Reading comments around posts about Zaluzhnyi’s interview is very enlightening. A few completely subjective impressions as notes on the margins:
1. The war has not taught the masses to think, remember (who said or did what), or even use search to recollect. And yet there is…
2. The “guppy fish” effect + mass imposition on social media of the desired version of reality = by the election campaign, the “common people” will believe in pseudo-reality and reject any arguments. If the current Bankova extends its power directly or indirectly, in a few years, the history of the war will be rewritten radically, as Moscow rewrote the history of WWII.
3. In addition to points 1 and 2 – the population does not know how the government works in Ukraine. How it should work and how it works in fact. As a result, they don’t see the obvious; they see the imaginary. There is no desire to ponder “how it is so.”
4. If commanders/officials who were executing duties and for various reasons found themselves hostages of authoritarianism under the guise of unity do not start speaking out, they will tacitly endorse the substitution of reality. Yes, many risk having to acknowledge their mistakes, and this can be frightening (considering the previous points, one can become scapegoats for others’ failures). For now, I don’t see the understanding – “remembering everything” will be a painful but healing therapy for society. Perhaps the omerta will be broken when it becomes entirely clear how high-level failures will be shifted onto executors (at every level), and an understanding will emerge – “I won’t be responsible for someone else’s actions, but I’ll speak for my own.” Perhaps…
Conclusion – sorrow and anxiety – the lessons have not been learned by the populace, nothing good to expect. It’s as if a spell has been cast. Perhaps some white swan will come (or a magical woodpecker) and peck sense into being.
My sincere condolences to those who see the world realistically. I don’t understand what keeps you sane in this madhouse.
