Zen blog post in Russian
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Symbiosis of the greedy and the state in modern Russia. Putin's government has relied on a certain type of personality ("Greedy") as a support. This type is declared an "ideal citizen" and the "salt of the earth."

One of the basic characteristics of Putin's Russian Federation, apart from the domination of the Lubyanka sect: this regime has relied on the Greedy as its main fuel, its social base, from the very beginning. A sample of the correct "cultural" code and the "ideal citizen." This bet on the deep Greedy guy worked flawlessly.

The greedy man lived in millions of Russians. And anyway, many people of many nations carry this Greedy Person inside them, like an immune-suppressed virus. But it was under Putin and it was in the Russian Federation that the state said: "Greedy bastard, you are perfect, you are authentic, real. You, and only you, are Russian. You are the salt of the earth. Come to us, we will finally pay tribute to you, we will raise you up."

The state has awakened this "ruling class" with appropriately tuned propaganda appealing to all the basest things.

The greedy man is aggressive and cruel. But he perceives his aggressiveness and cruelty as a set of righteous, protective measures and compensation for centuries of humiliation and resentment. Resentment is one of the main optics of the Greedy. Through resentment, the Greedy Person looks at the world around him.

A greedy person is primitive and intolerant of anything more complicated than his primitiveness. That is, almost everything is complicated. A greedy person may not read a single book in his entire life, or he may consume books by the hundreds of kilograms — and these books will only work on his primitiveness.

Russian greedy people may not be able to write in Russian at all. But he can have hundreds of thousands of subscribers in a telegram channel to bring his bullying into the world in any wrapper — Orthodoxy, patriotism, Eurasianism, leftist ideas, right-wing ideas. Or just say, "we'll kill everyone, we'll rob everyone."

The greedy man is conspiratorial, despite his primitiveness. More precisely, it is because of the primitiveness.

Greedy men in cop uniforms write the words "faggot" and "fascist" on the bodies of Russian informals shaking with fear — and they are not just "doing their job." They rejoice, because for them this is the key moment of truth and the highest point of self—realization - to write the words "faggot" and "fascist" on the bodies of those they do not like.

At the same time, the Greedy Person wants to be loved by those whom he wants to "bend", enslave. This demand for love from his victims is especially pronounced in the Greedy Man in terms of foreign policy and geopolitics. The greedy man seeks to "bend everyone", but this is also a "liberation mission" for him. "Bend" and "liberate" in the Greedy Man's value system coexist without conflict. The greedy man wants to free everyone from his absence. Just like the Russian state. Here they match super-perfectly.

The ideologems of state Orthodoxy, pobedobesie and the cult of the scoop are organic to the Greedy. He is their carrier, just as a tick is a carrier of encephalitis.

Under Putin, Greedy people in Russia flourished and smelled for two decades, flourishing unrestrainedly. With the beginning of the "SVO", the Russian Federation declared a jihad of Greedy people outside. The greedy man rejoiced, as he was lifted to the top of the peaks. The greedy and the Lubyanka-controlled Russian Federation have reached the peak of symbiosis.

An alchemically pure universe of Greedy people appeared for several weeks in Bucha, Borodyanka. She spoke in the voices of Vladlen Tatarsky and others like him. We've seen and heard it.

It is useless to work with a greedy person using the method of political agitation. He, like the Chekists, can only be stopped by fire, only by fear.

But in the event of a radical weakening of the current monstrous Russian state, the symbiosis of the Russian Federation and the Greedy will disintegrate. A greedy person, left to himself, will be disoriented and will start bending like a reed in the wind, in any direction. To change their political attitudes in a panic, to abandon everything in a row. At the same time, he will not cease to be disgusting and potentially dangerous to everyone. This should also be understood.

So, let's summarize the essence of the concept of "Greedy". A further addition serves as an evidence base and justification for this publication. Historical roots, concept, examples, in-depth analysis.

