, that thinks like I do, that we should try for a cease-fire and negotiations in the conflict. People get angry if I say it. Putin can’t be allowed to get away with anything, he will just be emboldened to try and take over more territory. He wants to reconstitute the USSR. He can’t be negotiated with because he is a liar. He will break any agreements he makes. I say Russia is not Putin, that there are 150 million people in Russia. I say I want the killing and destruction to stop as soon as possible. The response to this: why do I support Putin, why do I like him? I give up.
Same experience here. Tribalism in its current nationalist form. As Goering apparently told a reporter the night before his suicide, using it to lie to and provoke people is the easiest thing in the world. Even buffoons like Trump manage it. Of course suppressing, rational and especially progressive voices helps enormously. The US is much more subtle at that than Putin and his clique, and its mass media and entertainment industry so completely control the narrative that its own horrific record of intervention and invasion is somehow forgotten. BUT it is essential to keep speaking up because the jingoist tide has reached such levels that armageddon is close.
For any society to exist it must have commonality of purpose... its members must circumambulate around a central point... propaganda is the artificial attempt to achieve this unity in an otherwise fragmented or disinterested people. Mother Russia is in danger... but not from bombs or invasion... it is in danger from fragmentation and atomization... it is coming apart from a lack of common purpose, a lack of vision... Russians are vicious defenders of their homeland who will set aside personal differences to fight and die shoulder to shoulder repelling invaders but seem to have little taste for thinking about or fighting for the future... one day a leader may come along who inspires in the average citizen a common idea of what Russia could be and mobilizes the people toward a prosperous future.. until then if one wishes to understand Russian leadership they only need to read Rene Girard.
Thank you for your beautiful essay. The tandem power of memory and propaganda has certainly served the patriotic Russians of the Great War and those that stood in the cold, long bread lines of the 80's and 90's. But what of the Russians that have only known the autocratic reign of Vladimir Putin? Many have experienced unknown freedoms and benefits of Russia's growing economy. They have websites, Twitter accounts, and access to all Western amenities. In their lifetimes, they may never have experienced the treachery of the war-loving NATO countries. Propaganda often deletes ugliness, regardless of political beliefs. Music and film add another layer of protection. Mr. Putin, however, must experience their lies, their threats and their treachery on a daily basis. He must research all actions and prepare his country's defenses as best he can. I have good Canadian/Ukranian friends, and a brilliant young Russian in my family. We never believed that Russia would cross the Donbass border. The missiles, the troop build-up and the years of carnage pushed the SMO into a protective action. Mr. Lavrov attempted to persuade Kiev to abide by the Minsk Accords. NATO pushed Mr. Zelensky into his full-scale battle, and we have to bear the horror. Please trust that the majority of Americans stand with humanity, and beg to stop this war. However, politicians often are blind and unduly selfish. Hopefully, hands across the oceans will prove stronger. Thank you again for your excellent contribution.
I don’t know about Russian propaganda, but I know the U.S. propaganda has worked phenomenally well. There is not a single person I know, including my family, that thinks like I do, that we should try for a cease-fire and negotiations in the conflict. People get angry if I say it. Putin can’t be allowed to get away with anything, he will just be emboldened to try and take over more territory. He wants to reconstitute the USSR. He can’t be negotiated with because he is a liar. He will break any agreements he makes. I say Russia is not Putin, that there are 150 million people in Russia. I say I want the killing and destruction to stop as soon as possible. The response to this: why do I support Putin, why do I like him? I give up.
Same experience here. Tribalism in its current nationalist form. As Goering apparently told a reporter the night before his suicide, using it to lie to and provoke people is the easiest thing in the world. Even buffoons like Trump manage it. Of course suppressing, rational and especially progressive voices helps enormously. The US is much more subtle at that than Putin and his clique, and its mass media and entertainment industry so completely control the narrative that its own horrific record of intervention and invasion is somehow forgotten. BUT it is essential to keep speaking up because the jingoist tide has reached such levels that armageddon is close.
For any society to exist it must have commonality of purpose... its members must circumambulate around a central point... propaganda is the artificial attempt to achieve this unity in an otherwise fragmented or disinterested people. Mother Russia is in danger... but not from bombs or invasion... it is in danger from fragmentation and atomization... it is coming apart from a lack of common purpose, a lack of vision... Russians are vicious defenders of their homeland who will set aside personal differences to fight and die shoulder to shoulder repelling invaders but seem to have little taste for thinking about or fighting for the future... one day a leader may come along who inspires in the average citizen a common idea of what Russia could be and mobilizes the people toward a prosperous future.. until then if one wishes to understand Russian leadership they only need to read Rene Girard.
This was profound and eloquent and incisive. Thank you.