It’s like some kind of marathon or group therapy session. The Central Election Commission said it. United Russia said it. The State Duma said it. The Federation Council said it.
And now the Prosecutor General’s Office is saying it too:
Now I’m just waiting for statements on this from the Hydrometeorological Center and Sportloto (the Soviet/Russian state lottery).
Of course, you know what “learned helplessness” is. It’s a very fashionable term to mention in all sorts of clever articles.
And right now we are watching a curious example of how exactly that helplessness is instilled. The ground is being prepared for “passivity, refusal to act, unwillingness to change a hostile environment or avoid it, even when such an opportunity appears.”
All state bodies and officials are apparently supposed to repeat this mantra seven times a day until people stop believing their own eyes and the very clear line in Clause 3 of Article 32, and start asking themselves: maybe it actually says something else after all, and I just don’t understand it.
And then they will say the expected, longed-for words: all right then, nothing can be done. We’ll just have to go and vote for one of the candidates approved by the Kremlin. There’s no other option anyway.
But we are still human beings capable of thinking, not dogs in an experiment being shocked with electricity.
So don’t fall for it yourselves, and explain to everyone around you that Clause 3 means exactly what it says. And that this is simply an experiment on all of us: are we ready to give up our rights and learn helplessness.
We’re continuing our work. And (HOORAY!) our campaign chief is free now too.