March 14, 2012 in the auditorium 81 of the Faculty of History of KSU. Nekrasov held a discussion on the topic: "Youth in the information society" among students of institutions of higher and secondary vocational education. The discussion was organized by the Youth Public Chamber at the Kostroma Regional Duma. This discussion became analogous to the parliamentary hearings held in the State Duma in 2010.

The 21st century is often referred to as the information age. Scientific and technological progress is steadily moving forward, creating new information technologies and means of communication every day. On the one hand, such a situation, these are new ways of development for the country, including for young people - this is how unique opportunities for self-education appeared, and the education system itself became more efficient, new technologies make it possible to reduce the time it takes to search for information, to find unique information without leaving home, and offer a number of other benefits. The advantages of information technology include the possibility of free communication among people who are in a particular risk group.

However, there is also a reverse side of the coin. "In today's youth culture, which is developing under the strong influence of globalization and informatization, one can observe a tendency to abandon complex cultural information in favor of simpler and lighter, superficial and entertaining." This conclusion is supported by empirical studies. The Public Youth Chamber at the Kostroma Regional Duma conducted a social survey on the topic: "Youth in the Information Society".

During the study, respondents were asked about their interests and the most popular topics for discussion. The results showed that the most interesting topics for discussion for young people are films, sports, future careers and politics. The smallest percentage was scored by the topics of study and new books. Thus, it can be seen that the structure of the interests of modern youth is formed primarily under the influence of mass culture and the media.

Another question was asked in order to specify the sources from which the respondents receive the most important and useful information. The answers clearly show that the priority sources of interesting and useful information for young people are the Internet and television. The book as a source of relevant and useful information is significant for no more than 1/4 of the respondents.

It is known that screen and book heroes often serve as idols and role models for young people. In the study, members of the Public Youth Chamber tried to find out where young people get their role models from. Participants in a social survey were asked to name their favorite films and programs. The results showed that the greatest interest in the youth environment is caused by the film, mainly of the comedy genre, in second place in terms of interest in viewing is the news.

The social survey confirmed that the mass media and information received from often unreliable sources play a huge role in shaping the worldview of young people.

In this regard, the organized discussion on the topic: “Youth in the Information Society” aims to teach young people, and mainly students, to work with information, to distinguish between the degree of its reliability and importance, and to analyze. The motto of the discussion was the statement of the modern thinker A.A. Zinoviev: "Think, think and think again." Questions were raised during the discussion: How to analyze information correctly? What are the sources of information? What information is considered negative?

In addition, in preparation for the discussion, members of the Public Youth Chamber carried out monitoring of legislation in the field of information. The participants in the discussion were presented with a list of bills that can protect against the impact of negative information, as well as protect information that is intellectual property. This list included:

1. Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1447 r dated 10/18/2007;

2. Art. 13 of the Federal Law No. 114 "On counteracting extremist activity" dated July 25, 2002;

3. Federal Law No. 436 “On the protection of children from information harmful to their health and development” of December 29, 2010;

4. Art. 14 of Federal Law No. 124 “On Basic Guarantees of the Rights of the Child in the Russian Federation” dated 07/24/1998;

5. Federal Law No. 3266-1 "On Education" dated 10.07.1992;

7. Federal Law No. 149 “On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection” dated July 27, 2006;

8. Law No. 29 "On the guarantee rights of the child" dated 11/11/1998;

9. Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1815-r “On the State Program of the Russian Federation “Information Society (2011-2020)” of October 20, 2010;

10. Decree of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation No. 843-III of the State Duma "On State Policy in the Field of Television Broadcasting and Radio Broadcasting" of November 24, 2000

At the end of the discussion, the participants decided:

1. Develop memos with hotline numbers of departments exercising control over information security;

2. Make the list of bills in the field of protection against negative information and protection of intellectual property publicly available;

