Will the Ukraine become a project or stay an archaic family?

The moment when Ukraine may be spoken as some project, is in the haze. Naturally, there are some temporary frames. It is time of appearance of mathematic analisys, industrial revolution, bourgeois expansion. The very term project is initially bourgeois. Something, which needs prevision, calculation, investments, debit and credit. Some scholars really do attach the arise of bourgeois to the publishing of the first in ‘Europe Arithmetics’.

It may be discussable whose influence and estimating look at Ukraine was stronger – either one of French masons in early 19th century, who considered Ukraine as Malorussia, or German politicans, who planned the foundation of anti-Russia bastion in Galitchina. More important is the fact that both projects were a failure. Ukraine did not become part of Russia, nor its enemy. Figuratively speaking, Ukraine got into some metaphisical cleft., trying to choose from two opportunities something impossible. Bogdan Khmelnitsky never could found something even like functioning economic structure, his doubts and throwing himself to different sides nowadays are not too willingly remembered.

The 19th century was rather quiet for Ukraine. While Poland and Finland still included into the Russian empire, grew up as national states, created parliaments and constitutions, Ukraine was enjoing peace. But century-malamute came and everything changed.

History repeats but teaches nothing – in 1917-1920 Ukrain found itself separated into three parts not too much eager to unite. Multi-vectoral foreign policy of that time leaders also played its role. Let`s give the word to eye-witness of those events Mikita Shapoval, the functioner in Ukrainian Peoples Republic: “Here comes Ukraine unorganized crowd, afraid of politics and at the same time claiming for liberation, but doesn’t realize that liberation is organisation and nothing more. If you are only whimpering and chewing senseless words and stupidly claiming, confessing (?) in your corners – then your future is just slavery”.

We all are aware of the aftermath – the bold-headed man came from Germany and took power in Russia, having millions of DM. With those millions he took the Smolny institute, then Kiev, not forgetting to kick back his sponsours with a slice of apple-pie. The slice of Ukrainian territory was not only Donbass, but the whole country became the stoke-hold of socialism.

Alas, but in those time the ‘Project Ukraine’ existed only in minds of people who were not Ukrainians. Inhabitants of the country being torn into different parts by alien ambitions had just to reread words from Schevchenko`s ‘The Will’: ‘in the new and free family…” Still one dream was alive: ‘the cherry garden by my home’ – that humanly understood desire of peace. (The old folk priority so lovely to genuine Ukrainians with down-hanging moustaches (male) and Pam An breasts (female). No silicone!)

Farmers Dreams

The anonymous person who was first to propose the portrait of Vladimir the Great Duke on one-Grivna note, was doing rather naïve but nice. All of us (and foreign guests in priority) could clearly see the historical antiquity and dignity of the people repeatedly humiliated by history itself, in the same time generously canonizing the man not perfect morally.

Courageous, warlike and stern image of the Duke is not historically authentic, but it makes little worry. Our past is glorious – that is the message of national currency. Ukrainian money is incarned Dream of Past, respectable in its ideology.

There is some intimacy in it, the moment of mass self-baring. In fact, brand-new Euros have no such intimacy, more of it, they are faceless. They deny both beatiful design of DMs with portraits of veiled females and French Francs with faces of philosophers and rebels.

The Euro is now not the look into past, each people has the past of its own. Euros with viaducts and bridges – an attempt to overcome obstacles, a dream of future without borders and distances.

Important! Have you wherever seen the bridge built in a random? Yes, of course – somewhere in the countryside, across some river which even does not exist in a map, with pastoral lambs on the both banks. But the constructions presented on Euros are product of calculation and design, while our money are product of idle dreams, manipulation and even mythologisation. And churches depicted on reverse side of Ukrainian money where built up by talented architectors but not according to Construction Standards & Regulation or computer programs, but on ancestors experience and with God`s help.

In this way “the most worthless thing people have is their money” (F. Nietsche) open secrets of the whole people for the thoughtful look. You need only look at them through a magic mirror, in which future and past exchange their, symbols and extrapolate the thing you are have got on the state – that would be the Ukrainian dream – greatly courageous and wise leaders, mighty state, and all this on the base of Christian values.

By the way, you should not forget what is absent in this scheme – no formality, no facelessness – everything without which lawfulness is impossible. Everything like long ago, ‘on a prayer and one wing’.

Having extrapolated the Grivna dream on a middle class citizen we would see thing more modest – own estate, stable income or earnings which let live more or less well-being life, be sure in guaranteed old age, strong social protection, family values. In the end, this a dream of not so rich, but quiet life in the stable and independent state. A kind of a nice, pretty bourgeois dream with no empire ambitions.

This modest dream quite combines with things fully traditionalist. If power were taken by Alexander Moroz socialists, who base upon peasants of central regions, they would not have to change portraits of national currency. Russia had stand portrait of Chief Masepa for seven years – why not stand more? Cherry-garden is missing, but the ruins of antique Khersones town look quite nostalgical as well.

“There are peoples forever stopping on the village stage of their development. There are 200 000 inhabuted cities in Africa (Kabo, Bida), people in which live fully village way of life. (Ortega-y-Gasset). – And village is always village, with its own rhytm, routine, habits”. (3)

The Spanish culturologist should look for examples in nowadays Ukraine, where nearly each family outside Kiev has in its property some kitchen-garden, which give not only food, but the feeling of independence from native state. We have the right to ask – what has changed for 157 years since Schevchenkos The Will? Has the Ukrainian dream become something more concrete – project, program, strategy – but this question seems to be rhetorical.

Family as a super-idea

There would be no Independence – but the collapse of the USSR helped. Surely, we rememeber heroic deeds of Ukrainian Rebel Army nationalists, who fully realised hopelessness of their struggle, but nevertheless fought to death for years. There was students hungerstrike in 1990 – they were allowed to overthrow the Government, then they had handshaking and let go away. They were given an opportunity to destroy something but create nothing. Nevertheless, the Independence came fully unexpected.

It is a paradox, bur new opportunities which appeared in early 1990s did not create new needs for old elite, which stayed at power. The youth did not enter the politics, though some of them were accessed to the forgotten on minor positions some time later. The majority of them still waiting for their chance. The former dissidents were quite raving- just build up the national state – and no problems, ‘don`t worry, be happy!’ So, there existed no ‘project’ in 1991. Otherwise, the the well-known phrase of Kuchma ‘you just tell me what we are building, and I will build it up’ could not appear a year later.

Even ten years later very little changed. “In this time, having become the President, Kuchma tried to propose the Ukraine some different projects, carefully compiled, well-done but… blank. Tactics with no strategy – all these projects had no superidea. Other politicians proposed their own programs as well. I had an opportunity to get acquinted and carefully study projects by V.Yuschenko, P.Simonenko, A.Moroz, N.Vitrenko, A.Tkachenko. All of them also have no superidea. So, the fact is that we do not have the project of Ukraine, and, to my mind, would have not one in the nearest time”.(4)

The haze did not disappear in the past – it is still in the present. There are 125 political parties in Ukraine, and each of them has its own Program, its own look of constructing the country. Plus the extreme number of programs from butterfly-like Governments. Who counted all that juzz?

Nevertheless, Kost Bondarenko seems to be not quite right. “Superidea” in big politicians` programs exists, though not that clear. This is the idea of family, the family values. Family not as a marriage institution, but as some archeatype, which comes out of private sphere and absorbs public life and state institutions. “Clans”, or political-economic groups had privatised the whole country, and they are organized like and likely an archaic family.

Just recall 2000 year elections and forming party lists – lobby, closed and non-forecastable – even Yuschenko, for what he was criticized. By the way, ‘For United Ukraine’ block was not touched – from the very beginning it all was clear with it. Deputee fractions in the Ukrainian Parliament also keep `clan features` – clans of their origin – the same closed and accountable to nobody. No needs comparing with 2004 year situation!

Privacy is the main feature of any normal family. But political family is something special. Entering it is possible only having done some sacral act, getting into ‘relatives circle’, or ‘old boys net’. Otherwise you are inevitably exiled. This is not a public organisation which you can come in and out, like a shop. It even is not a club. This is a magical circle, which is hard to enter and impossible to leave.

The second feature – personality of relations within it, the system of privileges and indulgences. The third is non-forecastability and autocratism. Non-democracy is not worth reminding.

You may eternally be proving the importance of family values, especially underlining their sufficiency in fighting the totalitarity state. But when instead of public policy we have “Family” with its favoritism, privacy and any other symptoms of “horisontal thinking”, we can for sure forget consolidation of society, projects and plans. Also we can forget effective state power, for fellows are promoted not for competence, but for so called ad libitum reasons.

“The sleep of mind produces monsters” – graphics by Francisco Goya. In Ukraine the sleep of mind produced Family-state. Not having any project without inverted commas, we have the ‘project’ in inverted commas (I mean so-called project).

New needs

Privacy and fencing off is at all one of our national phenomenas. According to some data the whole length of fences and hedges in Ukraine makes some 500 000 kms – 10 metres per each ukrainian. After death each of us will lie in frames of a fence or a hedgerow.

Besides wooden fences, there exist beaurocracy ones. Any person trying to build up any construction within Kiev borders, has to get no less than 150 (sic!) permissions from different organisations, in charge each of them, of course. Somehow, even the most sly beaurocratic machine can not fence itself out from future, stop the time going on.

Future is not only new needs. It is also new technoligies which come from over the ocean. This is the need in objective information multiplied by capacity of the Net. This is satellite TV. This is the image of liberty, with which America in its expantion touched the rest of the world (excluding Al Quaeda, of course). This is money, insistedly trying to create something we have never had – the civil society.

Something they managed to get. The most of us do not wont to live the former life. 20 percent communist rating descent at parliamentary elections confirms it.

Most transparently new needs show themselves in business. Glamorous new constructions in the capital, Metro shopnet, rapid development of telecommunications and popularity of Internet really shout out loud.

The most hard penetration of innovations is in the legislative sphere. There are still very few successes. One of them is a is the New Budget Code with its system of coefficients and formulas fully obscure to us earlier. There are even attempts to repeal privileges in Agro-Industrial Complex wich Ivan Kirilenko recently has spoken of. Still underestimated remain President`s claims about his intention to stick strictly to the law regulations in his relations with opposition. They did not understand that he could not speak in any other way – and this is the command of the time. The power of law equal for everyone – that`s what we cannot live without, the more of it – that is the plan of our future.

