Paul
Goble
Staunton, July 9 – Never over the
last decade have Moscow sociologists found such a high level of aggressiveness
in Russian society as they do today, according to a new study, a reflection it
says of the growing frustration many Russians feel about the situation they
find themselves in and their own inability to influence it.
Such feelings lie behind events like
those in Pugachev and elsewhere, the Tolkovatel blog says today, but what makes
them so dangerous is that their growth means that they can break out almost
anywhere in response to almost anything, thereby feeding on themselves and
likely pushing frustration, anger and aggressiveness to new heights (ttolk.ru/?p=17761).
Nationalism, it
continues, “is only the occasion for such outbursts of aggression,” the basis
of which is found in “the depths of the frustration of the people” and the
anger that leads to. To support that, the blog cites the findings of a recent
book by the Moscow Institute of Sociology on “The Socio-Cultural Factors of the
Consolidation of Russian Society” (in Russian, 2013) (www.isras.ru/files/File/INAB/inab_2013_01.pdf).
In order to measure the extent of
aggressiveness in Russian society, the sociologists who prepared that book
asked respondents how often they felt the desire to “shoot everyone responsible
for the way life is now.” Thirty-four
percent said they felt that way “frequently;” 38 percent said “sometimes;” and
28 percent said “practically never.
On the basis of these and other poll
results, the sociologists conclude that “in Russia society in recent years has
grown the spread of negatively colored social feelings, a sense of injustice
concerning what is taking place, shame about the current situation of the
country, the impossibility of continuing to live as before, and the sense of
powerless regarding changing what is happening.”
Such feelings, they continue, are
now found “in all groups and strata of society and they are ever more tightly
connected with one another,” meaning that concerns in one area lead to concerns
in others in a reinforcing way.
That in turn suggests, the Tolkovatel
blog says, that “an ever greater role in their spread” is played by “macro-level
factors” such as “non-acceptance of ‘the rules of the game,’ institutional
limitations, and the like.” That combination thus is “fraught with serious
risks for the consolidation of Russian society.”
In support of their contention that
aggressiveness is increasing among Russians, the sociologists provide the
following longitudinal data concerning the level of agreement with three
propositions: “people of my nationality have lost much over the last 15 to 20
years,” “all means are good for the defense of the interests of my people,” and
the expulsion of those of different nationalities from where the respondents
live is appropriate.
In 1995, 45 percent of the sample
said they frequently felt that way, while 24 percent said they never did. In 2000, these figures were 54 and 18, and in
2008, they were 55 and 16. But now those saying they frequently think that way
outnumber those who never do by 34 to 28 percent.
Thus, the Tolkovatel blog concludes,
“a sudden outburst of aggression may take the forms of nationalist actions,
although at the base of this will lie entirely other causes. And not
accidently, among those who frequently experience feels of injustice of what is
taking place and shame for the country and who also feel that one can no longer
live as at present, 64 percent frequently feel a desire to shoot all those
responsible for the way their lives are.”
There is a particular danger of
explosions in Moscow “where almost two-thirds [of those polled] frequently experience
a desire ‘to shoot everyone’ and only 17 percent never feel such feelings,” the
sociologists found, and it is quite low in places like Arkhangelsk oblast where
the corresponding figures are 18 percent and 36 percent.”
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