The concept of "Greedy" is a collective image:

- not a personality type, but a value system — aggression, resentment, primitiveness, conspiracy;

- the social base of the regime is those who are encouraged by the state for their loyalty and "simplicity";

- cultural code — opposed to reflection, complexity, and critical thinking.

Key features of the "Greedy":

1) Resentment
2) perception of the world through resentment: "age-old humiliations", "everyone owes us";
3) aggression is presented as "protection" and "just retribution."
4) Primitiveness
5) is the inability or unwillingness to perceive complex things;
6) even with knowledge (reading books), information is filtered so as to strengthen existing attitudes.
7) Conspiracy
8) theory explains all problems with "conspiracies", "enemies", and "external control";
9) the simplicity of the scheme compensates for the lack of rational analysis.
10) Double standards
11) demand love and recognition from those who are "bent over";
12) "liberation mission" = coercion to submission.
13) Ideological omnivorousness
14) can hide behind any ideas: Orthodoxy, patriotism, left/right doctrines;
15) ideas are just a shell for aggression and self—affirmation.

How is this type formed and maintained?:

Mechanisms of the State:

- propaganda — appeals to base emotions: resentment, fear, thirst for revenge;

- symbolic politics — the cult of "victory", "besieged fortress", "enemies";

- repression — suppression of dissent, marginalization of reflexive groups;

- social lifts are the promotion of loyal people, even if their qualifications are low.

Cultural markers: glorification of "power" over reason; stigmatization of "intelligence" as "betrayal"; creation of an "enemy image" for unity.

Why the "Greedy" became the basis of the regime:

1) The post-Soviet vacuum
2) After the 1990s, there was a need for "simple answers";
3) complex processes (economics, politics) were explained through "conspiracies" and "grievances."
4) Consolidation through the image of an enemy
5) an external threat (the West) and an internal threat (the opposition, the "liberals") they became a bond;
6) resentment turned into a state ideology.
7) Institutionalization of aggression
8) power structures have received symbolic and material capital;
9) Violence has become not a problem, but an instrument of "order."
10) Cultural policy
11) promoting "traditional values" as an antithesis to "Western decay";
12) glorification of the past through the prism of "greatness and resentment."

Consequences for society:

Short-term:

- the growth of aggression and intolerance;

- marginalization of reflexive groups (intellectuals, activists, critics);

- simplification of the public discussion — "us vs them".

Long-term:

- degradation of culture and education — demand for primitive;

- talent drain — people who do not share the "goon" code leave;

- institutional weakness — decisions are made not on merit, but on loyalty;

dependence on the image of the enemy — without it, the system loses its meaning.

The prospects of what will happen if the symbiosis of the "Greedy state" disintegrates?

A "greedy man" deprived of state support will become:

- disoriented — without a clear ideology and an "enemy", his worldview will collapse;

- conformist — will begin to change attitudes depending on the new government;

- dangerous — in a panic, he may resort to violence, look for new "victims".

Why won't this lead to a quick recovery?:

- resentment and aggression will remain, they will just find a new form.;

- the lack of a culture of dialogue and compromise will complicate the transition;

- the trauma of the collapse of the familiar worldview can increase radicalization.

I will briefly give examples of historical and literary parallels in the symbiosis of the "Greedy State":

Historical parallels:

1. The Plebs of Ancient Rome. The lower strata of the population, who lived off "bread and circuses" (panem et circenses). Dependence on government handouts (free grain handouts, gladiatorial fights); Primitive values: thirst for spectacle, violence, simple explanations; Support for authoritarian leaders who promised "order" and "rebirth of greatness." The difference: in Rome, it was economic dependence, not an ideological attitude.

2. The "Black Hundreds" in the Russian Empire (early 20th century). Ultra-right organizations that relied on the lower strata of society and promoted monarchism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia. Their resentment: resentment against "intellectuals", "Jews", "conspirators"; Their methods are violence: pogroms, harassment of dissidents; They were supported by the state (informally) for loyalty. The difference: the Black Hundreds were an organized force, while the "Greedy" were more of a cultural type.