“Step by step it becomes clear that the future is not waiting (as supporters of utopic programs and forecast illusions claim) but construction, it never comes like spring, but is projected. Hereby, the alternative to utopias, the real disaster of the 20th century is the very scientific force of the project…”(5)

‘Idle people stick together’ – used to say colonel Kurtz in Fr. Coppola`s movie ‘Apocalypse now’. Are we that idle end woor to stick in clans, ‘families’, packs? Did not our time give us the chance to be not only human beings, but also citizens, buildaing the future, not of their ‘family’, but of their country? Fortunately, the last question does not seem to me the rhetorical one (already) – and that is the command of the time. As well. (May, 2003, Kiev).

Cold and wet in February? Well, let`s dream of something warm, nice and fine. For instance, of our ukranian democracy. `I say, Shweich! You are so devoted to me, said leutenant Lucas being strongly the worse, – and could you swallow a spoon full of my shit? – For sure, sir, – bravely said Shweich, just only there wasn`t any hair in it. For I`m awfully squeamish that I womit immediayely`.

We are not so squeamish and love our authorities in any case not less than the brave soldier Shweich. We have already swallowed five spoonfuls of democracy a la Ukraine (according to the number of elections), and we are going to eat more. Nevertheless, let`s have a more attentive look at this ukranian democracy. Suppose there is a hair in it? `Satan makes his way through details` – ancestors used to say.

The Declaration

Well, let`s start from subject abstract and forgotten like our first youth sin – our Constitution. The first was Enthusiasm. The glorious night – June 28, 1996. The fruit of it, our Common Law, which we can still be proud of, is curiously democratic. Just have a look through the Preambula – words of gold about our Parliament in full volume realizes its responsibility for the past (?!), present and future (times in grammar – sic!) generations (of Ukrainians). Our Constitution promises very much to us, humbles Article 46 – pensions not less than living minimum, Article 49 – free medicine, Article 53 – free higher education. Hurray!

But carrying out promises is up to promisers. They need time. And while their long arms reach the needed spot, we are going on with our reading, and find a divin but underestimated Article 106, point 30. It tells us that the President has something like the right of veto, with returning any adopted by the Parliament law to repeated examining. And there is remarkable Article 94, which says that in case there is no President`s signature on the law within 15 days, then the law is to be considered approwed and `shall be signed and publicated`. And what if the President, so to say, again in no mood to put his signature on the law? It would be enough to add just one phrase of the signature of the Speaker with official publication – and many an event in this country we would have no stood.

Alas, this detail was too hard to be noticed by our deputees, which was succesfully taken by the President, with no responsibility. It was long after, when the deputees were in deep sorrow, especially when up to some fire times they tried to adopt the law of the Cabinet and regularly had it back. The mistake had important enough subsequences. The balance of authority branches was broken. Future scholars will search the number and character of laws, which the President did not sign or simply postponed. The Government is also in some indefinite state with no distinct pleny powers abd responsibility.

List of buried laws are long. Just let us remember the cancel of appears for municipal services. And perfectly virgin, from the first sigh, `The Law of Regulations and Legislative Acts` which had to establish distinct regulations of law projects, terms and so on. This law was adopted by Parliament but for no life – President Leon Kuchma gave it back with proposition to abrogate. The law was buried, and along with it our hope for transparent legislation (and, in some glamorous future, our happy life in piece of mind), and beaurocracy power will be lessened and not so legislative in its own view.

The reverse side of power is responsibility. But nothing is simple (and transparent) in Ukraine. Article 111 says that the impeachment procedure might only be adopted by three third majority of Parliament. Besides, it depends on decision of special Investigation Comission (the law of which is not signed as well), the decision of Constitutional Court, and the very Law of Impeachment, which is still not adopted. Generally speaking, the Head of our State practically is not responsible for any activity of him. Where else in the world, civilized world I mean, the Constitution gives so much and demands so little? And do we have any guarantee that the next owner of Wace and Standard shall be just as very little more responsible than any his fore-runner?

I repeat – in our country, like in no more one, the Constitution was being adopted in night time, the very time `when weak is human spirit, when forces of Evil rule the world`.

The Profanation

Democracy is perfectly bourgeoise term, chtonical if you like. It needs solid basis highly developed economy – so, consequently, the institution of private property. Let`s take, for example, any West European society – $19-25 thousand income per inhabitant, state property makes 20-40%, social inequality rating makes 1:7.

State Property Fund in forms: 24.000 objections are by now in private property, 61.000 in collective property. Non-state economy sector now possesses 34% main means of production. Diagram and graphs are sgining, but volumes from privatisation decrease essentially from year to year. Foreign investment now can hardly amaze even any old peasant – $130 annually per inhabitant, and more of that – they are decreasing. This makes approximately ten times less than in, frankly speaking, not far from problems Poland, and some thirty times less than in The Brave Soldier Schweik`s historical motherland, the Czech Republic.

The reason of such a state of matters is very simple – the potential investors are afraid for their money. Neither people, no home business are awaiting for them.

Some kind of bad fashion is to speak out loud about the capitalisation of national economy, both fearful and obscure. Well, let`s compare figures. In highly developed countries common capital is from 3 to 7 times more than great domestic product, in Ukraine – vise versa. This only means that inspite of extreme amount of Mercedes-Benz cars and different Mandarine-Plazas, the capitalism in our country is just a thin film coating the rusty mechanism of state power.

As a rule, in developed countries the business elite is not political one. Political elite serves big and small business. Our ukranian business acts in self-service mode, the best investition is deputee`s mandate – a perfect vaccination against bankruptcy and responsibility. Up to dozen registered enterprises per each Deputee – no one but N.Azarov (Head of Tax Department) informed public through mass-media.

You may not believe, but the fact is that up to present day the Supreme Rada (ukranian Parliament) has not adopted the law of tax amnisty and liberalisation or legalisation of capital. Any far may privatisation exceed, any nunber of `Ltd` may appear in tax declarations, all the same in any moment this privatisation can be reversed: businessmen – in prison, investors – out, and confiscate everything up to underwear. Both small and big business are eager to work in transparent and stable conditions. Alas, they may only dream of that kind of peace.

Local authorities also are extremely dependent. No law of Municipal Property, who possesses and what is in possession – The Dark Side of the Moon. Catch the day and be humble to Kiev – all the same all of them are hangmen. The institution of Copyrights? For the Ukraine it`s nothing more than an old anecdote.

Why think, strain brains, compose musicals or any other kinds of programs? For any taste and in any amount you can have anything at `Petrovka` market. Brain drain is not a problem at all – just troubles, meetings and demands come from them.

Surely, simple workers do not notice all this `funlimited`. The link between economical liberty abcense and povrty is not seen by the people. The more, they sooner deny than accept this link. Yes, many people managed to privatize their, so to say, apartments, but houses and blocks remain in state property! (Dirty stairs and walls, stinking entrances and doorways, etc.) Until the main problem – property and its owners – is not solved, the buildings of ukrainian democracy has not foundation and may be easily turned into barracks. Are you sure that the ukrainian communist leader Peter Simonenko is not aware of it?

The Crisis

`Once upon a time, at Era Dawn, I was extremely surprised by the fact that no president`s direction or orders was accomplished exactly and in time. And only some time after I realised that the President really did not need that – let them obey, and accomplishing is up to them`, wrote D.Vydrin in one of his articles. To reach the Sultan the chosen concubine had to crowl on her knees, eyes down, to Sultan`s bed. Obey or die! But one thing is Sultan`s bed, the other – european country of France size. If Sultan was in no mood of his concubine frigid – no one would ever know. But if power in a large European country is ineffective – then it inevitably faces the crisis.

The permanent government crisis wich is persistently set up for economical one, allegedly inspired by some hypothetical `outer enemy` makes the third of ukrainian democracy main features. In fact this is just the consequence of spiritual crisis, deficite of ideas and aims out on our soil words like `idea`, `ideology`, `aim`, are not too much popular.

Be pragmatic – that is up to date style. Probably pragmatic Dr.Parkinson, in case he lived in Ukraine, would discover a new law, `effectiveness of establishment in inversely proportional to its offices size` and successfully prove it.

One of possible examples – the budget expenses for authorities. In our country they make approximately twice (at least 20-22%) as much as in western democracies. No authoritarian regime in the 20th century could succeed in creating attractive image, especially abroad – the matter is that those regims are ineffective considering long time perspective.

Besides, all they are tightly closed and never can face any informational collisions. Ridiculos efforts of President Administration to succeed with ukrainian image abroad, hooray-like setting up gold-plated statues in the Independence Square (ah, those silvered police uniforms!) everything comes from that one and only source.

The kitch triumph in the main country`s square, in mass-media and nonsenses in the higher person`s speeches are of no surprise, just remember their origin and education. Both our first and second, and third Presidents are of countryside origin. `But village is always village, with its routine, the way of thinking…` (Ortega-y-Gasset, `Spineless Spaine`).

About three quarters deputees in the Parliament are also of countryside origin. Well, you can feel some envy about them for they grew up surrounded by (in those times) unpolluted nature. But the matter is that in big cities they are slightly frightened, so they gather together – into prides, clans and so on and so forth. Provincial limits, no perspctive foresight, dep inner wish of archaic family peace – all this they bring to not so `high` native politics. Any talent, any artistism? Any risk are out. We have already seen the exile from President`s inner circle many talented persons, who curiously managed to come to power corridors in his first coming.

PACE, Severinsen and `Hitler caput`

Serious and funny always go hand in hand. Very few could watch the recent PACE session for the `ukrainian question`, but very many remember a `black humour` anecdote of WWII – some guerilla unit, out of ammunition, surrounded by outrageous Germans. Many killed on both sides, so the guerillas commander takes a decision to surrender. `Hey, comrades, can anybody speak even if a couple of German words?` One of his fellows tells that he used to study German at school. `Well, come on, tell them we surrender, mayby they won`t kill us at once`. `H-Hitler c-caput`, said his interpreter.

May it be so or not, but our problems are not only our problems by now. You may speak and discuss for any long time about `economical democracy`, `fight against poverty`, `European choice` – and act in vise versa way. In vain. They will notice, and more, they have already noticed the falsity. Europeans can not yet interfere, but they let us know they are thinking it over. Much more dangerous is that it has already ben noticed over the ocean. Till `stars and stripes` will go on with their `instability export` policy standing for world hegemony in fighting the Euro with so loved `Big Brother` method, Ukraine with its formal and in fact pseudo-democracy has all the chances to repeat th Kosovo way. To be in Europe and not to be a democracy – that is the question to be solved, the sooner the better.

«For years the greatest fear in a man's life was to be poor. It was about the worst thing that could happen. But gradually that's changing. In fact, nowadays, you can get subsidized housing, health and dental care, university scholarships and various other welfare benefits, provided you're poor enough to qualify. All you need to enjoy many of the advantages of life is proof that you are disadvantaged.

