Svitlana Aleksievych: Victimhood is a dangerous mindset

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Highlights from an interview conducted by hromadske.tv with Svitlana Aleksievych, Belarusian investigative journalist and non-fiction prose writer, who awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature.

There are various kinds of freedom. Our parent’s generation sought to be free of fear; young people today are seeking individual freedom. Freedom in a democratic society means that the fundamental freedoms are respected, that politics is characterized by the principles of political equality. These are the prerequisites for any other kind of freedom to be considered.

Victimhood is a dangerous mindset. Ukraine must not fall into that state of mind. Although I must say that Ukraine is a victim in this current situation – a gigantic country has invaded and attacked Ukraine. And I am amazed that among the people of Ukraine I do not see blind hatred towards Russia.

What Russian TV journalists are doing is criminal. The claim that they are merely presenting an alternative point of view is ludicrous. The role of the media is to inform the public: to explain the what, and the why – and then, present options and dilemmas about what can or cannot be done about it.

EMPR

O. R. contributed to this publication

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Tags: EMPR