A prominent Russian influencer fleeing mobilization haughtily berates unnamed Kyrgyz people for taking offense at his criticisms of their country and dismisses their calls for respectful behavior befitting a polite guest. 🧵 instagram.com/p/Cjsy3PwMGJi/…
Likening #Kyrgyzstan to a restaurant that rejects feedback, he reminds his critics that “the customer is always right.” The snide manner of the message is instructive.
That even liberal Russians routinely critical of #Putin can be this tone deaf represents an important symptom
That even liberal Russians routinely critical of #Putin can be this tone deaf represents an important symptom
In modern #Russia, a depressingly large share of people is afflicted by a condition that @BotakozKassymb1 and @EricaMarat aptly named “imperial innocence.” ponarseurasia.org/time-to-questi…
Those suffering from this malady are essentially incapable of understanding why Russia’s neighbors see it as the settler colonial power that brought misery and death to those it colonized.
Because of this, an otherwise astute public figure like @max_katz becomes indignant at the decisions by Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania to deny entry to 🇷🇺 citizens with tourist visas and @varlamov gets frustrated about the Kyrgyz’ lack of gratitude for his feedback.
He appears to be oblivious to the fact that the terrible legacy of #RussianColonialism in Central Asia guarantees that his unsolicited feedback is going to be seen as problematic and genuinely fails to see the offensive optics of a Russian citizen lecturing Central Asians.
The unexamined and unacknowledged legacy of #RussianColonialism goes a long way toward explaining the enduring appeal of the imperial idea in modern Russia.
Indeed, the robust domestic support for Russia’s horrific war against #Ukraine is fueled by the idea of Russia as a benevolent power bringing progress, order, and prosperity to its wayward neighbors.
The very notion of collective responsibility for the attack on Ukraine is currently ridiculed and dismissed by Putin’s domestic critics. They are adamant that this is Putin’s war rather than Russia’s war.
None of 🇷🇺 neighbors are safe as long as Russians continue to believe that colonialism is something that only the old European powers were guilty of. To break the vicious cycle, 🇷🇺society needs a reckoning with its history. Currently, the chance of such a reckoning appears slim.
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