Nobody can complain about that. It's human and kind. However, in curing poverty, society has created another problem group. And that's the middle class.

Nobody wants to be middle class anymore because the middle class has an awkward amount of money-too much to be eligible to live as well as the poor, too little to live as well as the rich. The middle class wage earner is caught in between,

Instead of living downtown (like the rich and the poor) the poor sap has to buy a crummy lot 35 miles from town because that's all he can afford. And then he spends the rest of his life trying to pay his bills, educate the kids and meet the mortgage because nobody will help him out. If poverty gets any more attractive, this is the sort of thing we may run into at the office:

"Mr. Goodie, I wonder if I could speak to you for a minute!"
"What is it, Smedley? I'm busy."
"It's about my salary, Mr. Goodie. I wonder if you could give me a decrease?"
"You had a decrease less than a year ago, Smedley."
 "I know, sir. I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't so important, but I sure could use less money.»

The autor of this opus the californian Fred Meulemeester is a simple, common photographer, and a writher Daniel Harms was not that simple and common but in some strange way they met, not physically in their lives, of course. Let`s remember a short story «The Justification» by Harms.

«And I didn`t rope Elizabeth Antonovna. First, she was not virgin, second, she was dead, so she has no resons to complain. What of that she was about to give birth to a baby? It was me who pulled out that baby! And I`m not in any case gulty that he has not going to remain alive. It was not me who had torn his head off, the reason of that was its too thin neck… So, I fully realize my councel`s for the defence fears, but I still hope on complete justification.»

When values are put topsy-torvy, everybody can see brutal and cruel truth – humiliation and fear as a norm of life in an ubnormal society. Harmes wrote his short story in a presentiment of soon coming arrest and death in Stalin`s GULAG. Fred the photographer was not overfilled with happiness as well.

The Quinine of Globalisation

For us the US are either «God blessed country» or some source of «americanism» destroing our slavonic roots. For whom how. Both Both sides Of this myth are still alive among us but due to inertion, without feeding.

For the last quarter of the century increase of social inequality has actually turned the USA from «coutry of possibilities» into the coutry of contrasts. 13 000 rich families have total income equal to 20 000 000 poor families. From 1979 to 1997 net income of 10% of the most rich families has increased by 157% while that of midclass families – only by 10%. Since early 1970s Poor famolies incomes have constatntly decreased. As an economist Paul Crugman said, it seemed that widely spread midclass society of 1950s was just «temporary aberration». (3)

And this is true not only for the United States. More or less look in this consideration have Spain, Germany, some Scandinavian countries and Chile in Latin America. But most of the rest including UK, France, Israel, Russia, they, so to say, «lock the steering wheel». (2) The rich became much more rich, the poor – much more poor. And the middle class lost its confidence in the future and is constantly put aside. The balance of class interest which was rather stable in mid 1960s has been broken within the last quarter of the century, and not for the benefit of employed workers.

No surprise that the problems of middle class and social inequality again cam into focus of western researchers. Works on these problems are published one after another, and trouble in them sounds louder and louder. Earlier they wrote of midclass «shrinking», «splitting up», now – about the crisis and even of «middle class revolution in 2012».

The worst thing is that polarization of incomes is rising, camouflating itself with «total need» and «globalisation». Capital has become ex-territorial and supermobile, it buys laws or hole in laws, escaping from taxes and breaking tiny body of social agreement. And if you are a simple mortal human being with nothing more than the ukrainian passport in your pocket – then nothing doing. Let it be.…………….

Our motherland`s shy blush

Social inequality is the problem which Ukraine is very shy of. We are not ashamed of words like «sex» or «homosex» but class, capitalism, poverty and even balance of class interests – all this suddenly became something disgraceful.

Just pay your attention to the fact that our parliamentarians are called «People Deputees», although these are there are no one from middle class among them – here and there big businessman and higher functioners. The communist fraction has long ago became another Family, no better than others.

If indefinite but the most large part of national economics lies in the shade, the exact calculation of Guiny`s coefficient (social inequality rating) is hardly possible. It is rather funny, but according to CIA data Ukraine somewhere between Sweden and Poland.(5) CIA believes that ukrainian 10% of rich families and only 29% population live beyond poverty line. It is very simple – Ukraine and its social problems are of very little interesr for CIA.

Significant is the fact that these problems make little interest not only to overseas fellows but also to our professional optimists. Indeed, real truth comes from Social-Democratic Party of Ukraine (united) – «Today both communists and nationalists and even some centrists parties uphold in Parliament either class, or ethnic, or regional interests, cultivate dissociations in people, same old fears and unjustified hopes».(6)

So here you are – for there are no classes, so there is no need in cultivating dissociation. What? Pensions rising, social expenses, credits for small business? – Unjustified hopes! However, other worker parties led by compassionate rich like Labor Ukraine, Democratic Union and others did never manage to make an exact ratio of social inequality in Ukraine. None of their business!

Let`s try to do this ourselves, just as very as very apptoximately, using overseas analogues. For example, the democrats in the US are much worried by the fact that midclass families pay more than 30% of their earnings for lodging. That means that they are automatically short of money to pay for meals, education and entertainment. Democrats worry that a middle teacher (yard-keeper, nurse) in San Francisco has to pay $1300 rent of two bedroom apartment, having a year income of $32-38 000. Although, lodging in Boston or Washington is $400 cheaper, nevertheless voices already rise that the USA have become the country of the «most social inequality among Western countries».

Now let`s compare all this with the ukrainian capital Kiev. The rent of one-room (this means that sitting-, dining- and bedroom are all in one) will cost $170-200. Two-room lodging remains aside for a while. Average school teacher earning is about $50 a month. So, according to the proportion he has to have about $400 moonlighting, which is hardly to believe in. More complicated is situation of nurses and yard-keepers. They may collect empty bottles, mackle paper… However, if dwelling is their own, so they would pay just half of the salary for it, and the rest of money is quite enough to feed favourite cat. Ah, one more thing – poor families may hope for municipal aid – provided they can prove they are really poor and not underground potato land-lords.

In other ukrainian cities we`ll see the other picture, but only numerically but not in quality – schoolteachers, doctors, clerks are tightly tied up to their dwelling, like serfs in the XIXth century. And this very knot and only theoretical possibility of changing their place of living makes them nearly completely dependent of good or in many a number of real life siruations of bad will of the employee. To say nothing of trade-union movement crash, unemployment pressure, simulative court system. There are f whole bundle of fine laws describing how well and just public wealth is distributed in Ukraine! Recommended for junior children`s bedtime edition.

And here we have a perspective for future – in the draft law of social partnership by People`s Deputee Kosinov the main value is determined as «keeping social peace». Nothing is said about the price of this peace – crying unjustice, impowerishment of population and along with all this – complete loss of trust in all authority institutions. 5-10% of trust in Parliament and the President – isn`t it too large price of such peace?

«How much does conflictlessness cost? How much does society pay for it?Conflictlessness sanctions society`s ineffectiveness, its impotence and paralysis.» (J.Boudrillard)

Loosers-and-users

You don`t need to be a grandsone of a famous terrorism theory creator Prince Peter Kropotkin to realize that any polotical regime is a form of social unjustice. There may be more or less of unjustice, but it never disappears completely. Any regime has its banned problems and shameless spots. For the III Reich this was «jewish problem». For borgeois democracies – class problem. In Ukraine of early XXIst century this is the problem of social unjustice.

Each regime gets «out of brackets» definite categories of population, giving them some disgusting, unhuman features. As a rule, they are different minorities like homosexuals, homeless, communists, delinquents. In Ukraine losers are the majority of population, all those who could not find their place in a sophisticated structural justice, narrow circle of users of capital, power and privileges. There is no links, no middle, no war but no peace between losers and users. Just the tool of latent hatred in emptyness of «and».

«What size decrease did you have in mind?" "I was hoping for a $25 cut in my salary."  

"Twenty-five dollars! That's a slice Smedley. What have you done to deserve it?"
"I've worked for the company for 23 years, Mr. Goodie. And I've never let you down. My work has always been up to standard. You'll have to admit that."
"I realize that, Smedley. But $25! Wouldn't you be satisfied with a $15 cut?
We have a budget problem right now. We're already below last years salary figures.
And I hear the union is furious, tax-wise."
"Mr. Goodie, a $15 cutback is better than nothing, but my wife and I had our hearts set on a $25 decrease."
"How about $20?"
"If I made $25 less, we'd be eligible for an apartment in the city's new development, the one downtown with a pool, sauna and tennis court. Besides, my son would qualify for a government scholarship, and we would get his teeth fixed."
"You drive a hard bargain, Smedley. But you win. You get a $25 decrease on this condition: If your work slips, you'll take a $10 raise, no questions asked."
"Bless you, Mr. Goodie."
"And Smedley, will you invite me over for tennis and a swim some night when you get into your new place?"
 "Certainly, sir. I believe the poor should share with the less fortunate.»

Sort of Epilogue

We have already payed a full price for Independence, Parliament, Presidency… anyone can continue the list. And keep the change!

Daytime. It`s Kiev and office of the “Dialog.UA”. A terrible man is sitting opposite me. He isn`t mad, he isn`t wild, he doesn`t eat people. His name is Yura, he is nice and handsome. At the daytime he is working, at the evenings he is skiing, dating and parachute-jumping. He is really special – he doesn`t have TVset and doesn`t watch it on principal.

Undoubtedly, this man is dangerous. Regrettably, we haven`t have the law to neutralise him now, but we hope that our policy would notice him later. Ten years in jails (desirably with confiscation of brain) it would be the best punishment.

It`s a pity that our television is so human to its enemies. Hasn`t it written in the Constitution – any citizen have to watch TV at least 4 hour in a day, and never switch if ad begin, but keep on goggling on and on. You say “hasn`t”? Well, then it have to be written and to add by thick typing: “any critics on TV, analyse, loughing at, call for violent cessation TV broadcasting is an object to capital punishment by forced watching UT-1 channel around o`clock.”

Meanwhile law is not accepted, and policy is far away, why don`t we test this multiheaded monster by irritating him? It is indeed not a dragon, but an over-aged energysucking leech!

N.B.

Before we talk about our TV, its role and other things, we should point out two key moments.

#1. There doesn`t exist any exact data of audience watching certain TV-program. The data given by various media sources are not perfect and definite, I think so.

#2. TV channels are not interested in the very existing of such exact data, because it may hamper clients` brainwashing.

Otherwise, such data would appear long ago. By the way, it is not only TV – our press and radio are not much better.