3. Consider the option of creating a youth information portal.

Modern science considers youth as a socio-demographic group of society, singled out on the basis of a combination of social status, socio-psychological properties, which are determined by the level of socio-economic, cultural development, the conditions of socialization in society. Youth usually refers to people aged 16-30 years. This is the generation that is going through the stage of socialization, assimilating (and at a more mature age, has already mastered) educational, professional, cultural and other social functions. A relatively more homogeneous part of the youth, both in terms of age and social characteristics, is represented by students in secondary educational institutions and students whose main activity is studying and preparing for a future working life. The socialization of young people is characterized by a large role of educational influence. Therefore, in almost any society, socialization has a pronounced educational character. The refusal of society from the purposeful implementation of the educational function leads to the deformation of socialization, the dominance of the adaptation process in it, i.e. adaptation to the social environment. This trend is especially dangerous for the socialization of young people in a transitional type of society, characterized by the loss of clear social guidelines and norms. One of the most important aspects of the socialization of the individual is political socialization. It exists in all modern societies. Under political socialization is understood the totality of those forms of activity, as a result of which an individual or group assimilates political culture, becoming a political subject. At the same time, the political socialization of young people, in particular modern Russian youth, has its own trends and characteristics. The attitude of today's youth towards the authorities in Russia is neutral. The younger generation treats politics and power as an objective reality that does not cause either enthusiasm or sharp negative emotions. This gives grounds to talk about the apolitical nature of Russian youth. This position has a negative connotation. If in a stable society the priorities of private life are natural and natural, then in a situation of a systemic crisis, the social indifference of young people is fraught with irreversible consequences for the future of the country. No less dangerous is the excessive politicization of certain groups of young people, who are acquiring the features of political and national extremism. According to a sociological survey conducted among high school students in St. Petersburg schools, "participation in political life" took the last place (6.7% of the respondents). Only 16.7% of respondents are interested in politics. The political apathy of young people can be explained by the fact that the reforms being implemented in Russia have hit the youth hardest, and also by the fact that in recent years there has been no meaningful policy towards young people as an independent socio-demographic group. As a result, a total alienation of young people from power is being formed, which can develop into an active rejection of it. On the other hand, a certain part of the youth fit into the new conditions of life, and their non-participation in politics is due to the fact that they do not see the need to radically change anything in the existing way of life and find more promising ways of self-realization. However, a more detailed analysis of the data obtained does not give grounds for an unambiguous conclusion about the political apathy of young people. They testify that the apathy of the youth is not universal. More than half (52%) of young Russians follow the events taking place in the country, 18% constantly read newspapers. In addition, the results of the study show that as they grow older, accumulate social and life experience, interest in politics grows. Thus, at the age of 24-26, twice as many young people are closely following politics than those under the age of 20. Interest in politics is also increasing in connection with the increase in the level of education. Particularly increased interest in politics is shown by certain socio-professional groups. First of all, these are young military men, entrepreneurs, representatives of the humanitarian intelligentsia. And the lack of such interest is typical for young workers, trade workers, villagers and, oddly enough, students. The deterioration of the situation in the country in the late 1990s. led to the fact that the vast majority of institutions "of power completely lost their authority in the eyes of both the entire population as a whole and young people. At present, in the minds of young people, there is mainly a negative view of the current state of Russia and its future. Only 8.8 % of young people believe that Russia will become an economically developed country in the next 5-10 years, 12.6% - that it will become a democratic state.At the same time, young people have not yet decided which political system they would like The formation of an opinion about politics as a sphere alien and far from the interests of young people is largely facilitated by ideas about the low professional and moral qualities of those who are in power today. However, this opinion is not evidence of a generation gap. The majority of young people just believe that a new young nomenklatura is now in power, which has money, but little political experience to manage the regions and the country as a whole. One of the fundamental issues that have been discussed more and more actively in recent years is the question of the possibility of radicalization of today's youth. Moreover, those who are ready for active methods of protest are not only poor elements, but also a significant part of those who consider their financial situation today to be quite prosperous. That is, under certain conditions, even that part of the youth who already “have something to lose” can resort to radical methods of defending their own interests. Nevertheless, even with a worsening standard of living, the likelihood of a sharp radicalization of a significant part of young people is relatively small, primarily because of their extremely low level of self-organization. However, this does not mean that the entry into the life of the current and especially the next generation of young people will occur without conflict. Increasing requirements for education and qualifications, a noticeable decrease in demand for labor in the field of finance, business, trade, i.е. in those areas that the vast majority of young people prefer, is already beginning to affect, causing young people to worry about their future. In moments of serious upheavals and fractures that periodically arise in the development of any society, changes in values, living standards, vagueness of life prospects and exacerbation of social contradictions, extremism poses a special danger to society. The dissatisfaction of young people with the living conditions in the country leads to the fact that many dream of going abroad. For another part of the youth, which does not have such a perspective, negativism in relation to the current situation gives rise to the desire to change their lives by any means, including extreme ones. Youth extremism as a phenomenon of our life, expressed in disregard for the rules and norms of behavior in society or in their denial, can be viewed from different positions. It can be associated both with changes in the political and economic state of society, and with the radical break that has taken shape over the centuries and consecrated by culture, patterns of behavior. In the second case, we can say that modern youth extremism in Russia is a reflection of a sharp transition from one type of culture to another. The change of cultural epochs entails a change in the norms of behavior. In the current situation, young people are well aware of the discrepancy between the cultural norms imposed on them and real life, and at the same time refuse to understand and accept the entire traditional culture. This conflict can manifest itself both on a conscious and behavioral level. Extremism is often identified with fascism, chauvinism, and radicalism. In reality, all these phenomena are only parts of a broader phenomenon of political extremism. Signs of political extremism are defined in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. These are public calls for a violent seizure of power, the commission of actions aimed at the violent seizure of power, the organization of an armed rebellion, an encroachment on the life of a statesman or public figure. However, pure political extremism is rare. Compared with the extremism of the older generations, youth political extremism has some significant differences. It is less organized, spontaneous and does not have a serious ideological basis. Young extremists are not inclined to compromise, while the vast majority of their older "colleagues" in the event of a critical situation may partially change their political position and