Observatory

The Return of Rhetoric

By Anastasia ⋅ March 16, 2007 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

Rhetoric has returned to Russian news. Or perhaps it has never left. In any case, here’s Lyudmila Butuzova writing an article for Moscow News¹ about a survey on attitudes of people in rural Russia:

“Needless to say, dreams and reality are different things,” Project Director Svetlana Krechetova says. “But this distinct ‘joie de vivre’ group, which has a different array of value priorities (focusing on family values and shared joy)², is an unmistakable indication that life is changing for the better³, that society is becoming more open. Although from a sociologist’s perspective, no revolutionary changes have occurred in the Russian hinterland. I would put it this way: The past few years have been marked by a further stabilization of stability.⁴“

1 Disclaimer: I have no knowledge of Moscow News’ political affiliation.

2 Note the violation of a cardinal rule of writing dialogue in fiction: no one ever speaks in parentheses. Unless this interview was being carried out over email, I really doubt this is the unedited version of Krechetova’s quote.

3 “Life is getting better, life is getting merrier.” Oh, how we love thee, old slogan of Stalinism!
Thank you, Comrade Putin, for our happy childhood…

4 “Stabilization of stability” is really where old-time style rhetoric makes its comeback here. Hurray for phrases into which, with enough wishful thinking, you can read absolutely anything but which, in the end, are so abstract they mean absolutely nothing. This in turn, of course, makes them impossible to disprove.

Other (snarklessly) fascinating bits from the article:

• Ten years ago, when pollsters launched their “provincial survey,” people typically refused to respond to frivolous questions: They could only talk about how unbearably hard their life was and how difficult it was to make ends meet.

• 87% of provincial women and 80% of their men believe the woman to be the head of the family. Simultaneously, dire gender inequality persists in politics.

Via JRL’s Russia email.

Discussion

One comment for “The Return of Rhetoric”

1. Regarding your mention of the phrase “The China to Berdichev” on http://metaxucafe.com/cafe/article/sholom_aleichem/, perhaps it means the same thing as smashing the china in rage against the floor, berdichev being substituted for the floor. Like saying, “’someone/something’ be hanged”.

   Posted by Hum | March 18, 2007, 12:48 am

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