Warum?

What is native TV even kids know – funny pictures, movies, ads. There are news, but flat and same. “Truckers only”. And who are the real owners? We don`t know them.

They are in the haze. Of course, we know some names on the air – Pinchuk, Rodniansky, Zinchenko. But the rest? Who are they? Native TV keep silent.

Its third feature – it is unclean what is the aim of TV` very existing is? Profit? But TV is short for money, at least they say so. Advertising market increases, but not that much to feed all thirst and hugry. Common thought is TV exists for fulfill some “political orders”. But the thing is such political engagements have very poor audience. Ordinary TV watchers are simple and prefere soup-operas, but not propaganda. People don`t like Pogrebinsky or Pihovshek, people choose sports or movies on cable TV. People don`t like to be brainwashed by that guys.

Probably, TV exists for informing? Exactly! Then why our mighty channel have so few reporters abroad if any? Why do we have to eat the adapted version of CNN?

Typical newsreel consists of some fawnings to authorities, a couple of “our successes”, accidents and catastrophies. To make a true conclusion what is going on out of “ukrainian globe” is practically impossible. It demands the Web and command of english.

Virtually, it exists to educate masses, for enlighting them? But even in Soviet times it did not it, the more now. In the USSR there were a number of channels for history, nature, science, but we have no even weak hints that ukrainian version of Discovery would appear someday.

Does TV critisize anybody? Yes, it does – to some extent. Perhaps, to outrage enemies of its masters, if any. To give voice to society? It happens rarely and cautiously, as something secondary. Controle function? God save us! Perhaps its aim is diversion? Exactly! When the crowds of demonstrators raged in Krestchatik to overthrow Kuchma`s regime, we saw this aim clearly – channels do their best to turn away our attention. In spite their great efforts, result is rather poor, because the set of means are too poor – odious entertainers, dull movies, tiresome talk-shows. Their own programs are so few, so they have to buy chinese second-hand. All movies are old-aged, TV-performers and quizmasters are that wishy washy. It seems, even the girls on ICTV (best sort in Ukraine) are smiling just like their boss, russian journalist Dmitry Kiselev.

There is the question – what do we really have our TV for? Has it rather noble, altruistic, useful functions?

Of course, you can say – give up, buddy, relaxe. Media represents people in whole the world, but in Ukraine media represents authorities. It means hidden political advertising the owners of TV channels.

I would contest this one. You see, we talk about public functions of TV, not private. And if so, they must be unhurmful, at least. Do not harm TV, for you is so public! The problem is that all TV channels are very similar, ideoligically monolithic, and I`ve got strong sense that they make mischief many times bigger than Chernobyl`s disaster.

Razor-happy throat

It was admitted, that TV looks suspicious long ago. Just mention 2500 books and articles on the subject. Not only me, there are many of us in Ukraine, I mean our suspicions.

«It must be said that ukrainian information sphere is much deviated to agression, homosexual activity, cynicism, cruelty, criminal values, that inevitably forms perverted credos and values. Some phantasies are really pathological. That sort of movies creates information viruses, which influence on mind as much, as biological viruses on body.»

Mind you, that it was written long before appearing nude and perverted show of moscovian showman D.Nagiev and brutal soup-opera «Brigada», lousy copie of «The Godfather».

«Life in Ukraine is getting more and more (as rest of the world) dependent of mass-media. We need to learn live our lives in newcoming conditions, not going to the market and political technologies forming human in human beings. Last century faced mankind the laws ruling the human mind, which might be compared with splitting up the atomic nucleus. But regretfully, this knowledge is used only speculatively.»

Besides, we`ve got some digitals. They say, youth is always optimistic, but… «By 1992 it had been fixed that ukrainian youth has high level of anomia. By 2000 that level is not declined practically – only 12,9% of youth has low level, 8,8% – average and 58,3% – high level of anomia. It means that more than 87% of respondents have been demoralized. Anomy demoralization is a frame of mind in whole ukrainian society. Conclusion of our surway is that students opinion about influence of media on our minds has formed already.»

Some experts are telling even stronger – «the time has come to name the phenomenas, connected with psyhical violence and destructive influence on mass` conscience and to qualify them from the point of view of justice.»

Let`s remember what P.Burdie wrote in his book «About TV and journalism». According to his opinion, TV harms not only art, science, but political life and democracy itself. Journalists intrude their way of thinking and at the same time they are getting victims of the media-machine. It works so stupidly, that chasing for raitings and sensations becames monotonous mumbling.

Burdie`s conclusion sounds as guillotine song – «alive» voices of media are simply creaks of the dead media-machine.

Nobel`s laureat Oktavio Pas wrote that our culture is culture of an accident. O.Pas is the poet, therefore he is gentle. We can pick up other words to characterize culture, within which anybody at his 18 has to see about 30 000 homicides by cutting, burning, shooting, freezing by liquid nytrogen, putting snakes in stomach and a lot of other spectacular ways.

The secrets of TV monster are slowly opening in its unhealthy draw to homicides, disasters and entertainments. It is tired of itself. TV dragon yells and eagers – for death of its own.

Vox populi

Optimistic. Man, you are too radical. Look, we`ve got some positives. For instance, 10 years ago our media were completely dependent of Moscow`s Big Brother, but by now we have realized that we live in different country. We don`t care about their problems. We`ve got nice programs on our home TV, new performers, new faces have appeared. All in all our TV is sounding in a key of major, so to say more positive and national.

Pessimistic. Amigo, you are captured by phantoms. Dependence of Moscow`s Big Brother has not reduced, but transformed from ideology into economics. New performers? One of my friends has married 4 times, he saw a lot of «new faces», but he still is as male as before. As for this new TV key of major, oh, yeah, we`ve got it. Just remember the recent claim by russian showman D. Nagiev, that the ukrainian accent should be cured by fellatio. And no one was shocked.

Three sons of one gun

Everything can be corrected. Best mean is to stop TV broadcasting as a whole. We need social TV, but not oligarchic. We need information, but not propaganda or candy randy by the key hole. We need not only entertainment, but the possibility to get knowledge, to leave behind something good, not only heap of ruins and garbage.

We are to do three funny things. First, we have to realize the deleterious role of TV nowadays. Those are «merits» which we get out of our TV – deprivation of national identity and civil society, demoralisation and banalisation, growth of embittering of youth and desperation of aged people. It is absolute evil, like syringe with junk.

Second, we have to change the very mode of TV existence. We have to make its finances to be transparent. TV must live on its own account, not by financial injection from hands of oligarchy.

Third, it need selforganization of journalists and solid ethical standards. Without that doughy mass of egos will be hotbed of infection.

Last but not least. We need a will just to say No, as did it A.Delon, I.Paul II, U.Taran and millions of people who has courage just switch off. «Turn off TV – turn on life!»

(July, 2004)

Scilla & Haribda

The President put his hand on the thick book in leather. Back-benchers stopped inspecting their nails, front-benchers – planning their gas speculations. All the audience got quiet – no kidding, in-au-gu-ration!

For those who`s unaware – the leathered volume under President`s right palm is The peresopnik Gospel, scribed in the 16th sentury/ In December, 1991, Leonid Kravchuk took the Oath, so we`ve got a kind of tradition. And the second – not the volume, but book – our Constitution. No color pictures, but the article, which claims that church is separated from state. By the way, in this article nothing is said about the oath on Gospel. The thing is that Church is separated, but not enough.

From the point of view of enlightened cynismus both books are much to be the unit – one of them promises paradise in heaven, the other one – on Earth. One of them is a religious can, the other – legislative one. But don`t you forget the main thing – the very thin clearance between both of them – the state and the church is what we call the Freedom.

The reverse side of provincial patriotism

It was Abraham Lincoln who said the americans should build up the wall between State and Church. For the democracy native land, the USA, they manage to do this only in 1963 (when the verdict of Supreme Court on one of the civil cases was as follows – sermons in schools are legislative no more), so are we to say about us?

For some time Big Nothern Brother has been carrying out the case of foundation of world religious text-book, Champions of rights consider that to teach Gospel at school is violation of regulation. Constitution vs Religion and vice versa, the more for the benefit of the one and only confession. Authors of the text-book deeply sure that kids will never produce anything but prudence after scraping through this text-book – no more drug-users, everybody is God-blessed. As a whole, the situation is much like in States in 1963. On one side, the foudators` traditions, on the other – angry youth who wanrs more freedom or liberty. What`s the end – no one knows, but it comes nearer, going on, and all that jazz. Clerical`s arguments look rather solid, but at first sight. USA atheistic community analysys showed that cancel of teaching religion is no case has any links with crime, drugs or divorses. These social evils were are and will be eternal. Nevertheless, this `who catch` fight vs clericals is still on the tide – the priority aim is the Pope, who `calls the faithful to their knees` and tolls their votes – a kind ofpolitical Boss`.

Something like that is tiny place in Ukraine, with the little difference of that the problem is not solved, but like virus is deeply inside with the help of Cyprobike pill.

The basis of Christian Ethics` have been tought at our schools for 9 years, beginning from the early age, at hour per decade or more – this is up to school. The course of this ethics is called Christian, but is quite of Orthodox Church. As a matter of fact, this course is optional, but those who do not want to, must perform their reasons to the head of school. They, as a rule, are children of Protestant families, the direction of that course does not suite, or do called `pulls`, as in school slang they name kids of wealthy parents. East of the country does not take this direction too seriously, but the west – too.

We have got the textbook `Ethics` yet, but it is succesfully sudstituted by the Bible, or `The God`s Prescription`. We have both Old and New Testament, and the Commands – all in good condition. Well it is if it not icons on the walls.

The thing is as it is, that teachrs really faitful should teach – and they teach. Maybe, perhaps, probably. For it is I mean christian ethics, the very best, and no ethics but this never exists. Like nobody …(?) that indeed this kind of ethics will lead our youth to the glamorous peaks of humanity.

They say, good intentions lead to hell. Why they teach ethics in Orthodox and not in Protestant or Catholic versions? Why? Deprive our children of their mind – is not too much? Why this slightly covered with with fig-least `The God`s Prescription` is taught to our children, who even do not know how to think and live? And now do we we do with our constitutional right of apartheid – the Church is separated from the state? Does not it seem too much `As it is`?

Sourses of good intentions to christianize the youth, to grow up new generation of God`s slaves – these sourses are not too much far. Just recall this old stinking of everybody you-all-know-what-it-is formula. `monarchy-orthodoxity-folks` – in its Western Ukrainian sense, and the 1999 pattern of national-democratic government – and you will have it.

