Saturday, July 10, 2010

Russian Neo Nazis and Global Neoliberal Capitalism

The majority of the world lives in poverty. Parts of the world enjoy wealth that millions will never come close to experiencing. This disparity has created huge incentives for people from poorer regions to migrate into wealthier countries, legally or illegally. This is leading to race and ethnic conflict on a global scale: Germans against Turks in Germany, French against North Africans in France, whites against Mexicans in the US and so on. There are racists that truly believe in the supremacy of race and ethnicity, but these individuals are not the reason for increase in societal conflict. The rise of racial and ethnic tensions is due to economic catastrophe.

This video, made a few years back, revealed the emergence of violent Neo-Nazis in Russia. This video is disturbing and can make the viewer feel angry. It would be misleading to watch this and assume the root to this violence is Hitler and his contemporary followers. There will always be Nazis and other various forms of racists (all of which are not violent). However, their ideas only have mass influence in crisis.

Another hero to some in Russia is Stalin. Not because he was Communist, but a strong leader that brought order and international respect to Russia. In a world of uncertainty and turmoil "stabilizers" from the past will always seem like a panacea to current troubles. That is why it is important for the Left to not get caught up in obsession with "deviant" groups. It is understood, we must take on thugs as they come. Lest we forget, the greatest thugs are the architects of the neo-liberal capitalist world order. This video shows what comes about in countries under their control. The ruling class prefer violence to be horizontal, not vertical.


1 comment:

Clarissa said...

Thank you for addressing this important topic that doesn't get discussed nearly often enough.

Sadly, the official ideology in Russia is very supportive of these tendencies that lead to the Neo-Nazi revival. A professor of history, for example, has to be very careful when teaching or writing an article about Stalinist purges. The government doesn't want any such inconvenient truths to be published.

You are absolutely right when you say that this interracial hatred is promoted "from above." The government needs to divert people's rage over the horrible conditions of their existence, over the impossible social injustices that plague their society onto other ethnic groups. People are encouraged (almost openly) to hate Tadzhiks, the immigrants who are said (unjustly) to rob ethnic Russians of their jobs and living space. It is kind of fashionable today in Russia, even among very educated and seemingly intelligent people, to say the most disgustingly racist things against these poor Tadzhiks. I stopped visiting Russian websites because I can't deal with all this racism any more.

Sorry for the rant. I find what is happening in Russia today very hurtful on a variety of levels.