Fears

Life is creepingly getting filled with fears more and more each day, different sorts of fears. Journalists, bloggers, activists are at the forefront of the counterattack. They are the ones who act and who are the aim of fearful acts. Fears are mainly of two sorts: legal and physical. Time has gone when they were political and economical. Now, if you are scared of anything, that would be the notion of prison and the notion of violence.

It is easy in today’s Russia to accuse journalists and bloggers of extremism. This term is so vague, the judicial system is so trained that every free word can be turned against you. They can call anything extremism – from domestic issues over the utilities companies (extremism towards companies) to heritage preservation (extremism towards companies and city/culture authorities), from personal security (extremism towards the newly-coined social groups like policemen or bureaucrats) to positive political aspirations (extremism towards the state). Any word against any man in power can be quickly turned into a red cloth for the man-in-power-bull. The judicial system follows the guidelines from this man-in-power, as well as from the security services. They can interpret any word as an assassination attempt – assassination of their power.

It is easy to threaten, bully, hit and kill people in today’s Russia. The late 1990s with their multiple killings of journalists and public fears have returned. Maybe they have never left us. It’s just that we didn’t notice while life was seemingly getting better in the fat 2000s. Yet, you never know when the bat hits your head, breaks your bones, tears off your fingers. You never know even what kinds of words or deeds on your part may trigger the bat on their part. All you know, is that the more you write, act, fight – the more chances the bat is triggered.

Sometimes it is even beneficial to exercise some fear to keep your in line with current life, with laws, with precautions. But the number and intensity of fearing is growing, however slowly. At some point the buildup might gain a critical mass on the borderline between sanity and insanity. Then, it is either your bold actions or self-preservation instinct … if there is still time for it.

Why writing this in English? Well, I just want people there to know. Here, there are only three groups of people left – those who have fears, those who hold the bat and the vast majority who doesn’t care.

Первоначально опубликовано 8 ноября 2010 года.