TO: Mr. Thomas Friedman, columnist at the "New York Times," author of the book "The World is Flat", professional political advice-giver.
FROM: A person from the end of the world
Dearest Mr. Friedman, I read your article "Decent politicians" where in form of an open letter you give advices to Vladimir Putin, telling him point blank that the events in Russia and Egypt have much in common – that people from both contries don’t protest because of the ideology but because of simple human desire for living with dignity. This idea – for the similarity between the Arab spring and the unrests in Russia – is not your invention, Mr. Friedman, Senator John McCain before you also triumphantly announced that Putin should expect similar events in his country and to be prepared for an end of his government.
However, we could not expect more from Senator McCain – a lifelong politician who has lost connection with reality and is not able to make a sober analysis, especially when burdened with the full weight of his imperial and narrow-minded thinking. But you, Mr. Friedman, demonstrate from time to time incredibly common sense and successful inclusions and that’s why I decided to address my open letter (which you probably will never read!) to you.
Mr. Friedman, I like very much your passion for freedom and human dignity, but just because of that I have to write you this letter. Perhaps before addressing an open letter to a foreign president, it will be nice to see, track and analyze the events in your own country. The Arab spring has been wide-spreading for a long time in the streets of United States of America. Since the beginning of the last year "Occupy Wall Street" movement has gathered strength and at the moment its ideas infect more young Americans who desperately desire to change the status quo and are also driven by an ideology – those people deserve to live in a fair world. What happens however?
Police statistics show that since the beginning of the movement 6000 people have been arrested until now. The American police systematically breaks the camps of the young people. In one of the cities tear gas was used against protesters. In another city the police began beating young women with truncheons whose only fault was carrying posters "We are 99 percent". Indeed, isn’t this the Arab spring, Mr. Friedman? Or maybe this is not important for you? From the standpoint of which moral high ground you can afford to give advices to the Russian leader? As a representative of the country that crushed the protests of peaceful protesters with force? And wasn’t it more appropriate to write as an American an open letter to the President Barack Obama first to tell him these things about the human dignity and the young people who want change? Wasn’t it more correctly to write an open letter to the hard-line right wing media in the USA, which make the young generation look like dummies and drug-addicted, just because they no longer want to live in the unequal world they have been offered?
Mr. Friedman, I really want that America had the strength to be a moral beacon of values in the whole world. But because your country screws things up systematically wherever they go towards normalization, I would never accept an advice how to make a democracy by an American. I am convinced that Vladimir Putin is not the perfect man and is not an angel, I'm not sure I would like to live in Russia he rules, but I think that USA should concentrate on their internal problems and solve them before setting out to self-destruction.
Because, Mr. Friedman, when one country refuses to admit even itself that there is a huge and systemic problem, this is a certain recipe that it is becoming a kamikaze. The protesting young people in the streets, the American Spring, is the biggest sign that the future of your country may be bright, if not systematically beaten, crushed, humiliated, forced to work for peanuts and to live a life working until the end of the days in favor of thousand billionaire.
Therefore it seems to me that you have to look inside yourself. To try to change the advocacy operating model of your system because, believe me, most people in the world do not see any differences between the American president Bush and Vladimir Putin, as well as between functioning of America and Russia. Most of them would choose the Russian model, which is unfair, but do you think the American one presents an embodiment of values?
The double standard you demonstrate, Mr. Friedman, is the main factor that compromises your thesis. I truly believe that you mean what you wrote and I admire the human way you have presented it. I think however that an American journalist and observer should pay attention to his own country first, and then send the universal message of justice to everyone else. Russia is a big country, there is room for many processes, opinions, demonstrations and doubts, but what Russia does not need is someone from a country, being in the same boat as her, to give her advices. You see the irony, don’t you, Mr. Friedman, that once they screwed up the world with their greed crisis, the USA are no longer what they used to be. And it’s the collapse of this authority, the self-destruction of the American political system, that has led many countries around the world to not give a damn about the didactical advices and the Transatlantic saber-rattling.
So, Mr. Friedman, my advice to you is before judging others, to look at the problems of your own country. Probably the status quo will be kept for one or two mandates, but do not think that the USA could withstand the pressure of the street, even by beating every young man who dares to ask for a change. The spring has arrived in the USA, your Tahrir Square is now permanent and sticks will not break his will. If you ask those young people – they are against Putin but first they will persist their own country to finally change. While fighting your future, while leaving the police to deafen their demands, while the constant police boots are the only answer to the idea of changing the capitalism, then your country is doomed to be like a time bomb. America was a great country in the moments when it found that only the provision of equality or reduction of inequality in reasonable proportions could be the only way to stop the destruction of capitalism.
In this regard, my hope is that USA will find inner power to be a great country again, without behaving like a global policeman, without giving faked advices and without trying to crush the free thinking in their own society. Because, Mr. Friedman, if you don’t do this, you will be worse than anything Putin has ever done.
Obviously new generation of politicians is needed. You have to let the young people from the streets change the system, otherwise you will not have any future. Why do you fear the spring? You want it so much about Russia, don’t you? It seems you should have the strength to accept it for your own country. Otherwise all of you are seeking to keep your eyes wide shut and you will not feel the eruption of the volcano under your feet.
I wonder whether it’s what you really want?
I am afraid that you will see the lava only when it reaches your feet.
And this is said by a person from the end of geography and the beginning of history. Because history, Mr. Friedman, will restart powerfully.
I hope that USA will find their place in it.
Otherwise in textbooks we’re going to just read about the next empire which collapsed under the force of its absolute blindness.
