Released in the fall of 2023, “The Boy’s Word” series became a significantly larger phenomenon than a simple crime action film. Society is faced with the question of how well it understands the dark events of its own past, where the freedom of the creator ends and the interests of the country begin, and also by what examples the younger generation should be educated.
These questions didn’t go away even after the initial fascination with the series wore off. IA Krasnaya Vesna decided to speak on the topic of youth education with Vice Rector of Foreign Affairs of the Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management (NSUEU), Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Psychology and Management Pedagogy Vladimir Nikolaevich Romashin.
IA Krasnaya Vesna: The topic of our conversation is the series “The Child’s Word” and its influence on the minds of adolescents. As a person who works professionally with young people, couldn’t I ignore this phenomenon?
Vladimir Romashin: Youth is my path, I work with young people. Firstly, I teach with them, and secondly, I am a candidate of pedagogical sciences, and this is directly my professional field.
I won’t say that I watched the series from the first to the last minute, but I have an idea, I know the opinions and assessments of different people. We discuss individual episodes with colleagues. I am simply a man of that time and I practically lived in that time. In the 80s I grew up in Samara, at that time the city of Kuibyshev on the Volga, near Kazan. What they show there in Kazan, I witnessed with my own eyes at the same time in the city of Kuibyshev, now the city of Samara.
IA Krasnaya Vesna: Like any complex phenomenon, this series has different manifestations: cultural, educational, historical. If you focus specifically on the educational aspect, how do you assess the impact on the minds of young people?
Vladimir Romashin: It is not a simple question, because you tried to connect several aspects in it. Yes, historically such events existed in our life, in the development of our country. Yes, there were youth groups, and turning a blind eye and saying this didn’t happen is wrong. On the other hand, it is not advisable to publish it as it was shown.
The role of cinema remains important. Of course, someone under the influence of this film could well have formed some kind of incorrect understanding of life situations, behavior in these life situations. I don’t want to seem hypocritical, but even the respected Mr. Nikita Mikhalkov said in his program that this film does not aim at cruelty. I don’t agree with him, although he is a director and an honored cultural figure, that is not the case. The film really creates a cult of violence. And I think this should not be done.
Now the moment is quite difficult: we have gone from a time of uncertainty to a time of anxiety, I would like to say that there is enough anxiety already. The foreign policy situation, this tension affects society, and suddenly another movie appears. Of course, it will sit well in our minds when we are all excited. You can perceive this film as historical. Yes, there was such an episode, something to brag about? Yes, you can’t cross it out. Not only was it in Kazan, but this was happening all over the Soviet Union at that time. There are some things, even in history, that are best left unremembered. There’s no point in forgetting, but there’s no point in remembering either.
You see, the propaganda of this way of life, this cult of violence, is easily accepted. We are quick to side with the strong man. This probably even occurred to a certain extent in the evolution of development, in the formation of man as a species. Since it is difficult to survive alone, some kind of herd was always needed, because we are small creatures, not dinosaurs, and we do not have huge fangs or strong legs to withstand this hostile environment. Therefore, we huddled together in packs (groups according to the movie) and tried to survive.
Why is this of interest? Because this is how teenagers try to present themselves, define themselves and understand their importance in society. How to do it? The easiest way is to form a gang and consequently use violence to pave the way to the future. This is a road to nowhere. Even if you now go to the cemeteries of Novosibirsk, you can surely find an alley of these “brothers”, “boys” who, young, in the fullness of their strength, have gone to another world. And not of my own will. As a result of criminal disputes or an unhealthy lifestyle, including. Because in addition to the cult of violence, there are many scenes with alcohol, there are even scenes with drugs.
IA Krasnaya Vesna: How should the State react to such images? You cannot simply say “the artist is free to create what he wants,” because he has a very strong influence on society, in its most vulnerable part.
Vladimir Romashin: And we are left with only “The Boy’s Word”, a film that negatively affects the mind and intelligence of the younger generation? I can name a dozen more movies. The whole situation here is that we have no censorship. Maybe she is not needed? Of course, I would like to say that society itself should determine what is appropriate, what is valuable and establish some norms, but this does not happen. Everything is in the hands of the consumer himself.
When the movie “Fantômas” was released, many cases appeared in which people put stockings on their heads and committed robberies, imitating this situation. Often it was not even robberies or robberies, but at the front doors they scared people with ghosts. You smile, but it’s not funny, but what if a person has a weak psyche or poor health? It could cause death. I think there were episodes like that in life.
There must be some kind of morality and position in society itself. Now it’s coming back. For two generations, the 1990s and 2000s, we had no morality. She was absent. This void is being filled. Now, it seems to me, some moral principles are beginning to emerge, links that allow a person to be formed. Voluntary and patriotic movements little by little make the person understand what a value is, what good is, what evil is, what a person, as a rational being, needs to possess. But this film is aimed at an audience that has not matured. These are not even schoolchildren, but freshmen, school graduates. To what extent do they now have a solid foundation that was established for them by school, parents, society and the environment? Hard to say. I think this base is not very strong, but really weak.
If we talk about those events related to the Northern Military District, it is worth recognizing that society has been divided. A large number of people have left, others, on the contrary, are there fulfilling their civic duty. Therefore, there will be those who will understand this film correctly. There will be those who will misunderstand this film. The film is to a certain extent a provocation. Even I would say that it is not a provocation, but a challenge to society.
Attempts to shake and shake society have happened and are happening. Of course, I am not against freedoms; They should be present. I don’t want total control, that’s not good. It is difficult for a person to develop in such conditions. But forming some kind of moral position is, of course, a task of the state, it is important. If this position is not available, another position will fill it. And we have already seen this when we quickly went from socialism to capitalism, destroying all the foundations, but without having time to form even the correct rules of the game. That’s why these handsome ’90s came from here and everyone survived as best they could.
Now the State is paying attention to this. Disciplines are appearing that, both in the school curriculum and in the university curriculum, aim to strengthen the moral core of a person, a citizen. The concept is great: to give the young man a clear understanding of the history and the state, the nation of which he considers himself a member. But it is important how they are taught, what the teacher says. We ourselves are, in many ways, a product of the changes that have taken place in society.
IA Krasnaya Vesna: What advice would you give to parents concerned about the influence of cinema on their children’s minds?
Vladimir Romashin: A parent should be aware of the responsibility that a movie can play in their child’s life. The psyche of young people works a little differently. They make decisions faster. The longer a person lives, the more he begins to reason. An adolescent has few things that weigh him down related to life experience and attitudes.
He, upon seeing some episode of life, quickly makes a decision, just as he saw it in the movie. He hit and I will hit. Blow: caused some kind of injury, who will be to blame, who will regret it? I would evaluate the responsibility, I would limit it, or you would look with him and make some of your own value judgments, but not from the position: “look how you should act, you were offended, give it.” Masculinity is taught differently.
Source: Rossa Primavera
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.