You might recall one of these phrases on the repetition of history. There is Abraham Lincoln's "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Mark Twain once opined "History does not repeat, but it rhymes." Then there is the Biblical "There is nothing new under the sun." We are certainly seeing this trend today in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This post does not deal directly with the war itself, but the reaction to it in parts of the West. I am referring to the attempts to apply cancel culture as an international weapon. Food has been renamed, Russia-originated works removed, and Russian-born immigrants fired. This brings to mind the anti-German hysteria during America's entry into the First World War, over 100 years ago.
After German submarines sank several American ships (most famously the passenger liner Lusitania), the United States reached enough war fervor to join the Great War under the direction of President Woodrow Wilson and a collection of war hawks. There was also lingering anti-immigrant feeling (Germans made a large portion of late 19th Century and early 20th Century immigrants) mixed with oft-vicious British propaganda. Once America was earnestly in the war, native-born Americans went on an anti-German crusade.
German-Americans were actually among the most well integrated newcomers to the United States and commended for their hard work and careful spending. Many other Americans were concerned, however, with their ethnic pride. Germans-Americans formed their own social organizations and clung to much of their European culture. In the emerging war hysteria of the 1910s, this was incorrectly conflated with allegiance to the Kaiser and Imperial Germany. Americans did not seem to comprehend that their German brethren left Germany precisely because they did not agree with how things were run in the home country. They might be culturally German, but were politically American.
Today's emerging anti-Russian hysteria is notably different in that there is no long-running suspicions or anti-immigrant views that were inflamed. Today's westerners have been aware that President Vladimir Putin is not a good guy. For example, before this year's Russo-Ukrainian War he already annexed the Crimea as well as invaded Georgia, as well as jailed or disappeared dissenting reporters and political opponents. In the world of entertainment, especially in video games, the Russians are convenient foils for our military as many corporations avoid Iran or terrorists groups (at least as primary antagonists) for fear of the Islamophobia or racist label. They also kowtow to China for fear of alienating their favorite market. However there was no signs that Americans would attack the great Russian writers and artists of the past or any suspicion towards Russian-descended or Russian-born Americans and Canadians.
The emerging anti-Russian hysteria seems to have been manufactured overnight by the power of social media. The current narrative that the Ukrainians are virtuous and heroic good guys while Putin is the latest incarnation of Hitler is the latest great cause, where thousands of westerners who never cared for tensions in eastern Europe are suddenly virtue-signaling support for Ukraine and expressing condemnation of Putin and/or Russia. The sudden caring of people for troublesome events rhymes with the outrage against Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and the Stop Asian Hate movement. Both movements were generated by mainstream and social media and while both brought attention to serious issues, both amazingly petered out once the media decided to guide the masses' attentions to other potential sources of popular outrage. I feel that the anti-Russian hysteria will last longer as western governments are keen to distract their populations from their ever-increasing failures on the domestic front.
It has come to point where any attempt to understand or explain Russia's justification for the invasion as pro-Putin propaganda, or moreso even treason. One can condemn the invasion of Ukraine and resultant loos of while while still acknowledging the 2014 coup (supported by NATO and the United States), that removed a pro-Russian government as well as Russian fears that their neighbor will join NATO and put the western powers on their doorstep. Even Putin's "de-nazification" rationale, very much a self-serving propaganda tool, has some basis as Ukraine sports one of the world's more viable neo-Nazi movements. Westerners, particularly on social media, have displayed their susceptibility to un-nuanced propaganda much like Americans fell for the British and war hawks' filtered presentation of World War I. A more recent example is the various wars in the Middle East, where the justified response to the 9/11 attacks was escalated by propaganda about terror regimes throughout the Middle East and resulted in a slew of new wars. Never mind that removing admittedly terrible tyrants such as Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gadaffi actually further destabilized the region and aided in the rise of actual terrorist organizations.
