In modern Russia there are around 20-30 TV channels, but the most important to any Russian middle aged person is “Channel 1” or “The First Channel”. This channel has the most wide coverage area and is being watched regularly by the majority of the population in Russia. I think that every citizen of Russia who owns TV-set watches “Channel 1” from time to time.

So a few days ago there was a “Fields Medal” event, and Russian genius, Dr. Gregory Perelman, the bright mathematician who solved the “Poincare Conjecture” refused his award. It’s a well known story now, being discussed a lot. What is interesting – Mr. Perelman has left St. Petersburg where he lived and worked, and nobody knows where is he. And even the national media number one, “The First Channel” could not find him for an interview. They had to have him in the night news regarding his unclaimed Fields Medal and another 1 million dollar prize – but nobody managed to find him. So they decided to take a picture of the professor from the source known for anybody now, from Internet. They dug a little and got Associated Press image that was shown on different other medias. But editors in “Channel 1” decided that the exterior of the genius is not cool, they couldn’t imagine they would broadcast somebody with a brilliant mind and not wearing a tie and a suit. That are the traces of the Soviet thinking, for many years people were kept very strict and nothing changed now. Look what they have done:

Could we call this a democracy, when a roughly photoshopped image is being broadcasted to 140,000,000 citizens of the country even without any mentioning about the changes being made?

That’s really sad. But there is also a good side. This event hasn’t passed unnoticed. People of the internet, I guess the most free part of the modern Russian society noticed this. Their protest is being now released in “Changed the cloths of Gregory Perelman” photoshop contest. How else free people of un-free country can express their irony?

Timofej

P.S. Some people find my English not right sometimes. I understand that some of my articles might sound in such way due to English not being a native language for me. I wonder if someone would like to make some sort of editing sometimes to my articles or articles of other authors on this blog. Just let me know by a contact form with att:Timofej. Thanks.