Do we matter? Depends on the context

We’re told that individual lives matter. I’d say – it all depends on the context. Look at the fate of the hostages. It’s no longer front-page news. Why? It no longer is politically expedient. Israeli hostages aren’t as lucky as Joe Biden’s son who recently got pardoned. Some people are just born lucky, I guess. Imagine for a moment that a son, or a daughter, of an important politician was one of the hostages. That politician would’ve found a way to get them out, and fast, I assure you. But you know that. Anyway, I’d like to share my sobering story that showed me just how little individuals mean at times.

When I worked for Polish State TV, albeit briefly, just a few months, there was a moment when PiS (Law and Justice) television was taken over by the winning Civic Coalition. I mean, State TV ought to be impartial, but is it realistic to expect that, regardless of who’s in power? I’ll let you be the judge of that.

The new government had to clean up after the old. And boy, oh boy, wasn’t that a Twilight Zone episode. I’m not theorizing here – I was right there, in the center of it, watching the Police walk around. At one point, I saw the leader of PiS (Law and Justice), Jarosław Kaczyński, walking toward the building, with reporters swarming him, almost pinning him to the window. It was a surreal, regardless of your political leanings, or lack thereof.

Politics aside, as someone who used to be in a group investigating the unexplained, I was looking at the whole takeover unfolding around me as a quasi-paranormal phenomenon. Sociologists, too, would have a lot to say about what was going on, I’m sure. It showed me just how little individuals mean at times. All the slogans about how we matter disappear in moments such as these. I wrote articles, knowing full well the website was likely going to vanish. Indeed, that’s what happened. The TV signal was turned off, as well. The whole thing was like being in some warped parallel universe. The website reappeared after a while, but without my articles. Again, no surprise for me. I could see it coming a mile away.

Still, I’m grateful to have interacted with professional and dedicated people who knew, and know, how to do their job really well. It’s always enriching.

Kyiv Post, on the other hand, is unbreakable and I know my articles are safe there. You’ve got to admire the Ukrainian spirit – the war doesn’t stop Kyiv Post journalists from doing their job.

So, dear reader, when someone tells you that individual opinions and lives matter – they aren’t wrong. But you’ve got to remember one thing: it’s all about the context. There are times when we, as individuals, are mere pawns of forces way beyond our control. Don’t buy into the narrative that just because you live in the so-called ”free world,” you always matter”. There are times when, be it in a totalitarian regime or the ”free world,” our freedoms and relevance can be taken away just the same.

Regimes, of course, have one propaganda package they sell to their citizens in the country and to their elites abroad. Look at the children of Russian oligarchs in the US and the UK. Do you think they believe Russian propaganda spewed by Solovyov, Skabeeva, Dugin, and others of the merry bunch? Do they hide their Z-fascination? Are they truly against it? Your guess is as good as mine, but if we’re looking at the next generation of regime functionaries who are going to use their Western education against the West, it really ought to give us pause. Indeed, what if they go back to Russia as liberals and get radicalized there? This really is a mess. And if you think I’ve always hated Russia, cause that’s what Poles do, you’re wrong.

I was in Pushkin Institute in 2008, not your average Russian-language school for foreigners; I walked around Moscow way before Tucker and it’s hilarious to watch him walk around stores there, singing praises. Oh, wow. What an achievement! Look, an escalator. Jesus Christ. Actually, doesn’t that demean Russia? Come on. Think about it, Tucker (not that you’re going to read it, but still). Walking around their stores like it’s a damn zoo.

Tucker recently interviewed the Russian Foreign Minister – Sergey Lavrov.

Mr. Lavrov is the grandmaster of propaganda. I believe he’s way better at it than Putin and all the clownish propagandists. He doesn’t veer away from the topic. Lavrov doesn’t flinch even when the audience laughs at him or walks out on him. He’s smart. His authoritative voice, calm demeanor, fluent English, his seemingly flawless logic, and years of experience as a diplomat can convince even the greatest skeptic that Russia is the reasonable party in all this. That Russia never starts wars. The other one who stands out is Sergey Karaganov. Peskov, maybe. The rest are just clowns barely anyone takes seriously, even in Russia. Clowns with no actual power. They are there because they are allowed to be there to advance the tsar’s (FSB?) agenda. All they can do is scream and write provocative nonsense. But if they go off-script too much, they, and possibly their families, will be eliminated. And they know it.

Zakharova picked up a strange call during the conference and apparently said someone on ”God’s level” was calling. Exactly. And God is mercurial. You exist today, gone tomorrow. Look askance at the tsar and you’re done.

Some say that until the children of Russian so-called elites start getting out of Western Europe, there’s no risk of a nuclear attack. I don’t think Putin cares about such issues. Vengeful Vlad doesn’t give a damn about some spoiled kiddies, Russian or not. They are inconsequential. He might be protective of his children, they are an extension of his ego, the rest is irrelevant. He likely sees many of the oligarchs as disloyal, anyway. And disloyalty/betrayal is the worst sin for Putin, as he said himself.

For now, it’s still ”Shall we see – will it be window or tea?” I also have no doubt the tsar has a reset plan to eliminate his entire inner circle and replace them with some other loyalists. The plan to be activated if need be. In this show, only Putin is the tsar and the star; all else are expendable.

Luckily, more and more people know that, in Russia, human life means nothing. Zero.

In the so-called free world, we simply have way more failsafe mechanisms, but when push comes to shove, every system can unjustly imprison you, and take away whatever you have. How many people are still in prison, indeed, in psychiatric hospitals, even though they shouldn’t be there? Exactly. The whole totalitarianism versus freedom dichotomy isn’t so black-and-white. Not at all. Every system can become totalitarian, even if for a day, if need be.

Also, I’ve come across this: “The [elite US schools accepting Russian billionaire kids] know war is not started by the people — it’s political, and it’s from another level,” she said.

Well, what do you think about that statement? Answer in your own mind.

To me, that’s total nonsense. There aren’t millions of Putin doubles running around, and terrorizing people.

Keep in mind many, maybe most, of those geopolitical experts often don’t know better than you. They just know how to fake confidence on TV better.