3. "Brownshirts" in Nazi Germany. SA stormtroopers, recruited from the unemployed and marginalized. They showed aggression as self-affirmation; Their resentment: "humiliation after Versailles", the search for enemies; The cult of strength, contempt for the "weak" and "intellectuals." The difference: in Germany, it was a paramilitary organization, not a diffuse cultural code.

4. The Maoist Cultural Revolution (China, 1966-1976). Red Guards (red guards), youth directed against "bourgeois elements". They promoted the denial of complexity: "intellectuals are the enemy";

public humiliation of dissenters (as in the example with inscriptions on bodies); The state legitimized violence for the sake of "cleansing". The difference: in China, it was a conscious project from above, not a spontaneous phenomenon.

Literary parallels

1. "Demons" by F. M. Dostoevsky

Key image: Peter Verkhovensky is a manipulator who exploits the primitive passions of the crowd.

The parallels:

- the crowd is ready to use violence for the sake of the "idea";

- resentment against the "intelligentsia";

- chaos is served as "purification".

Quote: "We will make such a mess that everything will go from the basics."

2. "Animal Farm" by J. Orwell's

The key image: pigs manipulating other animals through simple slogans ("Four legs is good, two are bad").

The parallels:

- simplification of reality to binary oppositions;

- the cult of the leader (Napoleon);

- rewriting history for the sake of current benefits.

3. "Lord of the Flies" by W. Golding

Key image: Jack and his tribe are children who quickly descend into cruelty and primitiveness.

The parallels:

- aggression as a way of self-affirmation;

- creating an "enemy" (a Beast) to rally;

- abandoning rationality in favor of rituals and power.

4. "1984" by J. Orwell's

Key image: The proletariat is a mass that is allowed to think simply, hate its enemies, and believe propaganda.

The parallels:

- the state consciously supports the primitiveness of the masses;

- "two minutes of hate" as a ritual of aggression;

- resentment as the basis of loyalty.

5. "We" by E. Zamyatin

- The key image is a Single State where individuality is suppressed and people are "numbered".

The parallels:

- abandoning complexity in favor of "mathematical" simplicity;

- collective identity instead of personal reflection;

- punishment for "excessive intelligence".

Modern parallels (21st century)

1. Populism in Europe and the USA (2010s)

Examples: Brexit, the Trump movement, the rise of far-right parties.

Common features:

- appeal to the "common people" against the "elite";

- resentment: "we were betrayed by migrants/globalists";

- conspiracy theory (conspiracy theories about "population replacement", "secret government").

The difference: in the West, this is more often an electoral phenomenon rather than a cultural dominant one.

2. Digital "tribes" in social networks

Phenomenon: groups where aggression and simplicity become the norm (trolling, bullying, radical communities).

The parallels:

- anonymity increases brutality;

- binary thinking: "friend/foe", "right/wrong";

- collective self-affirmation through humiliation of others.

What unites all these examples in the concept of "Greedy"?

Resentment is resentment as an engine of action.
Simplification is the rejection of complexity for the sake of simple answers.
The search for an enemy is consolidation through the image of an "alien".
Government support — the state or leaders use these sentiments for legitimization.
Violence is the norm, not the exception.
The concept of a "Greedy person" is not an insult, but an analytical model that:

- describes the type of worldview that has become the mainstay of the regime;

- explains the mechanisms of propaganda and consolidation through aggression and resentment;

- predicts an identity crisis with a weakening of the system.

How can we build a society where reflection, complexity, and dialogue become values rather than signs of "betrayal"? So far, this issue remains open.

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My hobbies are history, philosophy, psychology, music, economics, politics, and sociology. I write about this and much more. Professional model. She has performed at international music festivals. I dance, I sing, I parody the voices of the performers. I am studying in the Netherlands at the Academy of Arts, Faculty of Film Industry and Arts. Co-owner of a video studio in St. Petersburg.

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