Kamioner: Don’t Cancel All Things Russian Because Of Putin

Many of you have a legitimate disgust at anything related to Vladimir Putin and want to show your displeasure in a concerte way. Me too. But then, I can be an idiot.

Right after the Russian invasion began, I made an attempt to do my part for the Ukrainian war effort. No thought that my little gesture wouldn’t matter. No thought that the money was already spent. Nah, I just wanted to virtue signal. So I went to my bar, pulled out a bottle of Stolichnaya, and poured it out on my deck. Here’s me being an idiot.

You see, Stoli is made in Latvia, not Russia. Just uses the Moscow thing as a marketing gimmick. So because I didn’t do proper research, but wanted to look geopolitically nifty, I poured out a perfectly good bottle of vodka. It’s the same dumb notion that led to Freedom Fries. Remember them?

Russia, not to mention vodka, has been around a lot longer than Putin and his warmed over commies and will hopefully be around long after they are in the ground. Russian music, literature, and art are brilliant. Men like Tchaikovsky, Tolstoy, and Chagall were icons. Let’s not cancel them like leftist censors because we mistakenly think it will help the Ukrainians. Don’t be like me. Be smarter. Here’s a case in point.

Montreal CTV News: “A young Russian pianist who was set to perform with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra this week has been struck from the schedule after protest.

However, the orchestra maintained its praise for 20-year-old Alexander Malofeev, who has been outspoken against the invasion of Ukraine, where he said he has some family members. The orchestra at first declined, saying Malofeev had spoken openly against the invasion. But it ultimately decided it was the right call ‘considering the serious impact on the civilian population of Ukraine caused by the Russian invasion.’ ”

Let me get this straight. A kid from Russia, a piano virtuoso, not in the Russian army, not connected to Putin in any way, a kid who has spoken out against the war probably at risk to himself, this kid gets canceled?!

Will it have any effect at all aside from hurting this young man? Will Putin say, “Well, if the Montreal Symphony Orchestra is mad I better get out of Ukraine.” Will President Zelenskyy say, “Now that the MSO has spoken I can declare complete victory.” It is exceedingly unlikely.

This is the same kind of mindless cultural cannibalism the Left has used to try and cancel anything that doesn’t pass PC ideological muster. This is the same thing that motivated very dumb people immediately after 9-11 to harass and abuse anyone in this country they thought looked vaguely like the Taliban, only to discover their erstwhile terrorists were Sikhs or Coptic Orthodox priests.

So if we’re going to go after Putin and his cronies, or the Russian army, or anyone supporting the lot of them, fine. But let’s make sure that what is good, noble, and beautiful about Russian music, literature, and art doesn’t foolishly get caught up in the process.