From Sunzi's aphorism "know how your enemy thinks and acts to be able to anticipate his movements" (The Art of War) it does not follow that you also have to agree with his worldview or submit to his particular account of history. On the contrary, acting according to its parameters can mean death.
And yet, the EU countries have fallen into the unfortunate temptation of canceling Russian culture, especially classical music, using the same arguments as Vladimir Putin: that it is a symbol of Russian greatness. As if it weren't obvious that music has been the abstract weapon against oppression in this country.
Banning Russian musicians from coming to Spain to play Tchaikovsky because here we give moral support to Ukraine and these artists have not positioned themselves against the war – as some voices demanded this week against Teodor Currentzis and his MusicAeterna orchestra – is a false syllogism. Of a colossal simplicity. Because it is not Putin who is being cancelled, nor the Russian ambassadors to the EU –who have not been called for consultations–, but some artists who are a heritage, yes, but of humanity. Putin can stick out his chest as he sees fit, but these tours are also synonymous with understanding between citizens...
Canceling a cultural show is a sign of weakness typical of a fearful and self-conscious society. They fear the protests, the consequences... Because, even though it is once again a battlefield, Europe is intimidated by its cousin from Zumosol. A United States that exports its perfect combination of political correctness and postmodernism, an explosive regime that prevents discerning reality. And being away from it, no one can create a linguistic projection based on reality. Which weakens.
Noam Chomsky already warns when he points out that postmodernism as a whole has a clear effect: it allows people to adopt a radical position, but completely dissociated from whatever is happening, because objectivity does not exist, nor does the truth; now there are only narratives. And we even bought Putin's.
