Ihar Babkou: In conflict situations it is better to throw away a TV set

The philosopher gives advice to all Belarusan families who are arguing because of the situation in Ukraine: they should get rid of TV and think for themselves.

EuroBelarus Information Service discussed the causes of hot disputes about the situation in Crimea in Belarusan families with Ihar Babkou, the philosopher and writer.

- Why can the events in the neighboring country divide our society into two camps?

- I’m hoping that those who watch television are in one camp and those who think for themselves are in the other. Unfortunately, over the last decades strong infrastructure aimed at influencing the minds of people has been developed. It happens through TV-channels as well as through new media, which are openly view themselves as the instruments of state rather than independent information sources.

Someone managed to escape these instruments, and someone did not. And we should try to remove the latter from “fire” of these new media, not fight with them.

- How can we do that?

- There is no universal solution. If we are speaking about Belarusan families, in conflict situations it is better to throw away a TV set.

- Parents are not dumber than their children; why do they believe the Russian-TV propaganda?

- These people are a mystery for me.

- What prevents an Internet-user from reading Ukrainian information sources?

- It would be very interesting to analyze the bilateral influence these information flows are exerting on the minds of people. All adequate people understand that Ukrainians fight for freedom against total corruption and so on.

Some have decided to grab a piece of Ukraine in this chaos, which is a faux pas.

- What do you think, who supports Putin and why?

- So far, I haven’t met anyone among my relatives and friends who would stick to Kremlin’s position. And I want to believe that the vast majority of Belarusans support Ukrainians, too.