Good article, but points a little off-course from the most important essence.
Imagine that there are two 60 years old men.
First man lived his life like an ordinary person. When he needed something, he just looked for up-to-date information and used it.
Second man all his life was part of a destructive cult that every 10-20 years changed leaders, and therefore ideologies. Contradictory by themselves and among themselves.
Question, can the first man rationally understand predominantly schizophrenic worldview and way of thinking of the second man?
No. Because there is nothing to rationally understand.
Can the first man understand goals of the second man?
Of course. Second’s person’s neocortex is filled by chaos, therefore motivations are controlled by base instincts. By fear-hatred to unusual. By desire to absolute control. By extreme impulsiveness that abruptly switches between infantile childishness to violent aggressiveness. By primeval/hierarchical tribalism elements. By insatiable greed for survival resources.
Modern Russians are extreme individualists that don’t believe in anything except money, power, and subordination to power/authority.
And the same time they are extreme collectivists that speak and think by information received from a single 1960-2024 years propagandistic pool, and therefore believe in absolutely everything, from imperial capitalism and fascistic mysticism to Christian communism and pagan liberalism.
Russia authorities are real aristocracy over de facto still feudal society driven into state corporations and on 75% dependent from state budget.
And the same time all their life they, as anyone else, were objects of indoctrination, and communicated exclusively with objects of indoctrination. Therefore, no different from anyone else and also aspire for contradictory/unreal, or instinctive, things.
Modern Russia not so much a country as a constantly degrading social experiment. Where anything that in 1920-2020s years could be sacrificed for the sake of social control – was sacrificed for the sake of social control. And associated with this problems were roughly and partially compensated by enormous number of young slaves, technological theft, and by export of natural resources.
There are ideal movie about Russia – “Brother.” The lead actor almost perfectly show all Russian properties. Level of culture, worldview, ways of thinking, motivations, goals. “Ignorance/indoctrination -> disorientation-fear -> hunger for power/control -> violence and ignorance/indoctrination” cycle.
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Good article, but points a little off-course from the most important essence.
Imagine that there are two 60 years old men.
First man lived his life like an ordinary person. When he needed something, he just looked for up-to-date information and used it.
Second man all his life was part of a destructive cult that every 10-20 years changed leaders, and therefore ideologies. Contradictory by themselves and among themselves.
Question, can the first man rationally understand predominantly schizophrenic worldview and way of thinking of the second man?
No. Because there is nothing to rationally understand.
Can the first man understand goals of the second man?
Of course. Second’s person’s neocortex is filled by chaos, therefore motivations are controlled by base instincts. By fear-hatred to unusual. By desire to absolute control. By extreme impulsiveness that abruptly switches between infantile childishness to violent aggressiveness. By primeval/hierarchical tribalism elements. By insatiable greed for survival resources.
>Ignorance = >disorientation = >fear = >Fight (aggression, xenophobia, impulsiveness), Flight (infantilism, magical thinking, escapism, alcoholism, drug addiction), Freeze (procrastination, depression), Avarice (accumulation of survival resources: corruption).
Modern Russians are extreme individualists that don’t believe in anything except money, power, and subordination to power/authority.
And the same time they are extreme collectivists that speak and think by information received from a single 1960-2024 years propagandistic pool, and therefore believe in absolutely everything, from imperial capitalism and fascistic mysticism to Christian communism and pagan liberalism.
Russia authorities are real aristocracy over de facto still feudal society driven into state corporations and on 75% dependent from state budget.
And the same time all their life they, as anyone else, were objects of indoctrination, and communicated exclusively with objects of indoctrination. Therefore, no different from anyone else and also aspire for contradictory/unreal, or instinctive, things.
Modern Russia not so much a country as a constantly degrading social experiment. Where anything that in 1920-2020s years could be sacrificed for the sake of social control – was sacrificed for the sake of social control. And associated with this problems were roughly and partially compensated by enormous number of young slaves, technological theft, and by export of natural resources.
There are ideal movie about Russia – “Brother.” The lead actor almost perfectly show all Russian properties. Level of culture, worldview, ways of thinking, motivations, goals. “Ignorance/indoctrination -> disorientation-fear -> hunger for power/control -> violence and ignorance/indoctrination” cycle.