George Bovt, a senior journalist and a political scientist is not an America-phobe or someone who follows the government line, but in article for the independent outlet Gazeta.ru, titled "Liberal-McCarthyism", he spells out the reasons why middle-Russia is gloating over America's current predicament. The US has arrogantly preached to everyone how to behave, it has imposed painful sanctions, and it has made visa applications to the United States from Russia a tortuous process involving lengthy and intrusive interrogations.
As opposed to Russian officialdom that blasts American racism, Bovt is put off more by the liberal-McCarthyism he sees gripping the United States and that recalls dark periods in Soviet history. He is not the only Russian opinion maker to make this comparison. Sergey Mardan wrote in Vz.ru: "Today's atmosphere in American society already looks much worse than McCarthyism. There, at least, the enemy was “external”, in the form of the Stalinist USSR, and the supporters of communism were like a “fifth column”. Today in the USA, it is a search for precisely internal enemies, internal counter-revolution, accounts with them are settled employing methods and terminology with which we are well acquainted from textbooks of Russian history of the 20th century."[1]
While Bovt understands the average Russian's hatred for the United States, he advises Russia to avoid a fixation with America's possible downfall. Firstly, the United States can pull out of the crisis. Secondly, Russia has its own problems, and drawing solace from the plight of others will not solve these problems.
Bovt's article follows below:[2]
George Bovt (Source: Radio.kp.ru)
Many In Russia And The World Are Hoping For America's Collapse
"Wouldn’t it be great if America, under the pressure of the hysterical campaign 'against police violence (and for the sake of other good things)', finally collapsed? Deep down, many people think so [in Russia] and all over the world. 'Let it get worse' is the slogan of the day for those, whom this country [the US] has long annoyed by its arrogant confidence in its own self-righteousness and by its rude manner of lecturing everyone on how to live properly.
And the right way to live is how America specifies. America infuriated many with its ostentatious wealth and arrogance, disguised by its flashy democracy. Everything in the world was the US' affair. Moreover, if there was once a time that American’s messianism was justified by the desire to bring freedom and democracy ( the Americans actually did bring these things and helped many stand on their feet and was a genuine good Samaritan), then over time, hypocrisy and double standards increasingly crept in.
"As soon as some sort of "color revolution" came to native American soil, freedom of speech turned out to be in reality a 'new totalitarianism'. For example, one can lose a job at the university, at a newspaper, on television and even on Internet platforms, if he [expresses] a wrong opinion or say, displays 'insufficient respect' for the equal rights movement of the black population namely the 'black racists' of Black Lives Matter. And such facts are a daily occurrence. And those people lectured us tediously about 'free press standards' and tolerance?! So it is understandable why, it’s hard for many to refrain from gloating now, isn't it?
[In the US] 'ethnic' quotas for hiring were hurriedly introduced in many corporations, which painfully resemble the traditions of the 'scoop' [USSR], where the right proletarian lineage outweighed professional aptitude and gave a head start in career advancement. But are you Americans so proud to have defeated the 'scoop' you’re your extraordinary competitiveness? But the 'scoop' came to you, like a boomerang, eat it by the spoonful! Just make sure that your treasury does not fracture in feeding millions of freeloaders, rejects and demagogues. Many think this way outside the United States.
"And some of our former compatriots, who fled from the 'scoop' to a free country, suddenly realized that they had arrived in the wrong place: they did not sign up to kneel before the blacks.
"And after the trillions of dollars poured 'into the economy in order to support people' [during the recent economic rescue efforts by the US government] somehow turned up on the stock market, multiplying the fortunes of those who were already quite wealthy, the angry exposés of Russian 'loans for shares' pale in their generosity[3] . Our former oligarchs, now hold assets just nominally (on condition that they return them on demand to the 'right guys) and they, governed by the instructions of the real bosses, are merely small children against this background.
"I think that for most of our compatriots have a 'feeling of gloating' observing how the country that was victorious [in the Cold War] goes mad little by little. Somehow, a real "revanche" is not achievable now, we are not strong enough, but we are saving up for it.
After September 11, people were sympathetic to America (although there was a great deal gloating even back then). There is essentially no sympathy for America now, (and with good reason). Let them trash more stores, let the upstanding citizens quake in fear of marauders of all colors, let them plunge further into totalitarian senility and into "black-skinned liberal McCarthyism", that puts the whites on their knees and chases them in shackles over the streets (for educational purposes) amidst the triumphant sounds of rap music. There is something deeply symbolic in the musical evolution from jazz to rap, the “music of gopniks” [low-lifes].
"When [in 2014] the 'neo-Banderites' [Ukrainian nationalists] were chanting 'Muscovites should hang from trees” and destroyed the monuments associated with the "Russian occupation" – it was all perceived as barbarism and savagery.
"And now something similar is happening in the 'most civilized country', the black-skinned Sharikovs[4] are already proposing to demolish the monuments to Jefferson and Washington (well, they were slave owners after all). And the "respectable press" meekly and even reverently listens to them, fearing to call out the Sharikovs.
"Let Seattle-style chaos be everywhere ('protestors' in Seattle captured the city center, declaring it to be a police-free zone). By the way the Democratic mayor of 'Boeing's capital', scolded the 'legitimately elected president' Trump (a fact which many US citizens question, …) in response to his proposal to send troops. Let there be more such stories! And we will watch your beloved 'controlled chaos' at arm's length, rubbing our hands in glee (…), and sipping a beer in front of the TV with news about 'how bad they are doing now, in contrast to our country, (which is doing fine by the way except for some minor breakdowns).