And it could get to kiving only in the state deprived of its political dreams and hopes. In such a state our ancestors lived their lives. So do we. Right now.

Citizens or God`s slaves?

Whatever the Church performers could tell, or say about the `spiritual resurrection`, we are not behind the rest of the world. For the 20th century was not `the rise of faith` (in the 19th century the very term `atheism` was not on language of social reality), but the country of religion abolition, so to say, abolition of `traditional` religions. This was the century of religious diverse.

What`s more, the further is the diverse, the further is the religious palette of countries, the more these countries are tolerant cith…(?) to faightful, or to non-believers, the more rich are citizens.

There are about 10% atheists in the USA (and about 200 million of handfire weapons), and in `peace-living` China they make two thirds. The communist regime is to blame? Doubtful. In capitalist Hong-Kong, inhabited chinese at most, there are 25% of believers. The former century there have been less believers in Europe, especially in traditionally protestant Scandinavian countries. But what they got socially! The only world religion remains Judaism, which still has its positions.

No empty place – instead of old beliefs come new. The mormons, adventists and Jeshuo`s witnesses increased three-four hundred times in their number. Ron Habbard`s Scientologycal Church has spread its wings all over the world, and reached Kiev this summer. The vogue are charismas, who make crowds and irritate church orthodoxes long ago. Authorities of all nations are not able to `cancel` their meThe vogue are charismas, who make crowds and irritate church orthodoxes long ago. Authorities of all nations are not able to `cancel` their meetings and lively apostles of any color quickly absorbed the rules – which seem to be not very different from Jungle Laws.

On any sait is what hardly named Religion as it is named – superstitions and so on magics. By the way, who are you horoscopically? You may not take horoscopes seriously, but you read them regularly – they may be found in any weekly paper. Magicians like Kaschpirovsky are still doing tyeir voyages, not with former agitations, but still. People swallow his sermon-like speeches and allergens, then collapse crowdly. Halls overcrowded, each and every day people come more and more, four-three performances in each town are full and more success… People`s attitude to Anatoly Kaschpirovsky is rather cool and practically. Well, he has got his medical diploma, but what is to be said of different magicians, shamans and other healers performans` throghout the country and especially in Kiev? Quite officially!

In this pseudo-believing we are not single. For instance, the `Stern` magazine research showed that 34% West Germans believe in magia and magicians, 70% believe in healers and clairvoyance. Only 18% in Germany exclude the very existance of magia. The very like data has been got by the French `Express` magazine – more of half the French population believe in planet influence. Oriental teachings make the basis for American `psy-culture` – nearly 60 million of Americans have practices different kinds of meditations, which are so popular in the USA, that some penitenciary authorities really planning to perform those meditations in their offices.

The border between atheists and believers in Ukraine is rather difficult to define. The approximate number of non-believers makes up to 25%. About a half of them are so-called `situative believers` (those who under Soviet Power did not claim their religius believings, but now they do) and only approximately one fifth of ukrainian population is really faitful, most of them live in the agricultural West where religious – and any other – traditious are still present.

As a whole, we cannot be proud of superfaith, or superscandinav like atheism. But what`s more interesting, that atheism or obscence of believing in Jesus is considered as something negative, just emptyness not filled with anything. It said `Atheists are communists`, `people without any human values`, and so on.

This misunderstanding is both ancient and modern. We all, who consider ourselves faithful and subordination humble – I mean no reality, but in theory – atheists may be cosidered as people with not much but something of social activity. In our dily routine this is not so much shown, but as social questionnairies show, it shows… If a theoretical person does not worship God or ukrainian banner with a trident on it, or in his atheism does not paint eggs at Easter, loves and hates nobody, is afraid of nobody but in law-and-order sticked to, and in business for society – why not?

Epilogue

I will never say that do praying in Church, of any confession, or visit performances of any magician, or meditate is bad. We all can escape in such kind of spiritual way, this is normal human reaction. Reaction to all the circumstances – abnormally humiliation, helplessness and no tomorrow day – when all the sircumstnces do not and will not change for good. When we try to escape from all these realities and self-sollfishism (?) – whether it be church, or horoscopes, or faith in legions of magicans, or dypsomania – they try to dictate just only for peace of so pretty little but so closed, egoistic and cold authority class.

Что такое призрак? Как утверждает Джеймс Джойс в романе «Улисс», это «некто, ставший неощутимым вследствие смерти или отсутствия или смены нравов». То есть, по Джойсу, чтобы стать призраком – быть мёртвым совсем не обязательно.

Мы познакомились с ним несколько лет назад. Я был одним из участников выставки под примечательным названием «Оседлай безумие», он – тоже. Две его странные картины похвалили – кресты и голуби на землистом фоне привлекли внимание авторитетов и ценителей живописи. После выставки он подошел знакомиться. Имя у него было обычное и вполне человеческое – Олег.

То, что Белая Церковь – поселок хотя вполне реальный (пол-страны сюда за покрышками ездит), но и мистический, я знал и раньше. До сих пор тут находятся охотники за сокровищами, которые ищут легендарный клад графов Браницких. В 1992 году методом биолокации на карту города в районе парка Александрия была нанесена целая система подземных ходов. Что в них находится, доподлинно не известно. Есть и несколько беспокойных домов старой постройки, обитателей которых время от времени тревожат непонятные явления. То НЛО зависнет на консервным заводом, а то старушку изнасилуют на кладбище («слава Богу, – шепчет старая, крестясь, – без греха и досыта»).

Эти особенности городка привлекают всевозможных целителей, а то и откровенных шарлатанов. Были тут и Мария Стефания и Оюн-Батыр. Как правило, для оплаты их визитов у жителей города деньги находятся. Хватает и своих доморощенных магов и колдунов.

Титанические усилия прилагала местная пресса, и таки добилась своего – в упор «не заметила» как четыре года подряд устраивала свои кровавые шабаши в городе секта сатанистов. Числом их было до 50 человек, в основном дети состоятельных родителей. Ловили кошку и казнив несчастное животное на разделочной доске, положенное на живот сатанинской жрицы, некой Натуленьки, обмазывались кровью и устраивали ритуальное групповое соитие, после чего Натуленьку, раскачав за руки, бросали в реку Рось – ведьмы не тонут. Действо происходило на Палиевой горе – месте, где лет триста назад свирепый атаман Палий, известный пироман, стоял лагерем, казнил и миловал (больше казнил).

Судьба сектантов не пощадила: кто умер от наркотиков, кто спился, кто в тюрьму угодил. Вот уже лет семь на Палиевой горе не слышно полуночного ржания пьяных подростков. Но, как выяснилось, желающих сыграть с Везельвулом в пряней и сейчас предостаточно.

Мой новый знакомый с выставки показался мне слегка закомплексованным молодым человеком, но не без своеобразного чувства юмора. Впрочем, загробный юмор в наше время не редкость, тем более среди художников. Чувство любопытства пересилило, и я решил при удобном случае заглянуть в гости к мрачному юмористу.

Через пару лет такой случай представился. Представьте себе комнату, выкрашенную в черный цвет. Черные плотные шторы. Затхлый стоячий воздух с привкусом мертвечины и ладана. По углам выпотрошенные телевизоры, холсты, рамы, кучи того, что когда-то было вещами. Повсюду толстый слой пыли. Посреди комнаты стол, накрытый красной скатертью, на ней разостлана ткань, на которой виднелось полурельефное изображение распятия. «Это – плащаница, – объяснил хозяин, – для погребальных церемоний». Возле окна – огромный черный крест высотой почти до потолка, старый и рассохшийся. Под ним – иконки, свечи.

Сказать, что чувствуешь себя в такой обстановке дискомфортно – значит ничего не сказать. «Ничего, я сейчас телевизор включу», – объяснил обитатель этого неуютного жилища и щелкнул рубильником. «Не убивай меня! (кричит женский голос в ужасе). О, я убью тебя медленно (скрипучий мужской), сначала я разрежу тебе живот, потом я зашью тебе туда огромную голодную крысу, которая будет выжирать тебя изнутри.. .ХА-ХА-ХА!»

Мне стало не по себе. Разумеется, это была всего лишь видеозапись. Желание уйти преодолел с трудом. «Шо, страшно? – оскалился в улыбке хозяин, – а у меня и ещё кое-что есть». Этим «кое-что», кроме нескольких редких изданий Библии, которые надо было читать сзади наперед, и колоды карт, состоявшей из одних пиковых тузов, оказался сверток Г-образной формы. Заметив ползущего по нему паука, хозяин с безразличным видом схватил его и засунул в рот. Прожевал, проглотил, – «А что, я же – сатанист», – и взглянул на меня победно. Черная всклоченная борода его шевелилась как живая.

Уверен, что содержимое свертка взволновало бы кого угодно. На стол легла оторванная, высохшая женская рука без кожи… «Я – христианин, а все христиане – вампиры и людоеды. Ведь едят же они хлеб – «плоть Христа»», пьют вино — «кровь Христа», так что – все нормально!» – объяснил он.

Как выяснилось впоследствии, оторванная мумифицированная конечность появилась у него давно, ещё лет семь назад. Примерно в это же время проводились последние шабаши на Палиевой горе. Кроме того, Олег не раз бывал на Байковом кладбище в Киеве. На дальнейшие вопросы отвечать отказался.

От увиденного хотелось отмахнуться, забыть как дурной сон. Но факт остается фактом: такие люди среди нас есть и живут ничем внешне не выделяясь. На лбу ведь не написано, что этот человек некрофил. В книге «Анатомия человеческой деструктивности» Эрих Фромм приводит несколько подобных случаев, самый знаменитый из которых – Гитлер. Чикатило и Оноприенко – люди из той же категории. Наш герой в быту имеет профессию телемастера, кроме того он и неплохой художник, и, как вспоминают люди его хорошо знающие, у парня «рухнул чердак» лишь после того, как он пристрастился к наркотикам.

Загадка не в том, откуда берутся такие экземпляры, загадка в том, что их родственники, как правило, не замечают ничего странного в их поведении. Он живет с мамой, а той хоть трава не расти. Некрофилы, извращенцы и маньяки, живущие с нами под одной крышей, остаются незамеченными, «призраками» по определению Джойса. Не только удивительное рядом, страшное – тоже…

«Сегодня», 15 августа 2000 г., с.6.

«For years the greatest fear in a man's life was to be poor. It was about the worst thing that could happen. But gradually that's changing. In fact, nowadays, you can get subsidized housing, health and dental care, university scholarships and various other welfare benefits, provided you're poor enough to qualify. All you need to enjoy many of the advantages of life is proof that you are disadvantaged.

