We’ve seen with BLM, COVID, and other topics how the narrative can get out of control and squash the people who question or counter it. We saw, in Canada, to what lengths the government would go to crush peaceful protest — not by legitimately arresting people who might be blocking a street — but by doing things like freezing people’s bank accounts without due process of law and blocking GoFundMe accounts to crush the protest.
We’re seeing something like that bubble up again when it comes to the situation with Russia and Ukraine. Sanctions on the government of Russia — or oligarchs who prop it up — make a lot of sense. It is absurd to discriminate against Russians, and any other Russians because it seems that virtue signaled that you are caring. That shouldn’t need to be said. But, it does, because that’s exactly what some are doing. It’s a crushing of people who the narrative deems “wrong”– in this case, for the “crime” of being Russian.
Alexander Malofeev, a pianist prodigy aged 20, is an example of this. He isn’t an oligarch and he isn’t a friend of Vladimir Putin. He’s just a guy who had piano performances scheduled with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra over the past few days. They were cancelled. Not because he supported the war — he was against the invasion and he said so. Even his family is in Ukraine. Because he was Russian.
Starting at @DailyMail: Russian piano prodigy 20 years old, who was to make his Canadian debut with Montreal Symphony Orchestra’s Montreal Symphony Orchestra, has been DROPPED. Many people complained about him despite being vocal against the war in Ukraine. https://t.co/38tQnOZMeG
— Byron York (@ByronYork) March 11, 2022
‘The Orchestre symphonique de Montral (OSM) feels that it would be inappropriate to receive Mr. Malofeev this week,’ Pascale Ouimet, a spokesperson for the orchestra, wrote in a statement.
Initially, Malofeev’s performances were on track, and the pianist openly spoke out against the invasion. But then several Ukrainians living in Montreal emailed asking the OSM asking it to cancel Malofeev’s performances.
They stated that it wasn’t simply about his stance on the war but about promoting a Russian ‘cultural product.’ [….]
Ouimet added: ‘We continue, however, to believe in the importance of maintaining relationships with artists of all nationalities who embrace messages of peace and hope. We look forward to welcoming this exceptional artist when the context allows it.’
At first, the orchestra declined to cancel referring to Malofeev’s criticism of the war, but it then flipped and decided that removing him from lineup was the right thing to do ‘considering the serious impact on the civilian population of Ukraine caused by the Russian invasion,’ Ouimet explained.
The orchestra said it wanted to ‘reaffirm its solidarity’ with the Ukrainian people and would be making a donation in support of them.
Vancouver concert dates he was planning for later in the year were also cancelled.
He had condemned the war calling it a “terrible and bloody decision.”
Malofeev claimed that he was being asked to make additional anti-war comments than he has made before, and that he was concerned about how that would affect his family.
‘Honestly, the only thing I can do now is to pray and cry,’ he said. ‘I do understand that my problems are very insignificant compared to those of people in Ukraine, including my relatives who live there,’ he wrote.
‘The most important thing now is to stop the blood. All I know is that the spread of hatred will not help in any way, but only cause more suffering.’
This guy is hurting, but it doesn’t do any good to end the war and affect Putin. Indeed, it’s hurting someone who has spoken out against the war. They’re even banning cats from competitions for being “Russian.” Meanwhile, the Biden Administration is still holding meetings with the Russian government for the Iran Deal and on climate change.
This isn’t just about this situation, as we saw with COVID. It’s a dangerous slippery slope of mob mentality. The demonization and exploitation of unvaccinated people was evident, with some left-leaning politicians attempting to encourage it. Now, this isn’t even for belief or protest, but just for being Russian. This makes no sense.
About Post Author
