Who's a jerk, who's a prick

Mass culture is 1 of the most crucial elements of geocultural power. The second is considered to be part of the soft power within the meaning proposed by American political scientist Joseph Nye.

A large part of the planet has been fond of American movie productions for years, most frequently the least ambitious ones. Thus Americans established their regulation in the cultural, axiological space, imposed certain visions of the world. Not exactly, and they didn't do it anywhere.

In Russia and Ukraine, in the Baltic States and Belarus, in the Caucasus and Central Asia region, the Russian eight-score series is presently the number 1 show The word of a jerk. Blood on the asphalt, which had its premiere on net platforms in November and December 2023, then spread virally in thousands of pirate free editions in the corners of the net of the full post-missile space. He's connected everyone, including those politically challenged, and even those fighting each another with a weapon in their hand. Why? due to the fact that he speaks to them with an understandable language and a common cultural code.

It depicts the 1989 image of the capital of Tatarstan, Kazan. A simple planet of youth there, which began to organize informal settlement groups – Chuligan and sometimes criminal. At 1 time, this city over the Volga was divided into zones of influence of respective twelve specified structures functioning simultaneously and competing, fighting each other. Members of these groups, hierarchically organized and guided by a brutal interior code, considered themselves to be jerks ("boys", "people"). For them, all the remainder were pompous (“suckers”) on which it was possible to force the paying of extortion, to commit robberies and to drive from anywhere in the city. Students of primary schools, children aged 12-14, had already joined the gang of jerks. He described all this recently. Robert Garajew in his book The word of a jerk. Criminal Tatarstan 1970-2010. In detail, quoting hundreds of accounts of erstwhile jerks, militiamen fighting against them, sociologists and average residents of the city, he illustrated the phenomenon of the alleged Kazan phenomenon (this is what the journalists of the fresh York Times called it in the late 1980s). Garajew had the same advantage that he was besides a associate of 1 of specified settlement bands in his youth. And groups of jerks appeared, though not on the scale of Kazan, in most russian cities, to then transform into 1990s. in organized, sometimes very dangerous criminal groups taking on an expanding share in the real power of the post-missile sadness period.

But let's get back to the show. His manager is Criser’s Tooth (Artist's pseudonist – the right one. Andrei Piershin), a medium-generation filmmaker, associate of the expert board of the movie Foundation, previously known primarily for short and comedy production, and politically – alternatively critical of Russian intervention in Ukraine. After appearing Words of the jerk... The head of the Filmmakers' Union, well-deserved for cinematography Nikita Michałkow stated straight that Kryżow is the leading Russian manager today.

In the series, the main roles were played by actors of the young generation – after all, the movie tells mainly about teenagers. They stand out among them Ruzil Miniekayev and Leon Kemstacz, but besides a small older Ivan Jankowski (a wow of a well-known russian actor of Polish origin, Oleg Jankowskiwho played, among others, in Shields and swords and all that Munchhausen).

As with any Russian movie production, quite a few discussions besides appeared around its producers and sponsors. The most crucial of these is the National Media Group (NMG) formerly associated with oligarchy. Alexey Mordasov, and most late associated primarily with the close Vladimir Putin billionaire Yuri Kowalczuk, under Western sanctions. Financial support for the production of the series was designated by the Institute for net improvement (IRI), straight associated with the Russian presidential administration, erstwhile promoted by its vice president at the time Viacheslava Volodina. The production group besides included the well-known filmmaker Fiodor Bondarczuk. The online premiere of the series became the reason for the announcement of the head of IRI Alexey Goriesławski, that Russia intends to enter competition with the most popular Western online movie platforms Netflix or HBO. The spring Word of Pacana... is besides looking forward to its tv premiere on air owned by Gazprom-Media station NTW.

The musical setting of the series is composed of songs by Aigel group, co-founded by Aigel Gaisina, Tatar vocalist, opponent of peculiar Military Operations in Ukraine, who has been on emigration for any time and has already been accused of favouring Tatar separatism. Besides, the song appears in the performance of the well-known Russian rapper, Basty (Vasily Vakulienko).

Photos of the Pacana Word... were made in Jarosław, although the show's action takes place in the capital of Tatarstan. For a simple reason, any representatives of the authorities of the Republic of Tatarstan and its capital considered that the creation of the Kryznikow painting would be detrimental to their region. As it turned out, many of them had an episode in their youth of belonging to a bunch of celebrated jerks. This did not prevent the series' producers from conducting an highly effective and loud advertising campaign. Firstly, the very appearance of the movie was presented as controversial, which was reflected in many debates on the possible blocking of its dissemination and issue. Secondly, the controlled leaks of subsequent episodes and their fragments in the "piratic" version appeared on the Internet. Emotions aroused 2 alternate versions of the last episode of the word pacan... . And at the end of the day, the Russian media ran into news of the arrest of 1 of the second-rate actors, a boxer. Sergei Bazanova, on suspicion of a robbery homicide 12 years ago in Moscow.