Nobody can complain about that. It's human and kind. However, in curing poverty, society has created another problem group. And that's the middle class.

Nobody wants to be middle class anymore because the middle class has an awkward amount of money-too much to be eligible to live as well as the poor, too little to live as well as the rich. The middle class wage earner is caught in between,

Instead of living downtown (like the rich and the poor) the poor sap has to buy a crummy lot 35 miles from town because that's all he can afford. And then he spends the rest of his life trying to pay his bills, educate the kids and meet the mortgage because nobody will help him out. If poverty gets any more attractive, this is the sort of thing we may run into at the office:

"Mr. Goodie, I wonder if I could speak to you for a minute!"
"What is it, Smedley? I'm busy."
"It's about my salary, Mr. Goodie. I wonder if you could give me a decrease?"
"You had a decrease less than a year ago, Smedley."
 "I know, sir. I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't so important, but I sure could use less money.»

The autor of this opus the californian Fred Meulemeester is a simple, common photographer, and a writher Daniel Harms was not that simple and common but in some strange way they met, not physically in their lives, of course. Let`s remember a short story «The Justification» by Harms.

«And I didn`t rope Elizabeth Antonovna. First, she was not virgin, second, she was dead, so she has no resons to complain. What of that she was about to give birth to a baby? It was me who pulled out that baby! And I`m not in any case gulty that he has not going to remain alive. It was not me who had torn his head off, the reason of that was its too thin neck… So, I fully realize my councel`s for the defence fears, but I still hope on complete justification.»

When values are put topsy-torvy, everybody can see brutal and cruel truth – humiliation and fear as a norm of life in an ubnormal society. Harmes wrote his short story in a presentiment of soon coming arrest and death in Stalin`s GULAG. Fred the photographer was not overfilled with happiness as well.

The Quinine of Globalisation

For us the US are either «God blessed country» or some source of «americanism» destroing our slavonic roots. For whom how. Both Both sides Of this myth are still alive among us but due to inertion, without feeding.

For the last quarter of the century increase of social inequality has actually turned the USA from «coutry of possibilities» into the coutry of contrasts. 13 000 rich families have total income equal to 20 000 000 poor families. From 1979 to 1997 net income of 10% of the most rich families has increased by 157% while that of midclass families – only by 10%. Since early 1970s Poor famolies incomes have constatntly decreased. As an economist Paul Crugman said, it seemed that widely spread midclass society of 1950s was just «temporary aberration». (3)

And this is true not only for the United States. More or less look in this consideration have Spain, Germany, some Scandinavian countries and Chile in Latin America. But most of the rest including UK, France, Israel, Russia, they, so to say, «lock the steering wheel». (2) The rich became much more rich, the poor – much more poor. And the middle class lost its confidence in the future and is constantly put aside. The balance of class interest which was rather stable in mid 1960s has been broken within the last quarter of the century, and not for the benefit of employed workers.

No surprise that the problems of middle class and social inequality again cam into focus of western researchers. Works on these problems are published one after another, and trouble in them sounds louder and louder. Earlier they wrote of midclass «shrinking», «splitting up», now – about the crisis and even of «middle class revolution in 2012».

The worst thing is that polarization of incomes is rising, camouflating itself with «total need» and «globalisation». Capital has become ex-territorial and supermobile, it buys laws or hole in laws, escaping from taxes and breaking tiny body of social agreement. And if you are a simple mortal human being with nothing more than the ukrainian passport in your pocket – then nothing doing. Let it be.…………….

Our motherland`s shy blush

Social inequality is the problem which Ukraine is very shy of. We are not ashamed of words like «sex» or «homosex» but class, capitalism, poverty and even balance of class interests – all this suddenly became something disgraceful.

Just pay your attention to the fact that our parliamentarians are called «People Deputees», although these are there are no one from middle class among them – here and there big businessman and higher functioners. The communist fraction has long ago became another Family, no better than others.

If indefinite but the most large part of national economics lies in the shade, the exact calculation of Guiny`s coefficient (social inequality rating) is hardly possible. It is rather funny, but according to CIA data Ukraine somewhere between Sweden and Poland.(5) CIA believes that ukrainian 10% of rich families and only 29% population live beyond poverty line. It is very simple – Ukraine and its social problems are of very little interesr for CIA.

Significant is the fact that these problems make little interest not only to overseas fellows but also to our professional optimists. Indeed, real truth comes from Social-Democratic Party of Ukraine (united) – «Today both communists and nationalists and even some centrists parties uphold in Parliament either class, or ethnic, or regional interests, cultivate dissociations in people, same old fears and unjustified hopes».(6)

So here you are – for there are no classes, so there is no need in cultivating dissociation. What? Pensions rising, social expenses, credits for small business? – Unjustified hopes! However, other worker parties led by compassionate rich like Labor Ukraine, Democratic Union and others did never manage to make an exact ratio of social inequality in Ukraine. None of their business!

Let`s try to do this ourselves, just as very as very apptoximately, using overseas analogues. For example, the democrats in the US are much worried by the fact that midclass families pay more than 30% of their earnings for lodging. That means that they are automatically short of money to pay for meals, education and entertainment. Democrats worry that a middle teacher (yard-keeper, nurse) in San Francisco has to pay $1300 rent of two bedroom apartment, having a year income of $32-38 000. Although, lodging in Boston or Washington is $400 cheaper, nevertheless voices already rise that the USA have become the country of the «most social inequality among Western countries».

Now let`s compare all this with the ukrainian capital Kiev. The rent of one-room (this means that sitting-, dining- and bedroom are all in one) will cost $170-200. Two-room lodging remains aside for a while. Average school teacher earning is about $50 a month. So, according to the proportion he has to have about $400 moonlighting, which is hardly to believe in. More complicated is situation of nurses and yard-keepers. They may collect empty bottles, mackle paper… However, if dwelling is their own, so they would pay just half of the salary for it, and the rest of money is quite enough to feed favourite cat. Ah, one more thing – poor families may hope for municipal aid – provided they can prove they are really poor and not underground potato land-lords.

In other ukrainian cities we`ll see the other picture, but only numerically but not in quality – schoolteachers, doctors, clerks are tightly tied up to their dwelling, like serfs in the XIXth century. And this very knot and only theoretical possibility of changing their place of living makes them nearly completely dependent of good or in many a number of real life siruations of bad will of the employee. To say nothing of trade-union movement crash, unemployment pressure, simulative court system. There are f whole bundle of fine laws describing how well and just public wealth is distributed in Ukraine! Recommended for junior children`s bedtime edition.

And here we have a perspective for future – in the draft law of social partnership by People`s Deputee Kosinov the main value is determined as «keeping social peace». Nothing is said about the price of this peace – crying unjustice, impowerishment of population and along with all this – complete loss of trust in all authority institutions. 5-10% of trust in Parliament and the President – isn`t it too large price of such peace?

«How much does conflictlessness cost? How much does society pay for it?Conflictlessness sanctions society`s ineffectiveness, its impotence and paralysis.» (J.Boudrillard)

Loosers-and-users

You don`t need to be a grandsone of a famous terrorism theory creator Prince Peter Kropotkin to realize that any polotical regime is a form of social unjustice. There may be more or less of unjustice, but it never disappears completely. Any regime has its banned problems and shameless spots. For the III Reich this was «jewish problem». For borgeois democracies – class problem. In Ukraine of early XXIst century this is the problem of social unjustice.

Each regime gets «out of brackets» definite categories of population, giving them some disgusting, unhuman features. As a rule, they are different minorities like homosexuals, homeless, communists, delinquents. In Ukraine losers are the majority of population, all those who could not find their place in a sophisticated structural justice, narrow circle of users of capital, power and privileges. There is no links, no middle, no war but no peace between losers and users. Just the tool of latent hatred in emptyness of «and».

«What size decrease did you have in mind?" "I was hoping for a $25 cut in my salary."
  "Twenty-five dollars! That's a slice Smedley. What have you done to deserve it?"
"I've worked for the company for 23 years, Mr. Goodie. And I've never let you down. My work has always been up to standard. You'll have to admit that."
"I realize that, Smedley. But $25! Wouldn't you be satisfied with a $15 cut?
We have a budget problem right now. We're already below last years salary figures.
And I hear the union is furious, tax-wise."
"Mr. Goodie, a $15 cutback is better than nothing, but my wife and I had our hearts set on a $25 decrease."
"How about $20?"
"If I made $25 less, we'd be eligible for an apartment in the city's new development, the one downtown with a pool, sauna and tennis court. Besides, my son would qualify for a government scholarship, and we would get his teeth fixed."
"You drive a hard bargain, Smedley. But you win. You get a $25 decrease on this condition: If your work slips, you'll take a $10 raise, no questions asked."
"Bless you, Mr. Goodie."
"And Smedley, will you invite me over for tennis and a swim some night when you get into your new place?"
"Certainly, sir. I believe the poor should share with the less fortunate.»

Sort of Epilogue

We have already payed a full price for Independence, Parliament, Presidency… anyone can continue the list. And keep the change!

Daytime. It`s Kiev and office of the “Dialog.UA”. A terrible man is sitting opposite me. He isn`t mad, he isn`t wild, he doesn`t eat people. His name is Yura, he is nice and handsome. At the daytime he is working, at the evenings he is skiing, dating and parachute-jumping. He is really special – he doesn`t have TVset and doesn`t watch it on principal.

Undoubtedly, this man is dangerous. Regrettably, we haven`t have the law to neutralise him now, but we hope that our policy would notice him later. Ten years in jails (desirably with confiscation of brain) it would be the best punishment.

It`s a pity that our television is so human to its enemies. Hasn`t it written in the Constitution – any citizen have to watch TV at least 4 hour in a day, and never switch if ad begin, but keep on goggling on and on. You say “hasn`t”? Well, then it have to be written and to add by thick typing: “any critics on TV, analyse, loughing at, call for violent cessation TV broadcasting is an object to capital punishment by forced watching UT-1 channel around o`clock.”

Meanwhile law is not accepted, and policy is far away, why don`t we test this multiheaded monster by irritating him? It is indeed not a dragon, but an over-aged energysucking leech!

N.B.

Before we talk about our TV, its role and other things, we should point out two key moments.

#1. There doesn`t exist any exact data of audience watching certain TV-program. The data given by various media sources are not perfect and definite, I think so.

#2. TV channels are not interested in the very existing of such exact data, because it may hamper clients` brainwashing.

Otherwise, such data would appear long ago. By the way, it is not only TV – our press and radio are not much better.

Warum?

What is native TV even kids know – funny pictures, movies, ads. There are news, but flat and same. “Truckers only”. And who are the real owners? We don`t know them.

