Russia’s War in Ukraine: Netflix Servant of the People S0
There was a time when the world believed in a battle between two ‘isms’, that of capitalism and communism. Today’s world is no different. Only the frontiers have changed into a battle between populism and social dogmatism. As coined by Ernst Haeckel, ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. History repeats itself.
The world’s armchair political opinions have shifted from worshipping Justin Trudeau in 2018 to Ukraine’s comedian-turned-President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2022, with obvious saffron sprinkles and a Panda from Asia. Simultaneously, dogmatism has marked a paradigm shift from singing songs praising political leaders to believing every lyric as gospel truth.
Communism is nearly dead. The new-age digital-industrial complex is incompatible with it. So, what do the faithful do?
Create newer dogmas based on history and tradition. Instead, based on security interests behind the grotesque garb of history and tradition. For instance, think of the Chinese claims of the South China Sea, and Russia’s claims over post-Soviet land in Belarus, Montenegro, Ukraine, et al.
Populism in Today’s Ukraine
Mr Zelensky always had a knack for dissent and accurate comic timing. The two most vital elements of becoming a head of state. He was a mere comedian before 2015 when a TV show, now adopted by Netflix, titled ‘Servant of the People’ broke the charts. He became a public figure in 2016. Zelensky also had an array of his works banned in both Poroshenko’s Ukraine and Putin’s Russia.
By 2017, Servant of the People turned from a TV show spreading awareness about corruption in politics to a political party eradicating corruption from politics. In 2019, Mr Zelensky, who starred in both phases of ‘Servant of the People’, was elected the President of Ukraine.
Like the plot of the show, where he plays a teacher turned president, with students registering his presidential candidacy, members of his production firm Kvartal 95 registered his candidacy in real life. He never really pivoted his campaigns over any conventional media. While he faced stiff opposition from then-incumbent Poroshenko, who claimed Zelensky’s electoral success would benefit Russia, he used social media channels such as Youtube and Twitter to reach an audience.
His real-world policies also closely resemble his on-screen performance. He has remained anti-establishment, anti-corruption, tax readjustments, pledging to bring decent people into positions of power. He continues to push for Ukraine’s inclusion in the European Union.
Although he is never equated with the populist head of state who turn fascist, he won the 2019 Ukrainian elections with a whopping 73.2% majority. With so many feathers in his cap, he is all things right with Westernization and populism.
Neo-McCarthyism in Ukraine’s War
If you think banning Zelensky’s comic works of art was the limit to cultural dogmatism, look closer to the West to take it one step further. During the World War II escalation of tensions, Mccarthyism was developed as a Western foreign policy doctrine to quash communist propaganda. Often termed the red scare, it was a veil used by erstwhile Republican Senator Joseph Mccarthy to investigate and arrest anyone arbitrarily on charges of subversion and treason until 1954.
In today’s world, the brand of McCarthyism has changed. It involves banning Western tools and systems in dogmatic nations like Russia and China. For instance, in the last few weeks, western brands such as Netflix, Spotify, and Airbnb, among others, have stopped operating in Russia. Russia, much like China, has banned using social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook amidst the ongoing conflict. Some argue this is a necessary step in building a ‘Digital Iron Curtain’. I beg to differ.
Preventing public-centric services such as Netflix and Spotify doesn’t affect the federation. It affects the people who are already concerned about the changing times. Besides, if we have learned anything from India’s social media ban, it only helps the government create national social media outfits and media channels. These are much easier platforms to use for strategic disinformation campaigns.
Zelensky, the pop-culture hero and opinion leader par excellence, who actively used these platforms to rise in political stature and popularity, could call out this trend of unconscious Western hegemony in a time of war.
Moreover, banning cat shows and sporting teams from international competitions doesn’t help eradicate the imminent security threats everyone can perceive.
The Season 2
As exciting as the first season was, season two is being fought on the ground today. Zelensky ditched US assistance to use tractors and Twitter to bring down one of the largest armies in the world. The nation with the most number of nuclear warheads- Russia. Yet, thousands have died, and millions have been displaced. Mariupol, Kyiv, and Kharkiv will take years to find a new normal.
While diplomatic and business ties are being severed with Russia in response to the battle for land acquisition in Ukraine, no actual support mechanism ensures the Zelensky administration can securitize its borders. Economic sanctions affect the Global South more deeply.
A presidential stint that started as a stand-up comedy is now on the verge of collapsing into a sit-down tragedy. Yet, he is not the one to blame. He has done what he could, with what he has at his disposal.
