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June 28, 2004 Anti-American temper is badly disguised reality in Russia. September tragic events in the USA evoked compassion all around the world. That is true. Yet that is true, terrorism in New-York evoked feeling of joyful relief, as if some deep wishes come true and gave the way to hidden or obvious indignation with USA both in the all world and in Russia. General Anti-American feeling in Russia have particular meaning, especial sound. The very complicated relation to American’s problems and USA’s status in world policy prove to be understanding of paradoxes of our own development. Admiration of American values dominated in the middle of eighties now have turned into candid and merciless critic of “another” system, more and more reminding the atmosphere of recent cold war. Yet before tragic events in New-York, forecasts about imminent collapse of American society, critic of “false” American financial system, “lying” American policy became very popular in Russia. What has changed in Russian society? It seems the whole world is accessible and open for us, inner adversaries of progress and democracy ruined. We have become free to choose the ways of development and deal with our own problems. If so, Anti-American temper is no more than the events of the day? The USA, really, likes to be a threat and many nations and states do not like its policy. However, an image of external enemy is most accessible and simplest way to avoid settling of our domestic problems. Let’s listen attentively and think over all Anti- American expressions in Russia. Certainly, they differ among representatives of social groups, parties and regions. But something forgotten more and more sounds through these attacks. They surprisingly remind accusations that not so long ago were aimed against Soviet athoritarian regime. That new “hatred other” over the ocean, that is criticized, accused, rejected reveals very familiar Soviet points, the very Soviet reality that seems left behind. Hate to USA of old communists is not surprising, but now anti- American senses have become the crucial attacks of right wing. The more listen and think over some or other attacks the more often caught the thought that now USA has firmly replace CPSU, athoritarian regime and communist ideology. Anti- American in Russia more and more gains features of former anticommunist temper in soviet society. “Save the world!” – this is the task very familiar to both American and Soviet cultures. We wasted so much time to decide who dominate the world, to find our Great Task and our special role in the world history. Even «perestroyka» began as salvation of the world from threat of Soviet communism and totalitarianism. Air flight of Russian President around Statue of Liberty in New York became the symbol of birth of new and liberate Russian world. Now we blame an American expansion in the world, arrogant intervention into affairs of other nations and states. And this was one of crucial points of Soviet dissidents’ attacks – intervention of USSR into other nation’s affairs. Discontent with domination of «American» language all over the world remind us the same processes in the USSR – native languages of Soviet national republics were always stepsons. Yes, certainly, each superstate dooms to have enemies, especially among those who was superstate not so long ago and hate of backward nation to superstate, uncivilized society to culture, provincial people to capital has one crucial distinction. Alas, even hating Russian capital, the number of people who does want to get flat in Moscow come up with number of people around USA embassy who wants to get an American visa or who wants to buy at local market «hatred» American new video film without license. But this is only first, shallow level of critic, that allow arrogant superstate in reply disregards any attempting both in the USA and in foreign countries. Step by step, losing our own Russian haughtiness, we have discovered for ourselves absolutely another America. But now long well-known familiar fetchers of Soviet reality have came to light in this new American image. «American style of life», its ideology, its forms of propaganda, in the whole, less differ from now forgotten «Soviet style of life». That we have to hear about common American citizen, his mode of life, his attachments, habits remind us the image of trivial Soviet citizen – one- sided, without imagination, duly, bad educated. Indeed, it is not difficult, looking attentively at primitive American “Homer Simpson”, to recognize our native Soviet citizen. An American common national advertising and white smiles of billboard make us remind Soviet slogans and strong-willed sights from Soviet placards. We have discovered, that American ideology deals with any problem as well as ideological department of CPSU, and American students with “Komsomol” shine eyes believe in Great USA, certainly, with hidden “Komsomol” doubts of Soviet generation of seventies. Like as Soviet intelligentsia of seventies condemned ideological role of CPSU in the realm of culture, we condemn now the role of the whole American cultural life, «other» films and show- business, blame movies and attentively watch for moral decline over the Atlantic ocean, trying to find hidden true in any news from