The spirit of the age: the Russians are guilty in all!

“Good afternoon! The newspaper “Lithuanian courier” disturbs you. We want to talk to Emmanuil Gedeonovich”, our correspondent spoke hasty, calling to Moscow concerning the recent revolution in Egypt in order to take the comment on Middle East revolutions. The other more skilled editorial listeners of this conversation simultaneously smirked and literally in chorus have repeated the answer from a telephone receiver, “Emmanuil Gedeonovich, the Riga newspaper “Lithuanian courier” from Estonia asks you”.

It is possible to drop the curtain in principle. Lithuania for Russia has merged for a long time with Latvia and Estonia and we are such a general region for them which they name the Baltic states and we persistently correct – the countries of the Baltic States. The essence doesn't change from terminology. Recently it was proved by official portal of the ministry of economic development of the Russian Federation. The panoramic photo of Riga stood in beauty there in the section about the world countries, in the reference about Lithuania and before the country description. Notice, that it is not any private diary in the Internet but an official site of the main economic department of Russia. Now the picture was changed for a snow-covered kind of Vilnius but also that was done only after the clamour was raised in the Russian mass-media.

Still before the caricature of Luzhkov was in the Internet who has wanted to move to Latvia on a constant place of abode. “The Lithuanians will estimate the fabulous picture on a theme of Luzhkov’s desire to receive the residence permit in Latvia. And the Lithuanian surnames are mixed with Latvian and maiden names with surnames of married women. A good illustration was not to the incident with Luzhkov but the phrase “don't begin if you are not able” and also my complex of the small people for certain”, one of the users of social network Facebook has written concerning this picture. Luzhkov with the spouse Baturina were on a caricature and an inscription has been represented, “Remember: your surname is Luzhkovas and mine is Baturinaite” and nearby the indicator "Latvia". The author didn’t think about the features and differences of the Lithuanian surnames from the Latvian. He has simply added, as it seemed to him, the uniform for Baltic "as" to a man's surname and female surname has altered, thinking surely of Orbakaite.

By the way, about Orbakaite! If in Russia they have already forgotten about Lithuania for a long time, so in Lithuania, as it known, all troubles are because of Russia. Recently our most popular portal Delfi has questioned the readers, “Will we celebrate the date of the 16th of February with K.Orbakaite or with А.van Buuren?”, asks a portal in headline. The latter is a known DJ. For sure the Lithuanian colleagues hint that a subversive from Russia has arrived on the next Independence Day of Lithuania. Her mother, Alla Pugacheva, "has spoiled" a holiday last year when has arrived on the same Independence Day! And before, some years ago, the diversion was made by group "Lyube" which has dared to be on tour in Lithuania for a sacred holiday. The real scandal was because of it in our country! How they dared to act with the militaristic music, moreover in Russian! No doubt that it is obviously the order of the Kremlin!

Throughout a musical theme recently interrogated people by the same portal have deduced the formula, “Popularity of Russian music in Lithuania is an occupation consequence”. And so they have written! Russian pop music continues to hold the positions in Lithuania. The interlocutors of Delfi have connected the reasons of its popularity with the occupation consequences.

“Russian music often sounds in a taxi”, the interlocutors of a portal said. “This is the matter of ethics of each company. If you bring up a driver of a firm for a while, he always considers the opinion of the client. And if it is all the same to the driver, he both smokes and listens to Russian music with any sound volume. The next time the passenger won't use the services of such taxi”, the president of Association of service providers of a taxi Robertas Brazis has told.

According to him, each self-respecting enterprise recommends to the drivers to give the chance to the passenger to choose any radio station and level of a sound or to go in silence. R.Brazis has told that during the questionings, clients sometimes specify that they were carried on the old smelled car in which the Russian music sounded.

“For this purpose there are bases – there are a lot of Russian-speaking among taxi drivers who really like to listen to “Russian radio "Baltiya", R.Brazis explains.
The executor, the teacher of Klaipeda university Steponas Januska considers that popularity of Russian music is the reason for occupation. For example, there is almost no Russian music in Australia or Spain, he speaks, there is no such influence there. «And it is accumulated in Lithuania for such quantity of time, propaganda has made its deal», S. Januska confirms. According to his opinion, those who don't listen to Russian music at all, it associates with the occupation. Emotions of these people haven't something in common with the maintenance.

The singer is convinced that there is a lot of Russian music of high level. At the same time there is a lot of a cheap pop-music, however it is in the western music. And Januska pays attention that Russian is clear to the majority of Lithuanians, they understand the texts of songs. And the melody of the Russian music is close enough to the Lithuanian musical taste.
“These factors are at the reason for continuing to listen to Russian music under inertia. Only it is not known, how long this inertia will remain. I consider that for 20 years it should become less in percentage”, the teacher of the Klaipeda university has told.

