The Good Russian (TM) analysed part I
The flaws I describe in vicious Fallout takedowns are not inherent flaws in Russians. They’re not genetic flaws. Russians aren’t born evil. These flaws arise from the formal, religious and societal education they receive from childbirth. A change is very much possible. Remove the Hitlerjugend from the Hitler Youth and they have a good chance to grow up ‘normal’. Their children and their grandchildren, an even better chance.
The Russian education system, like most but to a larger degree and compounded with the other factors, does not cover Russian genocides on its neighbors and internally. All wars are framed as just and necessary. This would be ‘normal’ except for the exceptional genocidal role Russia has played in creating the world’s largest country. Centuries of genocidal expansion compound with the usual reticence over the evils of the past. Further, any expression or questioning of the past runs face first into a society that cannot accept the evil of its past, perhaps because of the enormity of that evil. Again, Russian society is not an outlier, British society cannot accept that wealth was built on slavery, colonialism and the destruction of India, Japanese society thinks it was the victim of America in World War Two while negating any mention of its genocide on its neighbours, bald portly white men glorify the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe (and also in hushed tones the SS) at Warfest, Americans don’t acknowledge the Native American genocides that opened up the country (to the extent of one Holocaust ‘scholar’ obsessively wearing a US Cavalry hat, the same on Custer wore) the French are shy to admit their collaboration with the Nazis and endemic antisemitism while the Poles don’t like to talk about the quasi-imperial nature of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth (hey, maybe I’m engaging in euphemisms by writing quasi). Even some Germans have difficulty being frank about the Second World War, the dying generation of Hitlerjugend in their dotage may not be the last to cling to the myths of their past. There’s a really popular and terrible book that came out last year which glorifies Bismarck, the first Fuhrer.
But add in another factor. The pervasive, perverse and malignant cure of messianic Russian Orthodoxy which glorifies and justifies Russian genocide. While Russians may be deeply areligious in their day to day lives, they can rely on the crutch of a mafia bozo telling them that “Russia has never ever hurt anybody” and “But we cannot change ourselves,” - Patriarch Kirill.
(via Putin the Risen Christ — Russia’s Ultranationalist Pin-Up)
I cover this nexus in our upcoming book.
Education, society and religion all create the ideal toxic nexus. Its difficult for people to admit the flaws of their nation, their history and their society but necessary.
PS Don’t use othering. Don’t call Russians orks. Othering is the first step to genocide.
PART II will cover emotional infantilism in the lack of ability to admit even the smallest personal or RUSSIAN (not Putin) culpability.
And when I pull out Piłsudski, its both an insult and a suggestion that Russians need to sort out their problems at home, before they start lecturing on how to handle Russia and hows Russians are the real victims.
Thanks for reading Fallout! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.