They are in the haze. Of course, we know some names on the air – Pinchuk, Rodniansky, Zinchenko. But the rest? Who are they? Native TV keep silent.

Its third feature – it is unclean what is the aim of TV` very existing is? Profit? But TV is short for money, at least they say so. Advertising market increases, but not that much to feed all thirst and hugry. Common thought is TV exists for fulfill some “political orders”. But the thing is such political engagements have very poor audience. Ordinary TV watchers are simple and prefere soup-operas, but not propaganda. People don`t like Pogrebinsky or Pihovshek, people choose sports or movies on cable TV. People don`t like to be brainwashed by that guys.

Probably, TV exists for informing? Exactly! Then why our mighty channel have so few reporters abroad if any? Why do we have to eat the adapted version of CNN?

Typical newsreel consists of some fawnings to authorities, a couple of “our successes”, accidents and catastrophies. To make a true conclusion what is going on out of “ukrainian globe” is practically impossible. It demands the Web and command of english.

Virtually, it exists to educate masses, for enlighting them? But even in Soviet times it did not it, the more now. In the USSR there were a number of channels for history, nature, science, but we have no even weak hints that ukrainian version of Discovery would appear someday.

Does TV critisize anybody? Yes, it does – to some extent. Perhaps, to outrage enemies of its masters, if any. To give voice to society? It happens rarely and cautiously, as something secondary. Controle function? God save us! Perhaps its aim is diversion? Exactly! When the crowds of demonstrators raged in Krestchatik to overthrow Kuchma`s regime, we saw this aim clearly – channels do their best to turn away our attention. In spite their great efforts, result is rather poor, because the set of means are too poor – odious entertainers, dull movies, tiresome talk-shows. Their own programs are so few, so they have to buy chinese second-hand. All movies are old-aged, TV-performers and quizmasters are that wishy washy. It seems, even the girls on ICTV (best sort in Ukraine) are smiling just like their boss, russian journalist Dmitry Kiselev.

There is the question – what do we really have our TV for? Has it rather noble, altruistic, useful functions?

Of course, you can say – give up, buddy, relaxe. Media represents people in whole the world, but in Ukraine media represents authorities. It means hidden political advertising the owners of TV channels.

I would contest this one. You see, we talk about public functions of TV, not private. And if so, they must be unhurmful, at least. Do not harm TV, for you is so public! The problem is that all TV channels are very similar, ideoligically monolithic, and I`ve got strong sense that they make mischief many times bigger than Chernobyl`s disaster.

Razor-happy throat

It was admitted, that TV looks suspicious long ago. Just mention 2500 books and articles on the subject. Not only me, there are many of us in Ukraine, I mean our suspicions.

«It must be said that ukrainian information sphere is much deviated to agression, homosexual activity, cynicism, cruelty, criminal values, that inevitably forms perverted credos and values. Some phantasies are really pathological. That sort of movies creates information viruses, which influence on mind as much, as biological viruses on body.»

Mind you, that it was written long before appearing nude and perverted show of moscovian showman D.Nagiev and brutal soup-opera «Brigada», lousy copie of «The Godfather».

«Life in Ukraine is getting more and more (as rest of the world) dependent of mass-media. We need to learn live our lives in newcoming conditions, not going to the market and political technologies forming human in human beings. Last century faced mankind the laws ruling the human mind, which might be compared with splitting up the atomic nucleus. But regretfully, this knowledge is used only speculatively.»

Besides, we`ve got some digitals. They say, youth is always optimistic, but… «By 1992 it had been fixed that ukrainian youth has high level of anomia. By 2000 that level is not declined practically – only 12,9% of youth has low level, 8,8% – average and 58,3% – high level of anomia. It means that more than 87% of respondents have been demoralized. Anomy demoralization is a frame of mind in whole ukrainian society. Conclusion of our surway is that students opinion about influence of media on our minds has formed already.»

Some experts are telling even stronger – «the time has come to name the phenomenas, connected with psyhical violence and destructive influence on mass` conscience and to qualify them from the point of view of justice.»

Let`s remember what P.Burdie wrote in his book «About TV and journalism». According to his opinion, TV harms not only art, science, but political life and democracy itself. Journalists intrude their way of thinking and at the same time they are getting victims of the media-machine. It works so stupidly, that chasing for raitings and sensations becames monotonous mumbling.

Burdie`s conclusion sounds as guillotine song – «alive» voices of media are simply creaks of the dead media-machine.

Nobel`s laureat Oktavio Pas wrote that our culture is culture of an accident. O.Pas is the poet, therefore he is gentle. We can pick up other words to characterize culture, within which anybody at his 18 has to see about 30 000 homicides by cutting, burning, shooting, freezing by liquid nytrogen, putting snakes in stomach and a lot of other spectacular ways.

The secrets of TV monster are slowly opening in its unhealthy draw to homicides, disasters and entertainments. It is tired of itself. TV dragon yells and eagers – for death of its own.

Vox populi

Optimistic. Man, you are too radical. Look, we`ve got some positives. For instance, 10 years ago our media were completely dependent of Moscow`s Big Brother, but by now we have realized that we live in different country. We don`t care about their problems. We`ve got nice programs on our home TV, new performers, new faces have appeared. All in all our TV is sounding in a key of major, so to say more positive and national.

Pessimistic. Amigo, you are captured by phantoms. Dependence of Moscow`s Big Brother has not reduced, but transformed from ideology into economics. New performers? One of my friends has married 4 times, he saw a lot of «new faces», but he still is as male as before. As for this new TV key of major, oh, yeah, we`ve got it. Just remember the recent claim by russian showman D. Nagiev, that the ukrainian accent should be cured by fellatio. And no one was shocked.

Three sons of one gun

Everything can be corrected. Best mean is to stop TV broadcasting as a whole. We need social TV, but not oligarchic. We need information, but not propaganda or candy randy by the key hole. We need not only entertainment, but the possibility to get knowledge, to leave behind something good, not only heap of ruins and garbage.

We are to do three funny things. First, we have to realize the deleterious role of TV nowadays. Those are «merits» which we get out of our TV – deprivation of national identity and civil society, demoralisation and banalisation, growth of embittering of youth and desperation of aged people. It is absolute evil, like syringe with junk.

Second, we have to change the very mode of TV existence. We have to make its finances to be transparent. TV must live on its own account, not by financial injection from hands of oligarchy.

Third, it need selforganization of journalists and solid ethical standards. Without that doughy mass of egos will be hotbed of infection.

Last but not least. We need a will just to say No, as did it A.Delon, I.Paul II, U.Taran and millions of people who has courage just switch off. «Turn off TV – turn on life!»

(July, 2004)

Scilla & Haribda

The President put his hand on the thick book in leather. Back-benchers stopped inspecting their nails, front-benchers – planning their gas speculations. All the audience got quiet – no kidding, in-au-gu-ration!

For those who`s unaware – the leathered volume under President`s right palm is The peresopnik Gospel, scribed in the 16th sentury/ In December, 1991, Leonid Kravchuk took the Oath, so we`ve got a kind of tradition. And the second – not the volume, but book – our Constitution. No color pictures, but the article, which claims that church is separated from state. By the way, in this article nothing is said about the oath on Gospel. The thing is that Church is separated, but not enough.

From the point of view of enlightened cynismus both books are much to be the unit – one of them promises paradise in heaven, the other one – on Earth. One of them is a religious can, the other – legislative one. But don`t you forget the main thing – the very thin clearance between both of them – the state and the church is what we call the Freedom.

The reverse side of provincial patriotism

It was Abraham Lincoln who said the americans should build up the wall between State and Church. For the democracy native land, the USA, they manage to do this only in 1963 (when the verdict of Supreme Court on one of the civil cases was as follows – sermons in schools are legislative no more), so are we to say about us?

For some time Big Nothern Brother has been carrying out the case of foundation of world religious text-book, Champions of rights consider that to teach Gospel at school is violation of regulation. Constitution vs Religion and vice versa, the more for the benefit of the one and only confession. Authors of the text-book deeply sure that kids will never produce anything but prudence after scraping through this text-book – no more drug-users, everybody is God-blessed. As a whole, the situation is much like in States in 1963. On one side, the foudators` traditions, on the other – angry youth who wanrs more freedom or liberty. What`s the end – no one knows, but it comes nearer, going on, and all that jazz. Clerical`s arguments look rather solid, but at first sight. USA atheistic community analysys showed that cancel of teaching religion is no case has any links with crime, drugs or divorses. These social evils were are and will be eternal. Nevertheless, this `who catch` fight vs clericals is still on the tide – the priority aim is the Pope, who `calls the faithful to their knees` and tolls their votes – a kind ofpolitical Boss`.

Something like that is tiny place in Ukraine, with the little difference of that the problem is not solved, but like virus is deeply inside with the help of Cyprobike pill.

The basis of Christian Ethics` have been tought at our schools for 9 years, beginning from the early age, at hour per decade or more – this is up to school. The course of this ethics is called Christian, but is quite of Orthodox Church. As a matter of fact, this course is optional, but those who do not want to, must perform their reasons to the head of school. They, as a rule, are children of Protestant families, the direction of that course does not suite, or do called `pulls`, as in school slang they name kids of wealthy parents. East of the country does not take this direction too seriously, but the west – too.

We have got the textbook `Ethics` yet, but it is succesfully sudstituted by the Bible, or `The God`s Prescription`. We have both Old and New Testament, and the Commands – all in good condition. Well it is if it not icons on the walls.

The thing is as it is, that teachrs really faitful should teach – and they teach. Maybe, perhaps, probably. For it is I mean christian ethics, the very best, and no ethics but this never exists. Like nobody …(?) that indeed this kind of ethics will lead our youth to the glamorous peaks of humanity.

They say, good intentions lead to hell. Why they teach ethics in Orthodox and not in Protestant or Catholic versions? Why? Deprive our children of their mind – is not too much? Why this slightly covered with with fig-least `The God`s Prescription` is taught to our children, who even do not know how to think and live? And now do we we do with our constitutional right of apartheid – the Church is separated from the state? Does not it seem too much `As it is`?

Sourses of good intentions to christianize the youth, to grow up new generation of God`s slaves – these sourses are not too much far. Just recall this old stinking of everybody you-all-know-what-it-is formula. `monarchy-orthodoxity-folks` – in its Western Ukrainian sense, and the 1999 pattern of national-democratic government – and you will have it.

And it could get to kiving only in the state deprived of its political dreams and hopes. In such a state our ancestors lived their lives. So do we. Right now.

Citizens or God`s slaves?

