СHAMELEONS

 

How effective is propaganda? Is it the cause and origin of crimes committed by the population of those countries where totalitarian, aggressive regimes reign? Paying much attention to propaganda, we forget that the driving force of any society, even a totalitarian one, is its population. Without its will, it is impossible to commit crimes on a planetary scale.

Considering the history of the past, we can recall that the National Socialist German Workers' Party gradually increased its presence in Reichstag before the proclamation of Hitler as Fuhrer. In November 1932, the NSDAP won 33.1% of the votes in the democratic elections in the Weimar Republic. At that time, there was no total Goebbels propaganda, however the idea of a great Germany was present in the air.

Propaganda is not the cause of the events, but only a tool for consolidating the population around a single leader. A population that actually wants to hear the ideas of propaganda, looks for the idealogy, feels united with it.

Echoes of evil from the past find a place in the present. Journalists of a liberal Russian newspaper "Meduza" know that some of its readers support Russia's war in Ukraine, and therefore decided to ask about the reasoning behind the position. The results of the survey can be found in the material. Reading the material can help to understand what is happening in the society that started the biggest war of the 21st century.

We present only one answer from 31-year-old programmer Alexey from Moscow. Note that he has access to the Internet and alternative information.

“Well, what options do we have, guys? The war has already begun, there’s no turning back. Given the circumstances, I’m not ready to leave; I don’t want to feel like a migrant worker, even an educated one (I’m a programmer). I love Russia and Moscow has always been the most comfortable place for me. How can I oppose it now, when everyone understands perfectly well what’s going to happen if the current regime loses?

It’s too late to turn back. Let them fight as long as there’s mutual interest, and after the regime change (which is inevitable), we’ll see what happens. Meanwhile, what happened, what the reasons for it were, and whether it was worth it are all pointless judgements to make right now. For what it’s worth, I opposed the war from the very start. But now I’m against the radical “libtards,” Western hypocrisy, and everything that continues to feed this war.”

Alexey is educated, lives in the capital, probably earns well and has access to information. Is there any empathy for Ukrainians and their grief in his answer? Does he worry about his countrymen cutting people to pieces in another country? He is more worried that his financial situation will worsen if Russia loses the war. What if he can't go to Europe for the weekend? Horrible! This is a real tragedy indeed, not the fate of Ukrainian children whose limbs and lives were torn off by Russian missiles.

Will Russia change with such "liberals" as Alexey and military Russian barbarians in Ukraine  the same time putin is gone? Or maybe they will find a new Fuhrer? By the way, concerning Fuhrers. During Prigozhin's attempted coup in Russia last week, the Wagner terrorist group took control of the city of Rostov. The same time residents of the Russian city took to the streets to greet and support the murderers and war criminals.

Russians do not go out to protest the war en masse, because they seem to be afraid of putin's regime. At the same time, they are not afraid to go out on the streets to support the real murderers with automatic weapons who oppose the inefficient killing of Ukrainians. So is propaganda to blame for the fact that the majority of the Russian population supports the war, or is it their conscious choice?

Many Ukrainians wonder when the society in the West will start calling the processes in Russia by their names? Will it dare to face the truth? Questions remain open...