“The rules are simple: they lie to us, we know they’re lying, they know we know they’re lying but they keep lying to us anyway, and we keep pretending to believe them.” — Elena Gorokhova, A Mountain of Crumbs The above quote is one of the most beautiful summations of the Soviet post-totalitarian system. It is quite similar to Adam Curtis’s description of Alexei Yurchak’s 2006 work “Everything was forever, until it was no more”.
The trick to survive, even to thrive, is to first accept that you can't bring The System down, indeed you shouldn't even try to, not overtly. Because the system will crush you, it's immune system being very good at stifling dissent.
Instead you must learn to mimic the defenders of the system so they think you one of the, but you should do so non-committally: loyal and enthusiastic in words only. In swedish ,we have a term for it: ögontjänare, literally menaing "eye-servant" - serving only when the eye of power is upon you.
Also, try to live good, and thank the system for what a good life you have. No one can fault you for thanking the state that thank's to them you can grow your own veggies (meaning in real terms you have to since the state fails in its planning). Do not commit political crimes. Do not grandstand. No speechmaking.
Easiest way to learn is to read "Svejk", by Jaroslav Hasek. Adopt the outer countenance and attitude of the good soldier Svejk, and let the system rot while you live a pleasant and humble life.
Because one thing Havel and the others found out the hard way? When the state starts to push back, you're suddenly all alone. 9 out of 10 politically active, for any ideology, are hangers on and me too-ists. And the state is very very good at identifying that one dissident who is both charismatic, intelligent and rethorically gifted.
Harassment. Kompromat. Zersetzung. Finally, arrest on whatever charges can be made. Then big reveal to public: state has proof you are in pocket of foreign agents. You have committed tax fraud and embezzlement. You have weird, criminal , porn on computer. Always the same crimes are rolled out.
So do like Svejk. Be happy, humble and let the systemic idiocy take care of itself.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said something similar when the world order raped and pillaged Russia. Funded by banking institutions in the US and Europe to overtake the country. Who were the Bolshevik’s? It is important because now it is a whole world attack with strokeme 19 and now this right on time scripted war. New Bolshevik’s same tactics. 2014 in Ukraine was them using McCain and Biden plus US state department to maneuver it into civil war for this time right now. All a plan. They are evil satanic scum that needs to be scrubs from earth. They own everything including the weak-minded fools.
I’m reading Rod Dreher’s book, “Live Not By Lies.” He argues for a total refusal to pretend, or to go along to get along. Solzhenitsyn said that in the camp, the main topic of conversation was how they should’ve made it dangerous for the “police” to enforce “laws” they knew to be unlawful. That it would’ve taken only some resistance to stop the implementation of the Soviet machine, to bring it crashing down at its inception by making the thugs think twice about their own safety. Maybe that wasn’t really possible with our current situation but it does have parallels. I think that those in power knew they had to devise a way to stop communication at the local level—work, church, school. It’s easier to lock people up and then censor the only source of info from outside world if you tell them the very air they breathe is potentially lethal.
The trick to survive, even to thrive, is to first accept that you can't bring The System down, indeed you shouldn't even try to, not overtly. Because the system will crush you, it's immune system being very good at stifling dissent.
Instead you must learn to mimic the defenders of the system so they think you one of the, but you should do so non-committally: loyal and enthusiastic in words only. In swedish ,we have a term for it: ögontjänare, literally menaing "eye-servant" - serving only when the eye of power is upon you.
Also, try to live good, and thank the system for what a good life you have. No one can fault you for thanking the state that thank's to them you can grow your own veggies (meaning in real terms you have to since the state fails in its planning). Do not commit political crimes. Do not grandstand. No speechmaking.
Easiest way to learn is to read "Svejk", by Jaroslav Hasek. Adopt the outer countenance and attitude of the good soldier Svejk, and let the system rot while you live a pleasant and humble life.
Because one thing Havel and the others found out the hard way? When the state starts to push back, you're suddenly all alone. 9 out of 10 politically active, for any ideology, are hangers on and me too-ists. And the state is very very good at identifying that one dissident who is both charismatic, intelligent and rethorically gifted.
Harassment. Kompromat. Zersetzung. Finally, arrest on whatever charges can be made. Then big reveal to public: state has proof you are in pocket of foreign agents. You have committed tax fraud and embezzlement. You have weird, criminal , porn on computer. Always the same crimes are rolled out.
So do like Svejk. Be happy, humble and let the systemic idiocy take care of itself.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said something similar when the world order raped and pillaged Russia. Funded by banking institutions in the US and Europe to overtake the country. Who were the Bolshevik’s? It is important because now it is a whole world attack with strokeme 19 and now this right on time scripted war. New Bolshevik’s same tactics. 2014 in Ukraine was them using McCain and Biden plus US state department to maneuver it into civil war for this time right now. All a plan. They are evil satanic scum that needs to be scrubs from earth. They own everything including the weak-minded fools.
I’m reading Rod Dreher’s book, “Live Not By Lies.” He argues for a total refusal to pretend, or to go along to get along. Solzhenitsyn said that in the camp, the main topic of conversation was how they should’ve made it dangerous for the “police” to enforce “laws” they knew to be unlawful. That it would’ve taken only some resistance to stop the implementation of the Soviet machine, to bring it crashing down at its inception by making the thugs think twice about their own safety. Maybe that wasn’t really possible with our current situation but it does have parallels. I think that those in power knew they had to devise a way to stop communication at the local level—work, church, school. It’s easier to lock people up and then censor the only source of info from outside world if you tell them the very air they breathe is potentially lethal.