It is quite natural that people stop believing politicians. The life of politicians, as a rule, contradicts the generalized ideas about democracy.
A politician drives in a large tinted car, walks surrounded by guards, something may be known about his personal life, but on a talk show with a full analysis of all illegitimate children and a lie detector test, you will not call him.
The origin of politicians, too, is usually vague: he studied somewhere, met someone, then worked together, a team was formed - and now they are ruling the country. And what was in youth, in working maturity, in the period of initial accumulation and establishment of connections, is better not to recall this.
Another thing - the artists. All life in sight, all biography in front of the eyes of voters. What did you do? Filmed in the movies. Where does the money come from? Fees Where is familiar with this and with this? Together they played KVN or met their corporate parties. And you will not carp. An artist is perceived as a guy from the people, although he, as a rule, is extremely far from the people. But with a famous artist every viewer is familiar as close as his own. And the artist during his artistic biography does not do anything bad to the viewer. Only fun and entertains. This is what causes the trust - a familiar face, but nothing bad is connected with it. Why not choose?
It makes no sense now to assess the fact that Vladimir Zelensky became the president of Ukraine: it is impossible to evaluate the activities of someone who did nothing.
But it is worth noting that the general trend is clear: the people around the world are tired of politicians and would like to see screen entertainment step over into everyday life. If the guy is funny and charming, he knows how to joke, why don’t he rule the country, right?
This is a dream come true - the artist has become president, real democracy.
As is known, the Roman emperor Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanic, born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarb, was not indifferent to the arts. He loved to sing while accompanying himself at the kithara, played in the theater — he was even going to play Hercules, tearing the mouth of the present, a lion found especially for this purpose. But, fortunately, the lion died on time.
On the night of July 19, 64 n. e. in Rome there was a fire. The historian Suetonius wrote that the emperor Nero had retired from Rome in advance and observed the fire from a safe distance, doing his favorite work - he sang songs of his own composition to his own accompaniment. Rome burned five days, five days Nero played his role as a poet and singer.
Modern historians are inclined to believe that Suetonius dramatized everything somewhat, and Nero, most likely, actively participated in extinguishing the fire.
But the fact of the appearance of such a testimony suggests that artistic activity is not always successfully combined with political activity.
However, there are other examples.
In 1980, Ronald Reagan became the oldest president in US history. Reagan has starred in 50 movies, and the saying goes: "In the USA, a bad artist can become a good president." It is important here that before becoming president, Ronald Reagan was a member of political life for many years — he served as governor of California for eight years. This is understandable: the Hollywood artist was well known to voters, and he was well acquainted with all the problems of the state.
As president, Reagan worked for two consecutive terms, and was remembered for extremely liberal decisions, which were later called reygonomics, and constantly demonstrated sympathy towards the USSR. For some, it meant that “the cold war was over,” and for someone, “that the Union collapsed.”
The remaining examples of actors in political posts are not so impressive.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has led California for many years, but how do we know what they have in California? So, forest fires and harassment scandals.
But not everything is so simple for conspiracy theories and other conspiracy theories. In any material dedicated to the so-called world government or the Bilderberg club, Arnold Schwarzenegger is mentioned among the main members and actors - he allegedly worships the divine owl and makes sacrifices at annual meetings of the sinister club.
This is how the grassroots belief of citizens in what is called the deep state - “the deep state”. According to this theory, there are official representative bodies and what stands behind them. And since popular culture is the most understandable and replicated form of life, it is quite easy to assume that those who are the subject of popular adoration stand behind the decisions of the government and parliamentarians. For every decision there is a chain of telephone law, on the other end of which a pleasant voice of your favorite artist arises.
They, folk artists, and solve all questions. Recall, at least, newspaper stories about the omnipotence of Alla Pugacheva, Joseph Kobzon or Lev Leshchenko.
How many stories are there about how a favorite artist from Soviet cinema, without washing off the makeup after the performance, calls “who follows” from the dressing room and gets an apartment, stops the tanks, changes the legislation.
Remember the “Letter of forty-two” - it was it that legitimized the actions of Boris Yeltsin in relation to the Supreme Council. Now it is clear that this was the most powerful blow to the nascent democracy in Russia. And they signed this letter, for example, Bulat Okudzhava and Bella Akhmadulina. Such a deep state, such a “deep state”, such an influence of artists on the history of the country.
There are examples and more fun. For example, Anna Elena Staller, known as Cicciolina, a star of pornographic films, who in 1987 became a member of the Italian parliament from a radical party that fought against the proliferation of nuclear energy.
In politics there is always a place for fun and carnival. In addition, we must not forget that, purely statistically, the artist can be a sensible person, a good politician.
And in general, it is easy and pleasant to realize that today's Ukraine owes its president, Alexander Maslyakov, and the First Channel of Russian television.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.