This all made the show the most debated movie event in Russia last year. His title was the most widely searched slogan on the most popular Russian net search engine Yandex. Tens of politicians and public figures were speaking on the Cribnikov painting. Many of them critically. Tatarstan chief Rustam Minnichanov stated that the movie "romantizes the period of our country's past associated with the emergence of gangs of teenagers". At the same time, he emphasized that the show itself did not watch: “No, I did not. I wasn't watching. I was there. Why should I watch? I grew up there, lived there, worked there.” On the another hand, Irina Wolyniec, a spokeswoman for the rights of the kid in Tatarstan, pointed out that the content of the series was in flagrant contradiction with the promotion of conventional and household values declared by the Moscow authorities. The critics of the series were besides joined by the head of Dagestan authorities, Sergei Malikov. The politician of the Murman region, in the meantime, concluded that the Word of the Pacan... shows above all the request for authority and the consequences of its lack.

Topics straight and straight political in the Cribnik painting are actually missing, not counting possibly the criticism of Americans from 1 of the heroes who just returned from the war in Afghanistan. Heroes don't talk about politics, values are more important. Deputy editor-in-chief of the ‘Kommersant’ journal, Dmitri Drize, considers the message Words of the patan... but it's kind of ideological. He claims that it is to show good and bad sides of the russian world, which in a modernized and improved version can be reactivated somehow; that in global politics – like on the street, among the puppets – there should be a simple regulation “who is not with us, the 1 against us”; and the regulation that “pacans never apologise” is an allusion to repentant and apologizing for Russia representatives of the liberal salon there. Opposition movie Critic Anton Dolin He besides convinces about the existence of an ideological transmission of the series, only that this transmission marks it as a reflection of the mentality of the Russian political class.

Robert Garajew, whose book has become the origin of the communicative series, explains his large popularity: “Maybe due to the fact that we now have an SOW, people are considering force and its nature, how they affect people and society. I think they have concerns. They are afraid that people trained to fight and usage weapons will return. It is possible to grow the criminal world.” ‘Word of the patan... Crisherova is the largest event in the Russian cinema since Cargo 200 Balabanova. This is the real realism of critical Russian culture. A rebellion not against the conditions of life, but against the very essence of life, behind which the thin curtain lies the senselessness of human existence, the icy indifference of the actual reality of being, in which man is simply a character from another series of horrors. The only value in this hell is actually the friendship, love and tenderness of the mother. Until the first 1 destroys betrayal, the second 1 – will not take death, and the second 1 – will not plunge into madness” – delights with the serial Russian writer and commentator Maxim Shevchenko.

Former associate of the ultimate Council of Ukraine and presently Russian blogger and commentator, Oleg Cariew refers to the film’s power mechanisms: “The weak cannot lead the strong. Actually, they can, but soon. In this sense, the movie carries a revolutionary message. possibly that is why the “conservatives” respond with specified anxiety. However, revolutionary transmission and revolution are 2 different things. First of all, not everyone in our elite is weak. Second, things are different now. Everyone's on their own. And if the movie has any influence, it will be insignificant and short-lived. He will be covered by fresh events, news, life and information noise." any say, for example, a Russian student Professor Stephen Hutchings From the University of Manchester, the message of the word pacan... It shares the election run of the Russian President; it shows the time of chaos and destabilization of the end-of- USSR, which can be contrasted with the era of stableness and tranquility of the Putin era.

The word "pacan" beats not only among Russians but besides among Ukrainians. This is what is peculiarly worrying for the authorities in Kiev. From the very beginning, they tried to prevent the dissemination of the Kryzników painting, treating it in terms of Russian influence by means of the mentioned soft force in the cultural edition. Appeals and bans, including those issued by the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture, proved to be completely ineffective. In the AppleMusic app, the soundtrack of the series invariably ranks first in the category of most popular music tracks. Vice-President of the Ukrainian Parliament Aleksandr Kornenko He admitted that the Ukrainian side was and is incapable to defy specified productions: “I’m not certain if we could do an interesting series for teenagers in Ukraine now. I don't remember these shows from our independence. It is simply a immense challenge; ideologically and strategically, our country has never faced specified a challenge – how to rebuild completely information-ideological activities with its citizens, especially young people."

