Canceling Russian Culture

[Leseratte]

One side effect of the invasion of Ukraine, which we all condemn, is that there has been a wave of canceling of all sorts of events relating in any way to Russian culture, from the Russian participation in the Peking Paralympic winter games, to Russian film Festivals in (from the universal point of view) obscure Brazilian towns. While perhaps understandable, to my mind these radical mixing up of things, is only harmful. I think it´s time to look at the other side too and at the heavy prices the Russian people are paying for their country´s politics.
Here, some articles, that consider that matter:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/busi...018604-9942-11ec-9987-9dceee62a3f6_story.html (With Pa

Julian Fuks - O cancelamento da cultura russa: tem sentido perseguir os artistas do país?

Aos 28 anos, Dostoiévski foi condenado à morte, esteve a poucas horas de enfrentar o pelotão de fuzilamento, por um triz não foi executado por subversão ao regime russo. No dia de sua execução, o tsar em pessoa decidiu rever sua pena, preferindo castig

www.uol.com.br

 

[Liam]

It is important that the near-universal condemnation of Putin and his invasion of Ukraine does NOT turn into outright Russophobia. Russophobia is just another form of racism.

Personally I am scared shitless of a certain madman with access to nuclear weapons, but I wouldn't say that I therefore loathe all Russians. I have many Russian friends who are rational and sane people, and who only want peace.

Ugh, this whole situation is a clusterfuck.

I am praying for a peaceful and satisfactory resolution to this conflict without any more casualties; but so far it seems that this war is bound to continue for quite some time, ?

 

[ministerpumpkin]

I didn't realize that about the paralympic games, Leseratte. That's really disgusting. Ostracism will only demoralize and isolate the Russian people even more, which will just make things worse.

Really wish there was at least one adult in charge in any aspect of life.

 

[tiganeasca]

That seems increasingly to be the problem in more and more aspects of life, from the serious to the silly: there just aren't any adults around.

 

[JCamilo]

The thing is that this non-sense about being anti-russian here in Brazil is not really something caused by the invasion. Right-wing (and neo nazi) groups supporting Bolsonaro have been linked with Ukraine, using them as inspiration and traveled to there (and they even had "camps" preparing them to go and fight against Russia), wore the ukraine flag in protests and even used as slogan "Vamos Ucranizar o Brasil" (something like Lets Ukrainize Brazil"). The most notorious of them is Sara Winter. Of course, for those people any excuse is a good excuse to attack culture in any form.

Except the obvious imediate impact with Olympics or World Cup exclusion (hilarious, as neither organizations are remotely honest, care about human rights or democracy when they pick a host, never acted when other nations praticed similar acts, couldnt even ban the doping athletes) there is nothing more russian than being anti-russian writers and never stopped anyone from watching Solaris or reading War and Peace. (It is something else that shuns people away )

 

[Benny Profane]

Sorry, guys, I hope you can't feel yourselves ofended with what I'll say now, but this "woke culture" is a cancer!

This moviment represents dozens of finicky teenagers who live with in "mommies' hotels" and spend all day imposing ethics codes based on memes and slangs in social media. They know nothing about the real life want to destroy the culture in general because certain subject doesn't delight them.

These stupid juveniles don't represent the minorities around the world because they act like fascists, nazists and puritains.

 

[Benny Profane]

The thing is that this non-sense about being anti-russian here in Brazil is not really something caused by the invasion. Right-wing (and neo nazi) groups supporting Bolsonaro have been linked with Ukraine, using them as inspiration and traveled to there (and they even had "camps" preparing them to go and fight against Russia), wore the ukraine flag in protests and even used as slogan "Vamos Ucranizar o Brasil" (something like Lets Ukrainize Brazil"). The most notorious of them is Sara Winter. Of course, for those people any excuse is a good excuse to attack culture in any form.

Don't forget, bro!
These myrmidons of our President said, in a recent past, that Putin was a comunist and a globalist. LOL!
Now, they support Putin and say now "Zelemsky is a jester, a desperate humorist and a genocider".
How can we understand our far-right "tupiniquim anauê" movement?

 

[JCamilo]

Benny, just think about you said. You define woke culture as "dozens of finicky teenagers who live with in "mommies' hotels" and spend all day imposing ethics codes based on memes and slangs in social media." and then they act like nazists? I assure you, even if the woke culture is what you describe (it is a derrogative label actually, imposed to reduce minority struggles for their rights), this is nothing like nazism. May be bad, but Nazism is way worst.

And the minions of Bolsominion don't really suppor Putin (that is how this social media thing works, having radical positions, but transitory and not even real). It was a just a rumor by Globo, using Bolsonaro misplaced trip to Russia, which is desperate since every single alternative for the presidential election is just a bolsonaro with make up (Moro, Doria, etc). And Putin is an asshole. And Zelemsky is another being supported by USA just like USA promoted the coup here using far-right groups to end democracy. Neo-liberalism (which is very evil, but still not Nazism) at its worst causing every problem possible in the world, including siding with neo-nazism when they find necessary around the world.

 

[redhead]

Uhhh yeah I wouldn’t blame “wokeness” for cancelling these Russian cultural events, not even sure how “wokeness” comes up here

But getting back on topic, yes I do hope the war does not turn into Russophobia, as we unfortunately saw with China and COVID.

 

[Benny Profane]

Benny, just think about you said. You define woke culture as "dozens of finicky teenagers who live with in "mommies' hotels" and spend all day imposing ethics codes based on memes and slangs in social media." and then they act like nazists? I assure you, even if the woke culture is what you describe (it is a derrogative label actually, imposed to reduce minority struggles for their rights), this is nothing like nazism. May be bad, but Nazism is way worst.

