Kto vinovat is the title of a novel published in 1846. It was written by the Russian socialist Alexander Herzen. I was taken in by it when I was a student, but I remember next to nothing of it now, though I am sure I much prefer the Russian title to the English translation: Who is to blame? The Russian question sounds more peremptory, does it not? And with good reason: The fabulously rich landowners that governed Russia were an utterly futile gang of parasites living off the labour of the serfs. In practical terms the serfs were slaves. They really were the property of the landowners. Russian landowners were thus worse, even, than the British landowning rentiers so disparaged by Adam Smith.
In 1861, the serfs were “emancipated” de jure if not de facto, in the sense that they owned nothing but the rags they wore. At the end of the century, abject poverty was still endemic in the countryside as described in several of Anton Chekhov’s short stories. At any rate, Alexander Herzen was credited with having brought the plight of the serfs to the attention of the educated public with his writing.
Fortunately, some of the Russian landowners had sons – yes, mostly sons, since women were valued at best as decorative household assets or in some cases as wealthy heiresses – sons, then, who felt terrible about the injustice of it all. Tolstoy is the most famous of them, but there were very many others – including a large number of wonderfully gifted composers and writers, one of them being Alexander Herzen.
I remember that his novel Kto vinovat painted a picture of how education and self-respect would eventually enable the suppressed and suffering masses to earn a living and have dignity, The expression “suppressed and suffering masses” is no joke, believe me, though it sounds like Soviet propaganda, I know. It is none the less a reality many places even today, not least in Latin America, where Trump’s cronies are destroying what little was left after the end of the brutal Kissinger-aided dictatorships.
In Russia’s case, what Herzen started ended with a revolution – the jury is still out about the merits of that revolution. You will know my opinion about it when I tell you that in Spain, where there was no revolution, “education, literacy campaigns and self-respect” were drowned in bloodbaths in the 1930s to be followed by nearly 50 years of religious and political state terror.
What I do remember of the book was the exquisite courtesy and mutual respect between the two protagonists, a man and a woman living together. They loved each other, but they were to have separate rooms, to dress for dinner, and to knock on each other’s door to request admittance. Back then, I gave much thought to this approach to “equality between the sexes”. It seemed very outlandish, but it also made sense. After all, cohabitation tends to wear down what might initially have been “true love”. There is daily friction, repetition, boredom…You know, I am sure.
But in the end, things do not work out for Herzen’s protagonist couple. Kto vinovat?
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Norwegians tend to be averse to conflicts. I believe “conflict avoidance” is a technical term.
If a Norwegian knows of a couple who are engaged in particularly acrimonious divorce proceedings, he or she will say “it takes two to tango”, meaning: let’s divide the blame equally.
Even about Palestinians and Israel, they would actually say, “Well, you know the issue is very complicated.” I would say: “It is not! Israel is an apartheid state.” Then they would try to appease me: Israel has made mistakes, but so have the Palestinians.” Meaning, again: Let’s divide the blame in two equal parts.
Why, then, are Norwegians so adamant with regard to the Ukraine war? As I have previously stressed: Norwegian journalists and Norwegian foreign service officials are very well educated. They are the crème de la crème in terms of university results. So why are they pretending to be blind, deaf and suffering from learning disabilities? Russia, you see, is to blame for absolutely everything.
The Palestinians have certainly made mistakes. Who hasn’t? But Israel is now finally being recognised by most, not least by Norwegians, as a genocidal state. The dividing line today is between those who recognise genocide as legitimate (e.g. most of the US Congress) and those who don’t. That is the extent of our moral decay!
At least Russia is not being blamed for genocide. Not yet. But mark my words: Once the political West finally admits that Ukraine has lost the war, they will accuse Russia of genocide.
My question tonight is: Why is there no discussion in the Norwegian media about ultra-nationalism, the use of Nazi insignia, and – not least – brutal political, linguistic, cultural and religious suppression in Ukraine? Why do the Norwegian media not demand accountability for the vast sums of money we send to that most hideously corrupt of countries?
And who, in the end, is to blame for the total destruction – soon almost to the last Ukrainian – of Ukraine? Kto vinovat? Russia? Ukraine? or the NATO countries?