This post is more interested in the social trends over here in America and Canada, and also in Europe. This attempt to utilize cancel culture against Russia is also a reflection of the anti-German hysteria in World War I (or more accurately shows how cancel culture is the latest example of propaganda-fueled targeting of a group). One of the more well-known aspects of the WWI period was the renaming of German foods. Sauerkraut was redubbed "liberty cabbage" while hamburgers became "liberty sandwiches." So what has been done with Russian delicacies today? So what has been targeted today? Borscht or Vodka? Oddly enough a diner in Quebec has chosen to rename poutine, a distinctly Canadian dish of fries and cheese curds, simply because it sounds like "Putin."
There is also an attack on Russian art and culture. An Italian university canceled a course on the great Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky might have been a proud Slavophile, but there is no reason to conflate a 19th Century novelist's patriotism with current militarism. The Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra has decided to remove the 1812 Overture from its program, citing it as a problematic celebration of Russian military triumph. This move was applauded by the Guardian. This decision was been emulated by several other orchestras. While the 1812 Overture is undeniably based on Russian military victory, Swan Lake, a wholly apolitical work from the same composer, has also been canceled by some. There have also been attempts to ban Vodka, and, more weird, Russian breeds of cats. This reflects attempts by Leftists in the West to remove icons of their own pasts, though in Russia's case it's the cancellation of figures and art from the past for the crimes of today.
The most troublesome reaction, however, is the firing of Russian nationals or cancellation of their performances for ties with Putin or simply for not speaking out against he invasion of Ukraine. It has not seemed to occur to many that a Russian performing in a western country might endanger himself or his family at home if he publicly spoke out against Putin. The Metropolitan Opera in New York fired Anna Netrebko while Russian conductor Valery Gergiev has been similarly booted from the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. Both refused to publicly pull their support of Putin. It is troublesome when one expresses support for a dictator, but attacking people's careers over unpopular opinions shows more of society's willingness to attack free speech or understand other points of view (however far one might disagree with them). It should be noted that the western nations are not at war with Russia and these performers are not spies or war criminals.
This new brand of international cancel culture has gone even further. Alexander Malofeev, a 20 year old pianist who publicly expressed criticism of the invasion of Ukraine, had his Canadian tour canceled. One does not even know if everyone in the Eifman Ballet is sufficiently pro-invasion to garner any justification for having its tour cancelled. The most egregious example, however, was the banning of Russian and Belarussian participants from the Paralympics. Many of these aforementioned Russians have criticized Putin or have simply refused to denounce him for fear of reprisals back home. They have been accused of guilt by association, like those who have failed to denounce ties with politically incorrect figures have been targeted by cancel culture in America, Canada, and other western nations.
Hopefully anti-Russian hysteria does not go to the full extent of the anti-German hysteria of the 1910s. It would be terrible to see Russian immigrants harrassed and forced to change their last names. It would be terrible to see Russian cat breeds not only banned, but killed much like how Americans literally stoned German bred daschunds or put them to sleep. In some cases faithful German-Americans were targeted by lynch mobs. If things spiral out of control today we might similarly see Russian immigrants attacked much like how Asian-Americans on the West Coast and in places like New York were targeted simply for association with the China-born Covid-19. These things could come to pass should America enter into a real war with Russia. There is nothing new under the sun.
On a final note it should be noted that canceling Russian art, culture, and people will do nothing to really combat Putin's aggression. Most of Russia is rural and pro-Putin and will not feel any of the various sanctions imposed on the nation. If anything the sanctions and targeting of Russian people and culture in the West are more likely to prove a propaganda boon to Putin. Russians of all stripes and viewpoints are being punished for the actions of their government and this could create strengthen Russian unity against the West. Hopefully reason can overcome propaganda and its effects, but we shall see. Looking into previous wartime persecutions of ethnicities, like the Germans in World War I and the Japanese in World War II, can help us gain a sense of moral clarity. Examining recent history in eastern Europe rather than uncritically accepting media-generated narratives will help us gain a more balanced view of events and hopefully allow each individual to judge for himself if the Russo-Ukrainian conflict is something the United States or NATO should get involved in, and if so how to go about it.
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