Page 56 - Журнал «Русский Берег» #13-2022

ЛЮДИ | PEOPLE RUSSIAN COAST | № 5/13 2022

Мне удаётся воплощать то,
conflicts, politicians pitting one nation against another,
что хочется. Появляются новые environmental problems, hunger, epidemics – is largely
due to the inability of people to think for themselves
возможности и люди, как, and ask questions: what is behind it, why is it so, what
next? Today, the average person does not know how
например, в Аланье. and does not want to think for themselves. He simply
absorbs the lowest quality information product that is
chewed up and put in his mouth from the TV screen
or on the Internet. And my task is to show that not
everything is as straightforward as it seems at first,
to encourage people to ask questions of themselves
and others. The best way to do this is not through
moralising – "look at the right way and the wrong way"
– but through funny stories on topics of concern to the
audience. Once a person manages to engage critical
thinking through humour at a concert, they transfer the
skill of reflection further to other areas of their life.
What is the ability to think for yourself? From this
comes the ability to make your own decisions and take
responsibility for your life. That's an adult attitude, too. A
truly mature person can build his or her own life, which
means knowing and understanding his or her true goals
and desires. Following one's own path makes one
happier, kinder and more tolerant. And such a realised
adult will not listen to propaganda aimed at increasing
the degree of evil and aggression in society. And they
will start asking uncomfortable questions: "What's
behind it, who needs it and why, and is it really true?"
I see my mission in this, to put it loosely. In simple
terms, my message to society is to be adults and think
critically, but through light humour.
RC: Today the stand-up comedian acts as
the conscience of society, he/she is allowed to
say more than others as once a jester could tell
an unpleasant truth to a king, is that true? Is it
okay to make jokes about war?
AL: It was not accidental that kings had jesters who
could tell the ruler the unpleasant truth about his actions
or the problems of the nobility and the people. And
kings deliberately created the position of court jester in
order to have another, unbiased source of information.
Therefore, the rulers listened to the jesters, whether they
liked what they had to say or not. Today, the times have
come that we have surpassed even the Middle Ages in
our ignorance. In today's Russia there are no jokes (in a
good sense) that mock the problems of government and
society any more. Anyone who dares to say anything
unpleasant to the authorities is persecuted in one way
or another. History has shown many times that this state
of affairs can only lead to social disaster. When jesters
are driven out of society, it shows how shambolic,
ideologically weak and insecure the government is.
The other side of the coin is an over-infantilised society.
When a person lives according to a pre-determined

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