negotiate with a stronger opponent. As a rule, young extremists do not yet have enough experience to carry out their actions, so many of their actions turn out to be ineffective and fruitless. But the actions of young extremists themselves are more active, cruel and resolute than those of older and more experienced ones. In part, this can be explained by the fact that, due to their age, young people are less likely than adults to be afraid of prison, death, physical injury, so they are ready for the most risky actions. Their lack of fear of danger is reinforced by a sense of impunity. In addition, many young extremists appear to be impossible to prosecute due to their young age. Usually young extremists tend to group around some well-known extremist organization (association). Moreover, at first a young person who came to an organization of this kind may not be an extremist; he becomes it in the process of participation in the activities of such an organization and the gradual assimilation of its ideology. At the moment, there are parties and organizations in Russia that fall under the definition of extremism. In terms of their ideological orientation, such extremist associations are of both right, left, and religious persuasion, and in each of them there is a certain group of young people who are striving with all their might to promote the activities of such an association. There are a number of reasons and factors that give rise to youth political extremism. The first of the factors influencing the development and formation of youth political extremism is modern living conditions, which have deteriorated significantly over the past few years. In Russia there are a huge number of young people who are not included in the number of those who succeed. They are horrified to realize that they are doomed to vegetate, no one needs them, they will live much worse than their parents, and that the uncertainty of the situation that exists in the country at the moment will last for a long time, which means they have no future. This forces one to look for some way out, gives rise to discontent, pushes one to revolt, to oppose the existing state system, power and society, i.e. directly to opposition-minded organizations. Among these organizations, the most attractive to young people are far-right and far-left extremist organizations that give a sense of risk, romance, the possibility of active action and do not emphasize the moral qualities and mental abilities of a young person. An insignificant part of the youth joins the ranks of officially recognized opposition organizations, mostly left. But only a few can stay there, since in these organizations there is discipline and clear, firmly observed moral principles and ideals. Another reason that influenced the surge of youth extremism, primarily of the right-wing radical and fascist persuasion, was the war in Chechnya. It caused colossal damage to the national policy in Russia, gave rise to the idea of ​​Caucasians as enemies of the Russian people, the Orthodox faith, as Islamist fanatics who use the most extreme measures to spread their faith. The youth thus "found the enemy." Another factor that exacerbated extreme nationalist sentiments among the youth of Russia is the intensification of migration processes associated with the resettlement of large groups of people, primarily from the regions of the Caucasus and Central Asia. Unemployment, especially among young people, has become a consequence of an unprecedented recession and crisis in all industries in Russia. Therefore, the influx of migrants exacerbates this problem even more. In addition, some of the visitors began to engage in criminal activities. Ethnic criminal groups are being created that are engaged in theft, robbery, violence, murder, mainly against the indigenous Russian population, often leaving local criminal groups far behind in the cruelty and scale of their actions. Finally, insufficient attention of the state to youth problems of leisure, cultural development and moral education also affects the emergence of youth extremism. Poor care for the leisure of young people, about useful pastime, the lack of free discos, creative clubs, sports clubs force young people to fill their leisure time on their own and often push them onto the path of hooliganism, vandalism and extremism. And extremist organizations are doing everything possible to attract as many young people and teenagers as possible into their ranks, using at the same time their desire to have fun, to fill their free time with something. Mass culture has had its influence on the development of the prerequisites for extremism among Russian youth. Its samples, copied from poor Western standards, bloody action movies and thrillers, as well as TV shows that cultivate cruelty and violence among young people, lead to the fact that a significant part of the youth, morally, spiritually and mentally crippled by mass culture, grows up aggressive, soulless and cruel. The current state of the youth subculture in Russia is characterized by the following features. This is the social alienation of modern Russian youth, which manifests itself most often in apathy, indifference to the life of society, figuratively speaking - in the position of an "outside observer". Intergenerational alienation is aggravated, including a wide range of rejection - from the destruction of intra-family contacts to opposing oneself to all previous generations. This opposition is especially evident at the level of cultural values ​​of youth - youth fashion, music, communication - different from parental values. It is at this level that the subculture of the younger generation acquires noticeable countercultural elements: leisure is perceived, especially by youth, as the main sphere of life, and the general satisfaction with the life of a young person depends on satisfaction with it. General education for a schoolchild and vocational education for a student fade into the background before the realization of economic (earning money) and leisure (it is interesting to spend free time) needs. But leisure often turns into "doing nothing", while the cognitive and creative functions of leisure are not realized. However, the youth subculture is a distorted mirror of the adult world of things, relationships and values. One cannot count on the effective cultural self-realization of the younger generation in a sick society, especially since the cultural level of other age and socio-demographic groups of the Russian population is also constantly declining. There is a tendency towards dehumanization and demoralization in the content of art, which is manifested in the growth of scenes of violence in cinema, theater, music, and television. All this is contrary to popular morality and has a negative impact on the youth audience. On-screen violence reinforces the criminalization of modern life, especially affecting children, teenagers and young people, who are the main audience of cinemas and video salons. As you know, crime among them continues to grow steadily. Russian youth has always been distinguished, on the one hand, by radicalism, and on the other, by a rational understanding of reality. In modern conditions, the process of socialization of the individual has become more complicated and lengthened, and, accordingly, the criteria for its social maturity have become different. They are determined not only by entry into an independent working life, but also by the completion of education, the acquisition of a profession, real political and civil rights, and material independence from parents. The action of these factors is non-simultaneous and ambiguous in different social groups, therefore, the assimilation of the system of social roles of adults by a young person turns out to be contradictory. He can be responsible and serious in one area and feel and behave like a teenager in another. An important role in the development of the social maturity of young people is played by the family, school, university. All of them perform an educational function, and it is at the present moment that the work of educating young people must be intensified. But it cannot be fruitful without the constant support of the state, which must create the necessary socio-economic and political conditions for the formation of a comprehensively developed and responsible personality and block the way for all manifestations of extremism. Questions and tasks 1. What is youth from the point of view of modern science? 2. What are the features of youth socialization? 3. What are the features of today's Russian youth? 4. What is the attitude of today's young people towards politics? 5. How do young people behave in the face of social change? What aspect of behavior do you like best? 6. How is youth extremism expressed? 7. What are the causes of youth extremism? 8. What role should the state play in shaping progressive youth in our country? 9. What are the features of the youth subculture? What are its positive and negative features? 10. Conduct a discussion on the topic "My attitude towards the problems of youth."

