[color="Blue"]Putin Patriotism =Kwa Patriotism , it a multicultural and anti racist, it not pro white or nationalist

November 18, 2008
The Jealousy in Patriotism
Comment by Mumin Shakirov
Special to Russia Profile

Although State Propaganda Has Successfully Taught Russians to Dislike the West, It Failed to Force Them to Love Their Motherland

It is difficult to imagine an ordinary American driving a “Zhiguli,” drinking Russian vodka, wearing a Russian anorak and watching the “Vremya” news program on a “Rubin” television set all the while cursing all things Russian. But it is very easy to picture the reverse in Moscow—a self-assured intellectual who uses Windows on his PC, wears Levi’s jeans, drives a Ford and lambasts the United States.

It has become a sort of courtesy to be anti-Western and particularly anti-American among ordinary Russians, as well as among “professional” patriots. Their numbers are growing day by day. The government’s effective propaganda is bearing fruit. The Pepsi generation grew up and decided that Russia is surrounded by villains who want to disband the Empire and take over its natural resources.

After the recent military conflict in Georgia, the Kremlin poured quite a bit of oil into the fire of national patriotism, and reminded the citizens that Russia is getting off its knees, which allegedly irritates the West. Envy is one of the worst qualities, particularly when a significant portion of the population suffers from it. Russians have nothing to match Western high technologies or social achievements. Europe and the United States still look at Russia as a third-world country with miserable pensions, low salaries for teachers, doctors and scholars, corrupt courts and police and rigged elections. [color="Navy"]While having substantial natural and intellectual resources in the shape of scholars, engineers and entrepreneurs, Russia has failed to become a high technology power.

[color="navy"]Today Russia is selling oil, gas and timber to the West, and imports manufactured goods ranging from German paper clips to American Boeings. In its thousand-year-long history, Russia has not come up with a single product that would be in demand in civilized countries. Traditional goods such as cars and weapons are exported to third-world countries due to their low price tag.

This begs a question: why do Russian patriots hate the West, whose goods they successfully use or overuse? In Russia, luxury items can be purchased in large quantities. It is even less clear why Moscow sells oil and gas to those it hates. Most Russians are convinced that Americans are stupid and poorly educated, but at the same time almost every Russian businessman dreams of sending his offspring to Harvard or Stanford to study.

Russians have been trying to become Europeans from the time of Peter the Great. Their attempts to adopt democracy have not worked out yet. They have a parliament, but no opposition. They have a Central Electoral Committee, but no fair elections. The Kremlin analysts came to the conclusion that the people did not take to Western democracy, and decided to build their own sovereign one instead. “Don’t tell us how to live!” the patriots scream at every corner. “Go teach your wife to cook!” Vladimir Putin once blurted to one of the European parliamentarians.

The analysts are convinced that provincial complexes usually emerge on the basis of an imperial conscience. [color="navy"]During the 74-year-long Soviet history, several generations of the so-called “Homo-Sovieticus” had emerged. In the past century, our parents and grandparents had tried to teach the entire world how to live, with whom to live, and who to love. Now their children and grandchildren, their pockets stuffed with petrodollars, are taking over these missionary tasks.

Other analysts are interpreting these provincial Russian complexes differently – Russians are having a hard time giving up their intellectual servitude, and hence the extreme shifts from right to left and from idolatry to lordly arrogance. Andrey Konchalovsky, a famous Russian film director, accurately noted: “A Russian is a person of extremes, who is happy to spit at some and kiss others’ boots.”

Today gifts like pantyhose, chewing gum and Coca Cola are insulting to Russians. But there were days when these were memorable souvenirs. When the Soviet Union collapsed, poverty engulfed the entire country, and everybody looked at the West as the Messiah. Humanitarian aid and grants worth billions of dollars were rushed to the East. But a few years later the market economy started working, and the first wave of rich people emerged. The middle class was established and the Russians changed overnight. Self-assurance, cockiness and a sense of exclusiveness came to the forefront. Luckily, the people never lost their sense of humor and conceived a series of jokes about the “New Russians.”

As one observant Russian once noted, “One can easily recognize Russians abroad by their tenacious, intelligent and unkind look.” Writer Viktor Shenderovich gave a more profound description: “Many of our fellow-citizens have that look of powerlessness imprinted on their faces. In the recent past, you could recognize them by their clothes. Today they are all well dressed, but the facial tensions are still there. Our fellow-citizen will immediately turn his head if he hears somebody shouting ‘Hey!’ A Russian turns his head because he expects to be stopped and asked to produce his ID card.”

And there is another interesting phenomenon: a Russian can be nervous talking to a waiter or a porter, but he can easily push around a minister or some lord. One can’t help thinking of Niccolo Machiavelli, who said that “people and a society that had endured slavery or suppression for a long time lose God’s gift of love, self-respect and independence. These are replaced by adulation and groveling. Such people cannot take advantage of their freedom even if obtained by chance.”

The formula of a mysterious Russian soul is probably beyond anybody’s comprehension. Galina Vishnevskaya, the great Russian singer and Mstislav Rostropovich’s widow once noted that a Russian is prepared to sacrifice his last shirt if he has only one, but he will never give one away if he has ten in his wardrobe.

The government has mastered the art of enticing: it cynically wraps the people around its little finger, and the people are prepared to be fooled. The “we are surrounded by the enemy” conspiracy theory is effective and fruitful. Putin’s approval rating, as the real master of the nation, is extremely high.[color="navy"] He is skillfully bringing up a new generation of obedient and malleable citizens, who are prepared to ignore their own shortcomings but are willing to find putridity in others.

Very few in Russia take notice of the fact that almost every “New Russian,” having made or stolen the first million dollars, immediately starts thinking of whether he should buy a house on Cote d'Azur, in the UK or, if worse comes to worst, in Manhattan. A spare airport is always good, when you are constantly watched by the special services or the Kremlin “Papas.”[color="navy"] We do not like the West but it will always accept us, provide refuge for us and will never extradite us to the Putin regime. This rule has been well-learnt by the prescribed patriots who steal under nationalistic slogans, as well as by the cosmopolitan Russians who serve the Kremlin on their mercenary motives. [color="navy"]Hypocrisy and cynicism are the main order of the day in modern Russia.

Putin has recently decided that television and cinematography do not teach patriotism. Perhaps his enthusiastic anti-Western propaganda has not completely worked out. We hate the United States and Europe, but we have not learned to love our motherland. The prime minister has decided that the state will impose government-ordered patriotic programs and films, thus forcing us to love our country. Undoubtedly, a dozen talentless or talented creators will emerge, jumping at the opportunity to build air-castles of patriotism in order to disguise the Kremlin’s spiritual bankruptcy. [color="Navy"]Putin’s tragedy is that he cannot understand that “a slave can never become a patriot.” A salve can become like his master, overthrow him and take his place. But never a patriot. The Homo-Sovieticus Putin will never understand this.

Mumin Shakirov is a Moscow-based film director and reviewer.

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