USA as if this news is a communist party document. We say: USA hasn't culture or, American culture is a very primitive culture, but now this is absolutely another primitive, not one of eighties that simply lack «miraculous Russian soul», but such primitive, that is satisfied with ordinary schemes for explanation of any historic events as like as our Marxist-Leninist education was satisfied with primitive plots and was to accused by the vanguard of Soviet culture, although, truly speaking, present post- soviet orthodox thinking with the same Marxist easiness knows all the answers on any question, on any modern problem. Hatred «socialist realism» has turned into Hollywood realism, dominance of which is accused like as not so long ago the dominance of both USSR’s Association of writers and Soviet literature were accused. Like as Soviet cinema and TV gave us far from reality image of Soviet reality, American best films gives us the same far from reality image of USA. Certainly, the matter is not how much costs films, for us, first of all, the matter is that Americans are absolutely “lying” people and this American lie now without reserve blamed in Russia. Ten years ago it is CPSU that was most lying organization in the world. We outline only most crucial traits of anti- American temper in Russian society, but even here the paradox has raised that, which we had to encounter – inmost identity of both American and Soviet system. Two different opposite worlds reveal relationship, identity, two mode of the same dictatorship being. An American society has authoritarian structure as like as Soviet society had. Athoritarism of American value system come into being the same way communist’s athoritarism does. We only guess this relationship, because we continue to follow the primitive way of social thinking as well as American does. Anti-American temper in Russia reveals this relationship to such extent that its style, forms, idioms are the same as anticommunist feeling in Soviet Union had, the very anticommunist temper that would become afterwards the democratic, liberal wing of USSR’s deconstruction. Accusation of USA of all recent Soviet sins make us to think over in another way both an essence of “anti-American” and our modern history. Russian society has to be aware that communist ideology, one-party system, national property are responsible for Russian totalitarianism as well as American mode of life, freedom, democracy are responsible for the same American totalitarianism. In any case, we have in reality not two different political system but the same authoritarian form of social being. Such processes in Russian society are pregnant with catastrophes like as America’s war against terrorism – sign of coming catastrophes of American society. It is not difficult to suppose, that in the nearest future both Russian and American society will encounter the same problems and contradictions, but modes of its resolution, in spite of visual direct opposition, will be the same one. Being extreme embodiment of particular historical epoch, hidden or obvious athoritarism of our systems will be continuously arising as a crack in our relation. An opposition “two world – two systems” is maintained and reproduced, it will dominate in reality, but this is an especial opposition, such opposition that will give and can give the answers. Collapse of communist regime didn’t release the world from violence, wars, social and economic catastrophes. Like as hidden expectations for inevitable collapse of American system and actual processes of degradation in the USA will not give stability and rest for world community. But they will open the way to bad controlled processes such as we have in the post- soviet space. Modern history started with opposition of two social-economy systems, two political enemies and it can not come to an end without resolving of contradictions of two anti- worlds, hidden in each social system of industrial world. ------------ About the author: Roganov Serge, philosopher, writer, politics. (1960, Kiev state university, Post-graduate Russian Philosophical society (Moscow), party leader in 1995-1998, expert of Russian President’s Advisor) My book “The Gospel from Godman. Posthumously. Personally”. This is a literary parody on modern Russian history, my own biography and on Gospel. Godman – is what Dostoevsky called as “socialist”. So the Soviet collapse turns into my own death as a Godman. The parody on my need of suicide as one of Dostoevsky hero wanted: If I’ll shoot myself, I’ll become God. So my book is joyful parody on own existence as Godman and on comic Russian history&culture of 90-th. Paper and essay: Manifest of Homo mortem - presented in 2000 in USA national conference (Albion, MI). Published on-line (USA, Canada, Moscow). Chapter of my book. Soviet death as a draft of Homo mortem – presented S. Korea, Germany in 2002. Published: S. Korea in English, Moscow(Russia). My death, or death as earth non-being – presented in 2003 Rome, Italy, International Metaphysic congress. Person’s spiritual emergency and death-rebirth in post-totalitarian space (former USSR) – workshop leader, International conference EUROTAS, London, August 2004 Email: roganov@hotmail.ru Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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