Beyond Victimhood
Did you know that images of white people kneeling before black are used by Russian propaganda to show how delusional the West has become? In the West it’s obviously done to show respect for black people. The thing is, it actually creates more racism in countries where the overwhelming majority was neutral to black people before BLM became known. Stay with me if you want to know why endorsing victimhood by kneeling to show respect isn’t the answer.
Russian Multiculturalism
Some of you might not know that Russia is a multicultural country with numerous ethnic minorities. In English everyone from Russia is called Russian, but it creates certain confusion. There are “Rossiyane” and “Russkie”. Both refer to Russian people, but have different connotations. “Rossiyanin” is a term used to describe a citizen of Russia, regardless of their ethnicity, while “Russky” typically refers to someone of ethnic Russian descent. So, “Rossiyanin” is more inclusive, encompassing all citizens of Russia, whereas “Russky” is more specific to the ethnic Russian population.
The Chuvash Perspective: Beyond Victimhood
Russian ethnic minorities are extremely diverse. They speak their local languages and have different beliefs. There are Muslim and even Buddhist minorities. I belong to one called the Chuvash people. We have our unique culture and language which slightly resembles modern Turkish. It’s due to the fact that we have common ancestors who migrated from Central Asia centuries ago.
Throughout history, the Chuvash republic was invaded and subjugated many times by its more powerful neighbors. It caused numerous changes in our culture. Chuvash people used to be pagans and spoke the Chuvash language, but were forced to convert to Christianity and learn Russian. My ancestors decided not to oppose powerful Muscovites, and accepted their conditions. Sounds like we are entitled to victimhood, doesn’t it?
Preserving Chuvash Identity
In some parts of the Chuvash republic (especially in the countryside) native population still speaks the Chuvash language, albeit with a lot of Russian words included. They preserved their identity unlike the Northern Chuvash people, who live in the city of Cheboksary (our capital). During the USSR period the Chuvash language was almost eradicated by the Soviet government. Chuvash people were almost ashamed to speak it in public in order not to be looked down upon by ethnic Russians.
Navigating Ethnic Relations
Of course, not all ethnic Russians display their superiority to the Chuvash people, but there has always been a small portion of chauvinists among them. I have an ethnic Russian neighbor who used to brag about the fact that in her entire life in Chuvash republic she never learned even as a single word of the Chuvash language. Heck, even my best childhood friend was very proud about being “clean” Russian.
Imagine white Americans acting like that to the people of color or to the indigenous American population. That would be a huge scandal, to say the least. That would probably result in ending up in jail.
Beyond Victimhood: The Futility of Kneeling
Russia is not like that. Our ethnic minorities don’t demand apologies from Russians and certainly don’t expect them to kneel as a recognition of their suffering in the past. Some indigenous people do fight for their rights and want to restore their national identity, but in a different way. Blaming every Russian for the fact that their ancestors conquered vast territories in Eurasia at some point in history, is the simplest but not the smartest way to get recognition. We’ve learned how to coexist without placing the blame on one another. We’ve learned how to focus on our common history and challenges we faced together, rather than wasting time on resentment and endless talks about victimhood.
Lessons from the USSR
Mixed marriages have certainly played a big role in it. It’s not that obvious who belongs to an ethnic minority and who doesn’t. I look European, but my brothers look a bit Asian. As bad as the USSR was, it implemented (albeit forcefully) a system where any Soviet citizen was more or less equal. Anyone could be sent to any part of that huge country. Religion was practically banned, and everyone became more or less equal, at least on paper.
You could say that every soviet citizen was equally miserable, and you might be right. The thing is, this policy did result in more tolerance and equality. Christians married Muslim, Buddhist and even pagan/shaman people from the distant North Eastern regions. Being relocated or not wasn’t a choice, so no one dared to complain. Ironically as it sounds, the USSR did unite peoples of all ethnicities within its vast territories.
Historical Context and Modern Implications
Speaking of conquering lands and being colonized. Russia itself, or more accurately the Kievan Rus’ principalities of the time, was under Mongol rule for approximately 240 years, lasting from the mid-13th century to the late 15th century. In Russia this period of history is referred to as the “Tatar Yoke“. Enslavement was a common practice in the Mongol Empire, and Kievan Rus’ was not exempt. Captives taken during warfare or raids were often enslaved, particularly during the initial conquest. The later rulers of the Golden Horde, a Mongol Khanate that controlled much of western Russia, also conducted slave raids to capture people to be sold into slavery, particularly in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Do Russian people have a right to demand modern Mongols to kneel before them? Should we demand Germans and the French to kneel for Hitler’s and Napoleon’s war crimes? I don’t think so. Personally, I don’t expect anyone to kneel before me neither as Chuvash nor as Russian. What good does it serve? As human beings we are all more similar than different, and we are flawed unfortunately. Every empire in human history has expanded its territories by force in one way or another. Stronger countries exercise their power just because they can. It’s happening at this very moment around the World.
Kneeling as a sign of submission and respect
In Russian, there is a phrase which goes like: “На колени можно вставать только перед женой или Богом”. There is no direct equivalent in English, but it can roughly be translated as: “You can kneel only before God or your wife”. This is where the fundamental difference between the Russian mindset and that of the West lies. In the Russian Orthodox tradition, while standing is the standard posture during confession, kneeling before God or an icon was, and still is, a way for individuals to express deep humility, repentance, and reverence.
The same goes for Buddhism and Islam. In Islamic prayer, during the prostration phase, Muslims kneel and place their forehead, nose, palms, knees, and toes on the ground. This posture is a profound expression of submission and humility before God. Here is a picture of kneeling as a sign of submission to God:
Till this day around the world men kneel before their spouses when proposing, and here is how it looks like:
Black people, as any other group of people who suffered at some point in history, definitely deserve respect and recognition. The thing is: kneeling is just a very bad way to show it. Oppressed people are neither your God no your wives. By kneeling before a group of people you depreciate this powerful act of submission and respect only to serve the current political agenda.
Moving Beyond Victimhood
Kneeling is definitely not the answer. Do I have a better one? I believe I do. Open-mindedness, leading to a constructive dialogue, is probably the only way we can avoid the trap of being caught in a vicious loop of resentment and victimhood. Historical grievances need to be discussed so we don’t repeat the same mistakes again and again, yet it’s important to avoid being stuck in the victimhood mindset.
Gestures as a sign of respect can be used to recognize injustices done in the past but only as long as the gestures themselves remain respectful. Kneeling is a universal sign of submission and humiliation, and, if anything, makes things even worse. Educating ourselves on the injustices and crimes committed in the past is extremely important, but the key is open dialogue. As long as we are willing to engage in a constructive dialogue with one another, despite our resentment, there’s hope.
