The war started by Vladimir Putin has been going on for over a month, yet the anti-war movement has not won. The authorities have tightened control. Millions did not take to the streets. Moreover, over time, fewer people have been participating.
Because of this, it’s easy to fall into despair and start looking for those to blame — and find them in the “deep people,” supposedly backward, inert, and, in general, not the way they should be. You’ve probably already read something like this:
“In the early days of the war, there was a romantic idea of convincing people. That window of opportunity has closed. Everyone has taken sides.”
We believe that this way of thinking and these attitudes, which are transmitted by opinion leaders, not only demoralize but also directly harm the anti-war movement. Here’s why:
1. Protest cannot be the domain of elites. Peace and freedom can only be achieved through gradually gaining mass support. We need to work with apathy and disengagement, not give up on the “bad people.”
2. We must fight against social arrogance, known as the “myth of two Russias.” According to it, the supposedly enlightened part of society is contrasted with another, supposedly backward part. This anti-democratic myth is called “demophobia.”
3. The myth of the backward people has nothing at its core except the elitist prejudices of its creators and is based on the coarsest generalizations, cultivating collective blame instead of personal responsibility.
4. Survey results that supposedly show almost total support for the war do not actually prove the premises of this myth. They don’t prove anything at all: in modern Russia, surveys are more often elements of propaganda and tools for constructing reality, not for studying it.
5. State propaganda uses elitist myths and provokes a “culture war,” pitting the “working people,” supposedly supporting the current government, against protesting “idlers.” In reality, people from various professions and income levels are participating in the protest.
More on this can be read in:
— Chapter 8 of the book “The Politics of the Apolitical: Civil Movements in Russia, 2011-2013”;
— Sociologist Philipp Chapkovsky’s article “Majorities Are Imagined”;
— A Twitter thread by the author of the book “For Democracy” and municipal deputy Alexander Zamyatin.
We believe that the anti-war movement defends the interests of the majority of our fellow citizens, even if some of them do not support us now or are actively collaborating with the authorities. We are fighting for their support. And we consider this to be true patriotism.
If you support us in this endeavor, share our social media with your friends and loved ones and join the anti-war movement.
