Hate on social media, the war has changed us — but that is not certain. How to live next door to a monster?

Yevhen Golovakha in Mykola Veresen's programme

In the programme «Analyse» on the video platform «YouTube», the well-known television journalist Mykola Veresen has published his interview with Yevhen Golovakha. The renowned interviewer introduced his guest as a Ukrainian psychologist, sociologist and public figure, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences, Professor and Director of the Institute of Sociology of the NAS of Ukraine. And he began with an unexpected question: “What, in his guest's view, is the percentage of idiots in our society?”

An experienced guest, however, was not so easily shocked, even by such an extravagant opening. Clearly separating the medical and the social-political aspects of such a term and phenomenon, Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine Golovakha moved the question into an academic context, analysing people who do not entirely adequately understand any given situation and who are, intellectually and in social and political terms, not altogether lucid. The number of such people, in the sociologist's view, grows in societies that are degrading because of underdevelopment or the suppression of rights, freedoms and justice.

Despite all our problems, Ukraine, as the professor stressed, cannot be counted among such societies, since our country has a largely sufficient level of freedom and justice and, most importantly, continues to develop them, seeking new ways to do so and caring about citizens' rights.

Historically, too, Ukrainians have always been marked by a striving for freedom and a struggle for their rights. The surveys our Institute conducts,  Golovakha said, using the instrument of our colleague, deputy director S. Dembitskyi, Doctor of Sociological Sciences, revealed three models of justice characteristic of most of our citizens – the utilitarian, the meritocratic and the matrimonial. The meritocratic — by merit — predominates. Most respondents now believe that our society is sufficiently just and developed. So we look to the future with restrained optimism.

The journalist asked whether pro-Russian and pro-Soviet attitudes, and certain motives of envy towards rich, well-off compatriots, would be minimised. The sociologist noted that such attitudes have long-standing traditions and deep roots. As our Institute's research shows, paternalistic attitudes prevailed in Ukraine until the middle of the 2010s, but of late attitudes towards the rich have become calmer.

Many servicemen are expected to enter government after the war. The journalist asked whether this would not bring some militaristic note into our politics. In reply Golovakha compared the experience of various countries in which the military came to power, in particular Israel, noting that the Ukrainian servicemen who come to power after the war will by no means necessarily be “hawks” or people with neuroses. Having lived through the horrors of war at the front, they may in fact hold positions of peacemaking and democracy and, of course, of securing the country's safety.

Drawing on the Institute's survey, its director pointed out that only 65% expressed optimism about the development of events this summer, which is 10% less than in the autumn of last year. People need positive news, and of late there has not been enough of it, and that has an effect.

As for the Russian Federation, Golovakha stressed that civil society there has effectively been destroyed as a phenomenon and as a social force; everything is decided by those who usurped power. The processes of that society's decomposition have been under way for a long time, and we see it. The world therefore watches this with alarm and considers what strategy to develop towards such a monster. An important question is the problem of the so-called “good Russians”, since we must anticipate with whom we are to build relations in the future, for Russia will not cease to be our neighbour and it matters which forces come to power there in the post-Putin period.

The interview repeatedly referred to the findings of the Institute of Sociology of the NAS of Ukraine headed by Professor Golovakha, which matters for popularising the academic institute and informing the public.

Watch the video on YouTube