I find this very heartening.
From: "Dimitri Devyatkin" <dimitri_d at deol.ru> Subject: Smashing TV's -- Boycott the election and television advertisers Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 Dear David and readers of Johnson's Russia List, On March 11, the movement, "Soyuz 2000" created a stir in Moscow with an infamous television-bashing demonstration in front of the central statue of Karl Marx. Several young demonstrators lifted two vintage Soviet "televiziori", and heaved them against the monument. A young man with a green Mohawk-hairdo briefly danced on the ruins as foreign correspondents' cameras whirred. There were probably 50 other young Muscovites in attendance, at the Marx monument March 11 and again March 18 near City Hall, holding placards and giving their views to the press. They are the self-declared "Left Against the Election of Putin." They urge voters to skip the coming presidential election completely. By participating in the election, they say, even by marking the ballot "None of the Above", you are acquiescing in the system. These young activists explain their revulsion to television as a response to the cacophony of media pushing for Putin. "Soyuz 2000" argues that television is the purveyor of the brutal war against the Chechens. They have called for a boycott against advertisers who buy ad time on Channel 1 ORT and Channel 2 RTR, the two government-owned and controlled television networks. "Soyuz 2000" says the two channels are non-stop propaganda machines for the war, and they make it possible to keep the war going by whipping up public support. "Soyuz 2000" says -- Take the boycott to the big advertisers. Knowingly or not, by paying for commercials on those two channels, advertisers are supporting the war. Two of Russia's most odious commentators are Sergei Dorenko on ORT, who often analyzes the war, and Nikolai Svanidze on RTR. For commercials on just those two commentators' shows, "Soyuz 2000" handouts name the advertisers and give the amounts they pay. Here is the list as provided by "Soyuz 2000": ï‚· Proctor & Gamble, makers of Safeguard soap and Head and Shoulders shampoo, spends over $200 million on Russian advertising overall, and on the commentators, over $5 million, ï‚· Nestle's, maker of Nescafe coffee, also $5 million ï‚· Mars, maker of Snickers, also $5 millionï‚· Wrigley's, $3 million ï‚· Pepsi Cola, $1 millionï‚· Coca-Cola, $1 million. They say they won't feel as guilty afterwards, knowing they spoke out against the headlong rush to support Russia's new strong man. "Soyuz 2000" knows there is no chance to stop Putin from coming to power, and that their efforts are purely symbolic. They say the election is simply a way of giving the new government an aura of respectability. After the election, many see hard economic times coming, for which a tough new leader will be needed. "Soyuz 2000" says the war in Chechnya was "begun" by Kremlin insiders -- a little "virtual war" that got out of hand, a horrible spectacle created for Russian television, all to get Putin elected. The leaders of the "Soyuz 2000" movement are several well-known Moscow political activists: ï‚· Oleg Shein -- a Deputy in the Russian State Duma from Astrakhan, co-chairman of an inter-regional union of labor unions called "Defense" and part of the movement to create a new "Worker's Party". ï‚· Boris Kagarlitsky -- a political scientist, coordinator of "Soyuz 2000"and columnist for the popular newspaper "Novaya Gazeta", whose articles are often translated on JRL. Kagarlitsky was a dissident in Soviet times, who got elected to the Duma in the early 1990's and during the 1993 storming of the Russian Parliament by Yeltsin's troops, ended up in a Moscow prison until a torrent of international phone calls got the jailers to release him. ï‚· Ivan Zasursky, a young journalist, author of the book "Mass Media: The Second Republic" about the caving in of post-Soviet media to Russia's newrulers. "Soyuz 2000" reminds people that "A real patriot has to understand how important these foreign contributions are." Without their ad money, Russian TV wouldn't be able to support the war so strongly. When you lather up with Head and Shoulders shampoo or bite into a Snickers candy bar, you are indirectly supporting the war. For a refreshing surprise, see the "Soyuz 2000" Website at www.osvod.org. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com