Whatever the Church performers could tell, or say about the `spiritual resurrection`, we are not behind the rest of the world. For the 20th century was not `the rise of faith` (in the 19th century the very term `atheism` was not on language of social reality), but the country of religion abolition, so to say, abolition of `traditional` religions. This was the century of religious diverse.

What`s more, the further is the diverse, the further is the religious palette of countries, the more these countries are tolerant cith…(?) to faightful, or to non-believers, the more rich are citizens.

There are about 10% atheists in the USA (and about 200 million of handfire weapons), and in `peace-living` China they make two thirds. The communist regime is to blame? Doubtful. In capitalist Hong-Kong, inhabited chinese at most, there are 25% of believers. The former century there have been less believers in Europe, especially in traditionally protestant Scandinavian countries. But what they got socially! The only world religion remains Judaism, which still has its positions.

No empty place – instead of old beliefs come new. The mormons, adventists and Jeshuo`s witnesses increased three-four hundred times in their number. Ron Habbard`s Scientologycal Church has spread its wings all over the world, and reached Kiev this summer. The vogue are charismas, who make crowds and irritate church orthodoxes long ago. Authorities of all nations are not able to `cancel` their meThe vogue are charismas, who make crowds and irritate church orthodoxes long ago. Authorities of all nations are not able to `cancel` their meetings and lively apostles of any color quickly absorbed the rules – which seem to be not very different from Jungle Laws.

On any sait is what hardly named Religion as it is named – superstitions and so on magics. By the way, who are you horoscopically? You may not take horoscopes seriously, but you read them regularly – they may be found in any weekly paper. Magicians like Kaschpirovsky are still doing tyeir voyages, not with former agitations, but still. People swallow his sermon-like speeches and allergens, then collapse crowdly. Halls overcrowded, each and every day people come more and more, four-three performances in each town are full and more success… People`s attitude to Anatoly Kaschpirovsky is rather cool and practically. Well, he has got his medical diploma, but what is to be said of different magicians, shamans and other healers performans` throghout the country and especially in Kiev? Quite officially!

In this pseudo-believing we are not single. For instance, the `Stern` magazine research showed that 34% West Germans believe in magia and magicians, 70% believe in healers and clairvoyance. Only 18% in Germany exclude the very existance of magia. The very like data has been got by the French `Express` magazine – more of half the French population believe in planet influence. Oriental teachings make the basis for American `psy-culture` – nearly 60 million of Americans have practices different kinds of meditations, which are so popular in the USA, that some penitenciary authorities really planning to perform those meditations in their offices.

The border between atheists and believers in Ukraine is rather difficult to define. The approximate number of non-believers makes up to 25%. About a half of them are so-called `situative believers` (those who under Soviet Power did not claim their religius believings, but now they do) and only approximately one fifth of ukrainian population is really faitful, most of them live in the agricultural West where religious – and any other – traditious are still present.

As a whole, we cannot be proud of superfaith, or superscandinav like atheism. But what`s more interesting, that atheism or obscence of believing in Jesus is considered as something negative, just emptyness not filled with anything. It said `Atheists are communists`, `people without any human values`, and so on.

This misunderstanding is both ancient and modern. We all, who consider ourselves faithful and subordination humble – I mean no reality, but in theory – atheists may be cosidered as people with not much but something of social activity. In our dily routine this is not so much shown, but as social questionnairies show, it shows… If a theoretical person does not worship God or ukrainian banner with a trident on it, or in his atheism does not paint eggs at Easter, loves and hates nobody, is afraid of nobody but in law-and-order sticked to, and in business for society – why not?

Epilogue

I will never say that do praying in Church, of any confession, or visit performances of any magician, or meditate is bad. We all can escape in such kind of spiritual way, this is normal human reaction. Reaction to all the circumstances – abnormally humiliation, helplessness and no tomorrow day – when all the sircumstnces do not and will not change for good. When we try to escape from all these realities and self-sollfishism (?) – whether it be church, or horoscopes, or faith in legions of magicans, or dypsomania – they try to dictate just only for peace of so pretty little but so closed, egoistic and cold authority class.

Удивительная штука это украинское телебачення, – подумал Иван, – особенно если его не смотришь. Не смотришь день или два, а потом начинаешь смотреть – и всему как бы веришь, как кролик верит в добрые глаза удава. Или вот еще фишка – смотреть не в сам телевизор, а скажем сбоку, на то как мелькают и сменяются кадры. Раз, два, три – следующий! Картинка с сосущейся парочкой сразу поступает в мозги, перескакивая через все фильтры. Не нужно думать, ни сомневаться – прямо «тудой», как говорил один американский шпион. А ведь они на этом не остановятся. Придумают объемное телевидение, так чтобы Пысанка со своими грудьми – и в кожну хату. От радости-то будет у трудящихся! А что потом… это ж страшно подумать. Будет виртуальный секс. То есть ненастоящий, но намного лучше. А потом возникнет гражданская война между виртуалыциками и ретроградами. Ну а если меня самого спросят – ты за какой секс – по-старинке, с раздеванием, и созерцанием, и облизываниями или прогрессивный – скоростной, гигиеничный, эстетичный, приятно пахнущий, одним словом – качественный?»

Слово «качественный» Иван не любил. У него с ним были давние счёты. То есть Иван любил качественные вещи – складной английский ножик, который за десять лет ни разу не поломался или бритвенный станок, которым он уже тьщу лет пользовался, но дело в том, что Иван сам был некачественный. Так его звали ещё со школы – «дефективный». И потому, что у него был страшно неразборчивый почерк и речь невнятная, и потому что у него были конечности, которые не признавали центральной власти и казалось жили сами по себе – то ковырялись в носу, то в ушах, ноги топали куда-то, то стояли как вкопанные, когда надо было идти.

Иван попытался вспомнить откуда у него эта неприязнь к слову «качественный», но не вспомнил, а только разозлился. Он внезапно подумал, что моду на это слово придумали немцы, которые, если верить Фридраху Заратустре, только и умеют что мыть тротуары с мылом, то есть жлобы ещё те. Ещё подошла интересная мысль об этих жлобах американцах, но тут в комнату вошла Надька Червякова, 40-летняя лахудра с большой грудью и нижним бюстом, и сказала, блеснув фиксой, что пойдёт примет ванную.

…Она вышла оттуда вся чистая и свежая, в новом белом свитере, и груди её уже не висели до пупа, а двумя тугими шарами выпирали наружу. Иван ощупал их. «Неплохо, – подумал он, – надо же, всего один раз помылась, а уже и вроде не она, а совсем другая, приличная женщина». Надька, будто услышав его мысли, задрала ночнушку и повернулась к нему задом, приняв позу падшего ангела.

Такой прыти Иван не ожидал. Он подозревал, конечно, что Надюша успела где-то пропустить рюмочку-другую и была изрядно навеселе, да и к тому же три года без мужа… Ему не хотелось ударить лицом в грязь, и средним пальцем правой руки, он пошёл в разведку и немало удивился, обнаружив, что Надюша была девушка.

Эффект было трудно передать. В общем, Иван стушевался, а Надюша, демонически сверкнув глазом, исчезла.

Проснувшись, Иван долго ещё видел перед своим мысленным взором, обтянутую белым, мягкую грудь и главное – чувство, с которым он её ощупывал…

Радостный, он вышел из дому. Он твёрдо верил, что сегодня случится что-то очень хорошее – скажем, он найдёт работу, за которую платят настоящие, с водяными знаками и портретами умерших вождей, деньги, или его полюбит кто-нибудь, или… ну в общем, он шёл и пел.

На углу, недалеко от базара, он поскользнулся. Падая, он ударился головой о бетонный забор, да ещё и весь вымазался в каком-то дерьме – в базарные дни в этом месте держат поросят на продажу. Поднявшись, Иван похолодел – в шаге от него торчал из асфальта железный прут, древний и ржавый. Прут этот, много лет поджидавший его, оставили военные строители, поленившиеся укротить его кувалдой.

Пошатываясь от мучительной головной боли, Иван продолжил свой суть. Он не помнил, сколько времени он шёл до мастерской, куда он неделю назад сдал свои ботинки, но когда он добрался, мастерская уже закрылась, а на небе показались первые звёзды. Ивану не хотелось возвращаться ни с чем, но у него уже не было выбора, потому что уже была ночь и был жуткий мороз. Он долго, чертовки долго брёл домой, поскальзываясь и чертыхаясь, пробираясь через самые глухие, гадкие места в городе.

Когда он, наконец, пришёл домой, то он долго не мог попасть ключом в скважину, а когда попал, то не мог открыть замок – он весь замёрз. Когда Иван зашёл, его стошнило, но желудок был пуст и ему не полегчало. Иван лёг на кровать дрожа от холода. Он достал из внутреннего кармана пачку снотворных таблеток и посмотрел на них. Он подумал, что если их выпить все разом, то он сможет умереть. Но сначала помучится. Он обязательно помучится, ведь иначе и быть не может. Но мучиться Ивану не хотелось.

«Странные они существа, эти бабы. Пьют таблетки, а потом сдыхают в муках. И все хотят быть похожими на эту дурочку Монро. И всё потому, что каждая себя красавицей считает. Ну разве не так? » Ивану стало скучно и он включил телевизор. Но цветастые, мелькающие, полностью готовые к употреблению картинки не проникали в мозг, но застревали ещё в самом экране – плоские, глупо-возбужденные, нелепые.

Иван выпил таблетку, выключил телевизор и погасил свет. Он смотрел в темноту, в едва светлеющий прямоугольник окна и ему было страшно. Он подумал о том, что как жаль, что у него нет пистолета. А ещё подумал о том, как смешон его страх перед этой темнотой, когда есть тьма другая, настоящая – а с ней долгожданный покой. Он лежал в темноте и заливалсягорячими, злыми слезами. Он злился, что он не женщина, и что он трус, а если не трус, то дурак, а если не дурак то что-то, что ещё хуже. Он чувствовал себя голым, лежащим на лютом холоде; он видел небо раскрытое перед ним тысячами колючих звёзд – как острия игл, раскалённых добела, летящих беззвучно прямо в него, прямо в сердце. Вытянув, как для поцелуя свои хоботки, они молча вошли в его грудь, выжигая нутро дымящимся, жидким азотом. Он увидел далекое, огромное заледенелое озеро в горах, увидел свое тело, увидел свою душонку – бесплотный мешок желаний, переливающийся как дымок дешёвой папиросы.

Он увидел, как душа отлетела от него. ему не было страшно – только немного странно.

А утром он встал, как обычно, и забыл вчерашнее. Не потому, что оптимист. Просто жизнь пошла дальше.

1997