Generation Russian Z
Toddlers with machine guns, schoolchildren on their knees or lying on the floor of the gym in the shape of the letter Z, St. George ribbons and military uniforms – this is how Russian educational institutions are now taught to love their homeland and patriots.
The Ministry of Education, the Institute for the Study of Childhood, Family and Education of the Russian Academy of Education, Rosmolodezh, Yunarmia are constantly working on new programs and manuals… “The ultimate goal is loyalty to the state. A deep connection between history and reality that becomes an unwavering devotion to the country,” said Maria Popova, professor at McGill University in Montreal.
“An educational method so that through children in schools and kindergartens who uncritically perceive information, it was possible to influence their parents so that children broadcast all these messages at home,” political scientist Ivan Preobrazhensky believes.
Alexander Cooley, professor of political science at Barnard College in New York, issues: “The ultimate goal is to connect what is happening in Ukraine now with significant narratives of loyalty, self-sacrifice and national pride. The purpose of using this in school now is that children of all ages will have a consistent cycle of Russian patriotism in it.”
In Russian educational institutions, higher education courses are held for special lessons on history and society with the names mentioned: “Defenders of Peace”, “Brotherhood of Slavic Peoples”, actions and competitions are held as participants, and all-Russian ones: “Stalingrad – the Motherland of Victory”, “ Letter in Russian. soldier.” Militarism, selfless faith in the fatherland and the willingness to die for it – consumption in parallel with drugs and the consequences of such education in episodes of illness in the history of the 20th century.
Maria Popova said that there are a lot of guys: “I recently watched a video where Vysotsky sings “Soldiers of the Center group”, which claims the readiness of soldiers marching in Ukraine, but it seems that every single word of the lyrics actually seems , applies very well to the current Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is tragic and very ironic. The most interesting thing is that someone took and replaced the first letter in the word Center with Z in order to draw an equation that should be for Russians of great cognitive dissonance.
Quote from the video lesson “Defenders of the World” for children from 6 years old: “We need to understand that everything is a little more complicated than it can be revealed, and events take place before our birth, the birth of our mothers and fathers, grandparents. We spoke the same language, we called ourselves Russians and were united, Ukrainians or Ukrainians, we called people who lived in the border countries in different places, for example, in Pskov or Siberian Ukraine.”
The open lesson “Defenders of Peace” is consonant with the article “On the assessment of the unity of Russians and Ukrainians” by Vladimir Putin and his speech on the recognition of the independence of Russia by the “LPR” and “DPR”. The video lesson tells children over 6 years old why Ukraine is not changing as an independent state. Edited history textbooks, “correctly” – in Russian state policy – the information provided, a full set of ready-made arguments for disputes, a “correct” angle in the end with an active appeal to emotionally significant events, as a result of which, like the Great Patriotic War – the basis for educating a new generation Russia, “Generation Z”.
Alexander Cooley said that “if you delve into this issue, you can see how legitimate the arguments for establishing identification are, in fact, the presence of memory behind the change of allegiance to some symbol. This blind devotion, almost like a cult, actually leads to a historical memory that brings it closer to the best.
“Children in elementary schools are taught a new song that Ukraine and all Ukrainian cities are part of Russia, this is their homeland, and they will be its development. Even more insidious events during this Z campaign, for example, small letters are drawn on homework for schoolchildren. One gets the impression that this is a very coordinated state campaign that includes this symbol, probably in the intended perspective, as a sign of children’s loyalty to the state and the Motherland, ”commented the professor at McGill University.
At the end of April, Vladimir Putin approved a decree declaring 2022–2031 the decade of science and technology in Russia. At the same time, on April 13, the government of the Russian Federation adopted the establishment of new rules for educational institutions and their cooperation with foreign institutions or institutions. Programs and interactions, for example, with universities in “unfriendly countries” such as the EU or the US, are complicated or impossible. International cooperation, as well as the development of science and technology, Russia will share with manufacturers in countries such as Belarus, Syria, Eritrea.