I go futher. I would never criticise serious minorities' movements which has been fighting against real oppresion in a real world (racism, chauvinism, homophoby etc) during many years ago and now, I criticise this stupid movement composed of idle juveniles who watch all reality shows and TV shows, live on a virtual world and never read a book.
My point is: these stupid post-young people, based on brutal puritanism, who talk about all the subjects, want to cancel all the things of our planet they don't like, but who promoves real hatespeech is free (that neonazi forum, chans and hate groups in social media etc).
In other hand, we have some conspiracy theories and groups that promote disinformation, hate against minorities etc.

I share a paper (an essay) about cancel culture for some reflections:

The New Puritans

Social codes are changing, in many ways for the better. But for those whose behavior doesn’t adapt fast enough to the new norms, judgment can be swift—and merciless.

www.theatlantic.com

PS: They tried to cancel Tolstoy days ago in Brazil because he had 13 kids and wrote "War and Peace" without support to his wife. Can you believe? LOL!

Yeah, guys, it has been having very hard to live in nowadays. If we don't have an escape valve, we can go crazy!

 

[JCamilo]

Man, there is no such thing as woke movement. It is a label used to lump together a variety of people who more than often have nothing to comum. The ridiculous with the legitimate, so it is easier to dismiss the legitimate. It is a discurssive trap. Then, when someone points that a text or a movie has a racist underdone (and they have, such as the whitewashing thing in hollywood), people say "woke culture" and done, you can dismiss as such exageration.

And Tolstoy was kind of a jerk to his wife. So what? The guy was "canceled" by the socialist regime, since he was a member of aristocracy and a symbol of the old empire. How much that worked out? The russian boycott is made by FIFA. Is FIFA woke?

 

[Benny Profane]

^^I have a different view about this.
Before everything, I have a liberal view (in north-american way) of human rights.
If I lived in US, I would be an elector of Democratic Party.
I would never critised the Black Party because they are serious, for example.

My point: It's decentralized movement like "Anonymous" or "K-Army" movement, right?
But if cancel culture is "so decentralized", why these attacks (or strikes) against anything always are cordinated?

About FIFA and another organisations, they are under high pressure by private international organisations or by the capital ("money talks" in every way, right?).

When I compare to nazism and other autoritharian movements, imagine yourself in a follow situation: "Suppose that you said a bad thing with some prejudice against somebody. In a real life, the offedend person or another persons around you would alert you about your mistake. In a virtual life, you might be fired, might be suffer a lot of trolling, cyberbullying, shaming and doxxing with your relatives and might be threathned with death".
Can you understand the difference? There is no difference beetween your "canceling" and the "Kristallnacht", in my humble opinion.

Well, I finnish saying: "The cancel culture is an infantile disease of post-capitalism".

 

[Stevie B]

There is no difference beetween your "canceling" and the "Kristallnacht", in my humble opinion.

 

[tiganeasca]

I should not have posted my "angry" emoji on Stevie B's post, where it did not belong. I should have posted it on Benny Profane's post. I find the equating of cancel culture and Kristallnacht ill-informed and a trivialization of the Holocaust. Cancel culture is wrong and has no place, but to equate it with Kristallnacht is offensive.

If I misunderstand or misread that sentence, I will be happy to be corrected.

 

[Benny Profane]

I don't want to do more digressions about this sensitive subject and I don't want to compare with any historic atrocity.
I apologize if anyone was offended.

I know that my opinions about it could be exaggerated and I wouldn't like to insist to talk about it again because I have a strong opinion about it.

I finnish my participation in this thread telling a story: I have a friend who was "canceled" recently and suffered a lot of hate (incitement to suicide, rape threatned of his wife and kids, death threatned to him and his relatives), he was fired and, after all, he had his life destryoed.
He is an incredible guy and, narrowly, didn't comitt suicide.

Yeah, cancel culture is a disease of our era!

 

[Liam]

Alright, let's leave it at that.

We've already veered from the original subject of Leseratte's post, which merely pointed out the danger of conflating Russian politics with all things Russian. In other words, do not let your condemnation of Putin turn into full-on Russophobia.

Leseratte, my dear, correct me if I'm misinterpreting your words.

 

[JCamilo]

I am eargerly waiting the time they will protest against Gogol books.

Editora 34, time to hand out your collection in patriot fury.

 

[Leseratte]

Alright, let's leave it at that.

We've already veered from the original subject of Leseratte's post, which merely pointed out the danger of conflating Russian politics with all things Russian. In other words, do not let your condemnation of Putin turn into full-on Russophobia.

Leseratte, my dear, correct me if I'm misinterpreting your words.

I should not have posted my "angry" emoji on Stevie B's post, where it did not belong. I should have posted it on Benny Profane's post. I find the equating of cancel culture and Kristallnacht ill-informed and a trivialization of the Holocaust. Cancel culture is wrong and has no place, but to equate it with Kristallnacht is offensive.

If I misunderstand or misread that sentence, I will be happy to corrected.

I though as much, @tiganeasca.

 

[Liam]

I am eargerly waiting the time they will protest against Gogol books.

I see what you did there: Gogol was, of course, Ukrainian!

 

[Leseratte]

Alright, let's leave it at that.

We've already veered from the original subject of Leseratte's post, which merely pointed out the danger of conflating Russian politics with all things Russian. In other words, do not let your condemnation of Putin turn into full-on Russophobia.

Leseratte, my dear, correct me if I'm misinterpreting your words.

No, Liam! In fact you summed up what I wanted to say! It seems we have veered from the original subject, which only illustrates how easy it is to mix up different things.