<<previous<<
Mass media plays a special communicative role in the modern world distributing
(in many cases ideologically distorted) information. Recall, for example,
information preparation for the USA and NATO war against Yugoslavia namely
100 thousand killed Albanians.
As a result of perestroika and followed fall of communism (1985-1991)
our country has been pushed to an unexpected (for itself) and very unpleasant
international niche, which it cannot leave until now:
-
On one hand we are = " the unfortunate victim of totalitarianism,
which should be helped (from the West)";
-
On another - "a thankless nation, for which everything, that they
(the West) do for us, always causes (at the best) displeasure or protest
".
It is not western media, which locate and continue to hold us there; it
is most likely our own deliberate? choice.
The transformation of Russia into a normal country goes on very hard
overcoming resistances not only from the outside, but also (heaviest) from
inside. The ideological cooperation of these two camps I call tankthinking,
and those employed in a tankthinking are tankthinkers. The term stems from
the English: "(independent) think tank" frequently used by many authors
to refer to a thesis, which could be regarded as at least strange or too
strong. For the experienced Russian reader it is easier to understand,
since s/he remembers the previous epoch when in case of a lack of clear-cut
argument s/he used (referred to) the materials of a last party plenum/congress,
writings of Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin-(current secretary general), program
of communist party, or finally to the book "Virgin Soil". All of the above
are now substituted by a reference to an (independent) think tank .
I had thrown "independence" away as superfluous and obscuring the content.
What usually stands behind it is an absence of direct (state/government)
budget financing. For example, the employees of Russian Academic Institute
(or any of Russian academic system) of Economy, or Moscow University are
certainly not independent, quite the contrary, those employed by Carnegie
are (fun = isn't it?). The absurdity of such interpretation of independence
was illustrated by an NTV case.
Our nation has taken up all the shit of the Soviet Union, including
the debts (do not do good - (they) will not abuse (you). All around: the
Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan (not speaking about suddenly emerged Baltic
states) - are in white clothes, while Russia (long time not belonging to
red commissars) remain drinking the blood of Christian infants. Western
media do not take into account simply the fact (which is easily understandable
by 2001), that Russia is not the USSR
(which does not exist any longer), moreover:
Russian economic thinking... prevailing mind-set is now
even more market-oriented than Western Europe's (from
Aslund
report).
Russian government features this style of thinking to a greater degree,
while destructive economic thinkers are removed out of the governmental
advisers and search grants about legislative bodies: Duma and Council of
Federation, or political parties (first of all communist party), that,
certainly, does the latter more independent.
The basic mind feature of this part of our society is the aversion of
new noncommunist Russia, stemmed from the mood of sabotage and revanche
(have a look: Zuganov carries a supreme soviet of RSFSR badge on his vest).
As a result they select negative facts, frequently exaggerate, and generalize
them to formulate a pseudo-threat which thus might likely become a very
real aggression.
"For the Soviet republics, except the Baltic states, the
breakup [of the USSR] was a national catastrophe, " said Mikhail Delyagin,
head of a Moscow economic think tank. "
Industrial output fell, investment dropped, life expectancy dropped. Ten
years of degradation have brought us back to the status of a Third World
country. "
Such a mood might be named conservative, since its major wish is to keep
a former (before 1991/1985/1953?) status quo. It interprets essentially
changed reality with a cold war spirit paradigm, estimating theses changes
as a threat to its own interests, and by the same token performing them
as national. The absence of idea's freshness isalso characteristic.
Why all is bad now ? Simply cause all was good in
the Soviet Union.
Russian tankthinkers are easy to understand: they experience a long tradition
of applying hysteria for fund rising, intimidating the intimidated authorities
by various horrors - is a norm of budget planning. Unfortunately, part
of the Moscow correspondents has accepted these emotions of the USSR nostalgia
and general misanthropia too close to their hearts and multiplicate them,
creating, thus, a transatlantic ideological circuit environment which seriously
deforms reality.
Unlike many, created by this environment, the problem of high mortality
actually exists. It is necessary to locate it apart of sound polyphonia
of those crying for the USSR. A discussion in mass media and its further
promotion could lead to a comprehension and its subsequent improvement,
but in order to do so the essence should be cleared of a peel, accompanying
and interfering the understanding.
For the sake of justice it is necessary to tell, that growing mortality
in Russia do not dominate western media, and the mentioned mood is probably
far from hegemony, nevertheless, its influence is rather tangible. My appeal
to writing community:
Be carefully accurate and accurately carefull !