Tatsiana Vadalazhskaja: Visits abroad to the EU countries changes lifestyle of Belarusans

When Belarusan citizens are travelling to the countries of the European Union it can promote change in their mentality. However, one can’t expect immediate growth of prodemocracy sentiment.

 This opinion in the talk with the EuroBelarus Information Service shared Tatsiana Vadalazhskaja, the expert of the Humanitarian Techniques Agency, candidate of social sciences.

Tatsiana Vadalazhskaja assumes that “when going to Europe, people get involved in other type of relationship and after that transfer their experience to Belarus and look at the events differently; they adopt different lifestyle and different standards”.

“I think that this is working. But not in the way that our country advanced democracy shortly after the number of people that visited Europe increased”.

This is not only about visas

The expert emphasized the fact that visits to Europe rather influence the way of thinking and the way of life. “But whether it will cause any democratic processes or not depends on some extra conditions. For instance, when people adopt new standards in Europe with a future possibility to come there to study or work they are most likely to do that. Especially if nothing keeps them in Belarus. I believe that such kind of migration is already happening in Belarus”, – supposed the expert.

This is why we cannot count on the appearance of some principally new society with the increase of granted visas, the expert is sure.

Besides, the effect of such trip to the EU shows itself rather slowly. “And, for instance, the research of the IISEPS done by Aleh Manaeu shows the growth of pro-European moods alongside with the discontent with what happens in the country, - noticed Tatsiana Vadalazhskaja. – And if we advance into the essence of this research it becomes clear that this discontent is caused by the state of economy, not the political situation in the country. However, no one is willing to change it”.

“Well-off Europe” as an alternative to Soviet ideology

Still, can shopping tours to Poland or Lithuania sufficiently change the outlook of Belarusans and cultivate ideas of freedom and democracy in them?

“If we consider replacement of one political system for the other, this replacement undergoes several crises, - recalled the candidate of social sciences. – Ideological, political and economic crises are the ones most frequently discussed. But the last of all the crises to overcome is the crisis of lifestyle, when people start changing their lives”.

It is these simple things, such as choice of products and prices in foreign stores, that play bigger role then they seem to at first sight.

As Tatsiana Vadalazhskaja noted, a certain set of products that people buy, as well as their quality in this way or another form daily routine of common people. And it can become the basis for the change in other spheres – economic, ideological and political.

To a certain degree, assumes Tatsiana Vadalazhskaja, the case of USSR collapse can serve as an example, when “the acknowledgement of free and abundant in consumer goods Europe furthered the denial of Soviet ideology and politics”.