Andrew Breitbart is well known for the idea that "politics is downstream from culture"[see photo]. It has become a "known" about the world we live in. But today with the Russian Army advancing on Kiev we need to take another look at what we believe we know.
The new known is that "culture is downstream of politics". The main reason the Russians are in Ukraine today is politics not culture. The long-term history of the connections between Russia and Ukraine is complex. It is confusing. It is ambiguous. It is steeped in culture. BUT... Since 1989 and the collapse of the USSR the critical factor in relations between Moscow and Kiev was and is politics. The politics of NATO and its expanding reach has been important. The politics of the Cuban Missile Crisis casts an eternal shadow over the concerns Moscow has for its border security. The politics of The Green New Deal around the globe is the most important reason that Russian Troops are in Ukraine.
The politics of those who promote centralised systems [banks, governments, military, human rights, etc] and trash decentralised movements. Politics today has the three elements thought, behaviour, and belief control to exclusion of cultural heritage. Contemporary politics is simple because it is based on narrative, narrative, and narrative. Politics is homogeneous [Ottawa, Melbourne in Australia, Washington DC, Berlin, etc] and as such is impervious where as culture is full of contractions, tensions, and serendipity. Politics is ascendent today and culture is in retreat.
This is a great time to be minimalist. As such you will avoid the mind-numbing influence of political actors on your life. As such you will embrace the mind-enhancing of being a "culture of one". As such you will be prepared to deal with the entropic impact on your life that shall inevitably flow from the implosion of modern politics.
Richard.
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