On December 14, 2023, the British weekly "The Economist" summed up Kiev's fear of Pacan's Word...: "Ukrainian politicians fear that the show serves Russian propaganda. Meanwhile, Russian Goskino stated that public display of it was against the law. If Word Pacana... is Russian propaganda, seemingly the Russian authorities don't know anything about it. Politicians in Russia criticise the show for romanticizing force and alternate power." Fears of the tv series and its influence from the government in Kiev Ukrainian manager Aleksandr Rodniański He tried to explain that it was an effective blockade against his representatives' effort to dehumanize the Russians as a nation. "The problem for the Ukrainian state is that specified serials “normalize” Russians, show them like surviving people," he stated, adding that the word pacana... It is even watched by Ukrainian soldiers on the front.

The common problems and the equal experience of the crisis are besides pointed out in his remarks about the show by erstwhile advisor to the Office of the president of UkraineAlexey Arestovich. “We exchanged the russian modernist lie, and we and them, for the liberal modernist lie. And we and them – we cannot find the truth. We're not telling the truth. We kill each other, we lose signposts, we lose dignity and we lose freedom. And here and there, they effort to fight with bans on any search for meaning. The power of the word pacana... is that it is about this: about the failure of sense of greater meaning; about replacing it with substitutes. (...) Only that in the Russian Federation, although individual speaks about it, even if they are a fewer artists, and in us – they are not even able to realise it. This is the difference," said the politician and commentator critical of the Kiev authorities recently.

Prof. Svetlana Stevenson from the University of Metropolitan London, investigating non-formal and criminal groups in the erstwhile russian Union, emphasizes that “the creators of the series Word Pacana... They faithfully show the reality of that era, accurately depict the rites and jargons of that time, not intending to romanticize them.” The alleged Kazan phenomenon in the form of groups of puppets appeared and flourished in the 1970s, in the age of Brezhnevsky stagnation. The first of specified groups, known as Tiap-Liap, functioned on a working property around Tieplocontrol plants. She adopted a circumstantial set of interior rules distinguishing her from another subcultures, only to any degree overlapping with criminal and prison subculture. Pacani functioned in closely hierarchized groups, utilized their own rituals and initiation methods. Against the background of others, they were distinguished by their bans on alcohol, smoking, and utilizing drugs. They were to be constantly ready for street fights. Therefore, their meetings (sbores) were frequently combat training and duels within the same group. The strategy of penalties applied besides consisted of violent violence.

Where did this phenomenon come from? Like any social phenomenon, it most likely had multiple sources. any of them are pointed to in the book Robert Garajew. Historical sources draw attention to the large fist battles conducted in the 19th century over Volga by the Russians and Tatars there. In later times, however, disputes had nothing to do with national issues. In 1953, an amnesty occurred, resulting in the lager leaving over 1.2 million citizens of the russian Union, including criminal prisoners. Their camp habits began to penetrate another social groups. At the same time, the strong industrialization and urbanization of subsequent russian regions continued. It marked migration to the towns of a large part of the agrarian population, including erstwhile workers of collective farms and sowchoz, who were facilitated to change their residence in 1968.

Together with fresh residents in urban settlements and blocks, there have been certain behaviours and perceptions of the world, frequently based on the strict categorization of “we” and “they”, as well as the determination to defend “their” territory against “foreign”. Moving to cities and changing lifestyles resulted in household atrophy, frequently even its dissolution. The weakness of the russian institutions has affected all of this. In the Komsomol, opportunistic attitudes began to dominate, the rigid ideology was incapable to offer young people genuine religion in any higher collective goals. The underfunded militia was incapable to effectively combat the developing grey zone. And the representatives of the second were easy to bargain and blackmail, to draw labour from them – they could not study to the militia that individual had robbed them of... illegal income.

Word of the patan...shows this phenomenon. The identity vacuum of the late USSR fills the strong, adrenaline-filled structures of informal groups, more criminal than political groups. They do not rebel against the russian system; they treat the possible anti-system component in the form of counter-culture-based Western informal groups suspiciously, if not hostilely. This, in fact, gave emergence to various speculations over the years about the KGB's coordination of local youth groups, thesis that pacans were expected to be countering the distribution of external influences. No evidence of the veracity of this version has always been presented.

Spectators in post-missile countries will now be waiting for another period of the series, which – chronologically speaking – could treat about even more turbulent 1990s, in which a large part of the title jerks landed in the cemeteries as victims of increasingly many criminal cases and contract killings. But it's a different communicative from an era whose foretaste in the Word of the Pacana... is only delirious on a distant horizon.

Mateusz Piskorski

‘The word patan. cattle on asphalt", dir. Żora Kryżow, from 1-8, Russia 2023, platform Wink, NTW.

Think Poland, No. 3-4 (14-21.01.2024)