"And even those, who nowadays point out with political correctness that they don’t wish anything bad for America as a nation, but want it to 'draw a lesson and heal itself', are still deep down sitting around gloating. We are not the ones that have to 'draw lessons and heal ourselves' of social scourges.
"And yes, many people still want American cities to burn, they want white and black, democrats and conservatives, liberal and right-wing dogmatics to stock up on weapons and finally start a big pan -American war, which would turn into a civil war."
America Should Get A Taste Of Its Own Medicine
"They would want the Russian UN representative to receive a huge set of 'justifications' for introducing draft resolutions on 'massive violations of human rights', for exhorting the 'warring American parties' to sit at the negotiating table to create a government of national accord (or even better – a government of national salvation). They would desire our UN representative to even offer mediation and plans for the 'separation of the parties' (approximately along the line of the Appalachians). We are even ready to send peacekeepers, or, let’s say 'very polite people'. We would joyfully, even pass a law on conferring Russian citizenship on those US citizens who previously although verbally came out against the anti-Russian sanctions, and then suffered from 'mass repression'. The most prominent figures would receive apartments in Grozny or Saransk[5]. And, yes, amidst the confusion of the 'American mess', we, would be happy to end this "problem of independence" on both sides of the river Dnieper, and retake "the mother of Russian cities" [Kiev]. The collapse of America would finally free our hands to reorganize the space around us at our discretion. We will then have space to move around! "
Things Are So Bad In The States That Maybe Trump Was A Russian Plant After All
"Now, many from the ranks of our country's traditional anti-Americanists will finally believe again that the election of Trump was nevertheless an excellent “special operation”, they just didn’t see the whole picture. And the Duma did not applaud Trump’s victory in vain.
And it was not for nothing that some were ready to take a victory lap across Moscow's Garden Ring carrying a stars and stripes flag in honor of the victory of "our redhead". He nevertheless fulfilled the mission, which he was entrusted with by comrades from the FSB, the GRU at the hotel during his stay in Moscow in 2013. Our comrades broke into his room and caught him with prostitutes (who also held the rank of major or above), as in the famous scene from the [1969 Soviet comedy] movie 'The Diamond Arm'…
The Average Russian Didn't Hate The US During Soviet Times, He Hates It Now
"He [Trump] did what he was supposed to. He brought his country to such schism and hateful confrontation, that was unknown since the Civil War. True, he was forced to impose some sanctions against us. But that’s what I call an undercover operation! Firstly, these sanctions turned out not to be fatal, and even helped some 'right people' to get up from the knees and stand firmly on the strong basis of import substitution…. Secondly, over the past two years, no serious new sanctions were imposed, despite what was written in the most threatening congressional laws. The administration, in fact, sabotaged the whole thing.
"Finally, thirdly, and most importantly: starting from 2014, first Obama, and then the current owner of the White House (which has not yet been repainted black only due to negligence) with the help of the very same 'sanctions', has done what Soviet propagandists for decades and their contemporary faithful successors on the government television channels have failed to do:
"The huge 'presidential army' of the US State Department bureaucracy, mostly small- minded people living off press stereotypes, and the US consular service 'androids' in Russia, turned the process of obtaining a visa [to America] for Russians into some form of interrogation of the notorious 'enemies of the American people' (and that is really discrimination and racism...).
All this put together has finally turned Russia into a country with a massive anti-American bias.
Russia will remain anti-American for a long time. [Our people] will not gratefully recall the Lend-Lease or "Apollo-Soyuz", especially since we will now fly separately to the ISS [International Space Station](you have your own trampoline, we have ours). Our country on an everyday level has never been anti-American, since the time of industrialization, designed mainly by American engineers, even in the remote Soviet era and despite official propaganda. During the fierce Cold War years, Soviet people crowded the American exhibition in "Sokolniki" and admired the US lifestyle. They listened to the "enemy voices" and believed in them, and not to the voices of the [main Soviet newscast] 'Vremya'. But now 'deep' Russia (for the most part) hates America, its way of life, its behavior. Russians do not trust the US and wish harm upon that country. Although, it's all the same to America."
Don't Get Hung Up On America
"It seems to many, that when we look at the ruins of a post Pax-Americana world, we will be able to create a much better and fairer world. This may turn out to be a serious delusion, because just humanistic values lay at the basis of American civilization, despite the extermination of the Indians and the enslavement of blacks. Russian civilization alike, achieved a lot despite serfdom. However, a still greater the calculation that the hated America, at last, “will collapse” may turn out to be even more misleading. What if they sort themselves out? What if their famous “melting pot” just once again dumps the accumulated steam, and then again starts working?
"In fact, we shouldn't care about this America and go about our own affairs, troubles and problems, (of which we have accumulated quite a lot). We need to dump the principle of “it’s good that the neighbor’s cow has died”[6]. But this remains elusive…"
[1] Vz.ru, June 13, 2020.
[2] Gazeta.ru, June 15, 2020.
[3] the author refers to the privatization of state-owned companies under Yeltsin in return for loans to prop up the budget and pay pensions and thus allow Yeltsin to win the 1996 presidential election against the Communist candidate Gennady Zuganov.
[4] Sharik was a stray dog, who in Mikhail Bulgakov's 1925 novel Heart of the Dog is implanted with human organs and is turned into a human, but does not lose his impudent boorish qualities.
[5] As in the case of actors Steven Segal and Gerard Depardieu, who never set foot in these apartments located in two not particularly desirable areas of Russia.
[6] A Russian story relates a visit by the good fairy to a Russian peasant. The fairy offers to grant the peasant any wish. The peasant responds that he wishes his neighbor's cow will die.
