Once upon a time, in the very beginning of the eighties, in strict and, as it seemed, unpromising times, mysterious lists went on the hands of Soviet people who were used to everything — lists of artists whose works contain ideologically harmful works. These lists were very strange in content. Say, the harmless German pop group Dschinghis Khan, created specifically to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest (!), Was listed as promoting anti-communism (!!) and nationalism (!!!). Was on those lists, of course, and the English group Pink Floyd. Probably the only one in whose work really contained ideologically harmful statements - in particular, about the "aggression of the USSR in Afghanistan."
And now more than 30 years have passed. And the ministries of culture and education of the Russian Federation publish a joint document called "Methodological recommendations for the implementation of the interdepartmental cultural and educational project" CULTURAL SCHOOL SCHOOL STANDARDS ". “The project is aimed at the spiritual, aesthetic and artistic development of schoolchildren and improving the cultural literacy of the younger generation,” the authors of the document write in the preamble. And in the list recommended for increasing cultural literacy of the younger generation of music for grades 9-11, number 98 indicate a Pink Floyd song called Money. And in the list of films recommended for the same age - a picture of Alan Parker "The Wall", shot on the album of the same name Pink Floyd.
As you can see, our movement towards progress is undeniable. Yes there Pink Floyd! To increase the cultural literacy of the younger generation, the Ministry of Culture and Education recommends that students familiarize themselves with Andy Warhol's works “Campbell Soup Cans and even Marcel Duchamp's Fountain”. Representing, if anyone does not know, an ordinary urinal purchased at a hardware store. No words, both of these works had a great influence on world art. But in order to explain this to the student, some explanatory work is required. If you just show the student a urinal and call it one of the most important works of art of the 20th century, the student will probably grunt. And how many school teachers in Russia are able to explain what Duchamp and Warhol wanted to say, I personally do not know. Something tells me that a bit.
And, paying tribute to the courage of ministries that recommend that students listen to the Nirvana group (Smells Like Teen Spirit song, number 100 on the list of foreign music for grades 9–11), it’s hard to get rid of the feeling that the lists themselves, which form the cultural foundation, are quite superficial. It is recommended, for example, to know the songs of the group “Time Machine” “Puppets” and “Sunny Island”. Hey, where's the Turn? Why exactly these songs? Why should the “Kino” group remain in the cultural code only with the song “Change!”? And why are songs, not albums, listed at all?
Notice, I wrote four interrogative sentences in a row, which, in fact, is not characteristic of me. Because I usually do not ask, but ascertain.
But since I strongly support the very idea of forming a kind of cultural code that unites schoolchildren throughout the nation, I would like to ask questions and get answers to them. To improve and complement this, of course, an incomplete list. Agree that it is hardly possible to appreciate the work of The Beatles on the song All You Need Is Love alone. And for some reason this is what is being proposed.
There are also some questions for the cultural code of the compilers of the cultural code themselves. For example, in paragraph 44 of the list of references for grades 1–4, the work “Kozhemyaka Nikita. Bogatyrs and knights of the Russian land. " As if Kozhemyak Nikita is the author of the work, and not the epic hero Nikita Kozhemyak, who is his hero. And in line 13 of the list of literature for grades 5-8 it is indicated: "Veltistov E. Adventures of Electronics." But Eugene Veltistov does not have the book "The Adventures of Electronics." That was the name of the television movie, and the original story, according to which it was put, was called "Electronics - a boy from a suitcase."
In the same way, the Arthur Conan-Doyle cycle recommended for grades 9-11 was not called The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. That was the name of the film by Igor Maslennikov, and a collection of 12 stories by Conan Doyle, published in 1892, was simply called The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. All these oddities seem to tell us that it would not hurt the compilers of the lists to raise their own cultural level. Because, well, it would be a question of some kind of working discussion, but we still have before us an official document.
And also in the list proposed for the formation of the cultural foundation of the Russian person, there is no picture of Eldar Ryazanov “The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!”. “Flying over the cuckoo’s nest” and “Forrest Gump” are, but there’s no “Irony of Fate”!
There are neither the Twelve Chairs, nor the Golden Calf. In no form - neither in the literary, nor in the cinematic.
But that is not all. In the list, which should form the cultural code of the Russian person, there is no David Tukhmanov’s song “Victory Day”. Here it is not - and that’s it! Perhaps, of course, the compilers of the lists believe that the “Irony of Fate” and the “Victory Day” are already inscribed in our cultural code from birth. With mother’s milk, so to speak. But why this moment is not formalized is hard to say.
So for trying, as they say, thanks. But to consider the result obtained final so far, alas, does not work.
Keep working.
Ready to contribute.
The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.