At the same time he notices that the Lithuanian pop music doesn't represent serious alternative. In turn the historian, the culture expert, pro-rector of European state university Irena Vaisvilaite asserts that the relation to this question depends on to what social stratum the person belongs.

“It isn't comprehensible for any part of a society everything that is connected with Russian. It has come since the Soviet occupation – the resistance installation that there is no good Russian culture dominates”, I. Vaisvilaite has told. On the other hand, she notes, there is a certain social class which doesn't accept pop culture. It is not important Russian or any another. The part of inhabitants of Lithuania considers that the popular Russian culture is more primitive, is focused on primitive thinking people.

According to I.Vaisvilaite, separate social groups have a negative reaction to Russian pop-music for various reasons. The interlocutor of Delfi pays attention that the Russian performers acting with concerts are popular in Lithuania. “Then the part of a political class of Lithuania joins which sees a cultural invasion in it. We really are between the East and the West and the orientation to popular western culture in the Soviet period was the soft form of resistance”, the culture expert explained.
In general, Lithuania keeps an eye on Russia! If you listen to Russian music, so this is the consequence of occupation and if you listen to Lady Gaga, Madonna or any Britney Spears, so that means you are unbelievably progressive! May be the Lithuanians simply aren't able to do own pop-music and consequently it is necessary to listen either Russian or English? No so can't be. It is not patriotic! It is good that a common sense exists in Lithuania, otherwise there would be no statement to one of the most popular comments to this article, “It is raining – the Russians are guilty, it is hot – the Russians are guilty, bad harvest – the Russians are guilty, sugar has risen in price – the Russians are guilty, bad mood – the Russians are guilty, soiled yourself – the Russians are guilty, the wife hasn't put out – the Russians are guilty, the wife has put out but it has not turned out – the Russians are guilty”.
Andrey Kurbsky - junior, "Lithuanian courier", February 24, 2011

As it is known, the criminal liability for public negation of crimes of the Soviet and Nazi regimes is entered since June 15, 2010 in Lithuania. The violaters of the law are promised with the penalty or imprisonment for the term up to two years. Now the struggle with the Soviet heritage began to repeat distinctly the struggle against the witches in the Middle Ages known for all, which, as it known, it was not unsuccessfully spent by sacred inquisition including Lithuania...

Here that told other Lithuanian Internet resource http:// www.lithuania.russian-club.net
The employees of local municipal enterprise Panevezio gatves in the Lithuanian city of Panevezys (in the north of the country) have been threatened with the penalty that they used the shovels with the Soviet symbols. Delfi.lt informs about it.

As the representative of the enterprise has explained, the shovels for snow removal have been made of the plywood which has remained still from the Soviet period. "A good red plywood with the sickle and hammer image was remained. We have made the shovels in order not to throw it out ", he noticed.

However, the mayor’s office has considered the fact of use of similar shovels as infringement of the law on an interdiction of the Soviet symbols. The head of the law department of the mayor’s office Irma Masyulene has declared, that the employees of the enterprise are threatened now with the penalty at the rate from 500 to 1000 lits (from 190 to 380 dollars). Besides, as she said, the shovels can be confiscated.

We will remind that the interdiction for demonstration the Soviet and also Nazi symbols is in force in Lithuania since 2008. In particular, the flag of the USSR and such Soviet symbols, as a sickle and hammer and also a red five-pointed star have been declared out of the law.
Mainly the interdiction extends on meetings and other mass actions. At the same time, after the introduction of an interdiction, the traders of souvenirs with the Soviet symbols began to be exposed to prosecutions, in particular. Later indeed, the authorities have agreed to leave the traders alone and not to treat their activity as law infringement.

The toy Red Army men have puzzled the police in other Lithuanian city Siauliai!
Earlier one of the readers informed the edition about that the toys "the Soviet red army" are on sale in shop of network Norfa. The press secretary of a trade network Darius Rilishkis has confirmed this information, having noticed that he doesn't see anything reprehensible in it.

According to his words, the tin soldiers are popular. Having mentioned a theme of an interdiction for the Soviet symbols, Rilishkis has noticed that "we precisely don't advertize the Soviet period".
Meanwhile, the fact of sale of toy Red Army men was considered in police as law infringement. 23 packings with these toys have been withdrawn from the sale. Predictably the results of investigation would be leaked out in some weeks.

It is simply surprising, how all enterprises and the buildings constructed in territory of Lithuania in the Soviet past aren't outlawed and destroyed. And also all school-leaving certificates, diplomas about the higher and secondary education, scientific degrees and the works of art written during the same period aren't recognized void. And if to be consecutive and basic, it is necessary to go up to the end, isn't it?