Modern Russia is a rather specific country in which there has been a sharp change in the main vector of development. It is no secret that most of all changes in the political and social fields affect those who have not yet had time to decide in life, in whom there is not yet a solid core laid down by upbringing and education, that is, the youngest.

The problems of modern youth are very different from those that their parents had at the same age. Moreover, they differ in all aspects - morally, socially and economically. The striking differences between their lives and the lives of the previous generation often made it impossible to have a constructive dialogue, and even more so the exchange of experience between generations - this experience is too different.

The moral problems of modern youth, according to psychologists, are due to two main difficulties: laziness and lack of purpose. Many parents, having themselves gone through the difficult times of lack of money and "initial accumulation of capital", strive to make sure that their child does not need anything. And they do it - the younger generation really does not need anything - neither money, nor family, nor love. By the end of school, most of them have everything they can dream of (this is especially true for children from megacities - it is more difficult to achieve financial well-being in the provinces), and they can only thoughtlessly Morality as such is of little interest to them - they have completely different things in their heads they just don't think about it. And the parents, who devoted their whole lives to making their child the best, realize with horror that they missed the main thing - they did not teach him to love, respect and appreciate friends, parents, relatives.

Modern youth are conditioned, first of all, by the fact that today's society sets one task for the guys - to have as much money as possible. But at the same time, everything that happens around teaches the younger generation only that money does not need to be earned - there are many other ways to get it, much easier and simpler. Therefore, in the eyes of young people who were significant for their ancestors, lose their value. School, education, family and even the state are worth nothing, because the meaning of life is not at all in them. Such problems of youth in modern society inevitably lead to the gradual degradation of the social and the loss of communication between generations and a primitive existence, devoid of a spiritual component.

The financial problems of today's youth are due to the lack of a clear state policy in this area. The level of scholarships and salaries for novice specialists today is such that there is no need to talk about any worthy existence. At the same time, subsequent employment seems to be very problematic due to the fact that higher education has long produced an overabundance of specialists, and there are no vacancies for them in their specialty. At the same time, in cities with a developed industry, there is a clear shortage of professionals in working specialties, but there are no young people who want to take these places.

Also, many problems of today's youth are caused by the information field in which they live. The Internet and television do not set themselves a new generation, their main goal is entertainment. Moreover, most of these entertainments are thoughtless and devoid of any meaning. This is another factor provoking degradation. In other words, the entire surrounding reality, under the influence of which a young personality is formed, influences it not constructively, but destructively, which leads to a number of problems and difficulties.

about the project

This is how briefly we call the network project of the International "Memorial", which has been carried out by a dozen and a half memorial organizations in different regions of Russia since 2007. The essence of the project lies in the creation of a public discussion space through the formation of civil educational platforms based on memorial organizations.

What was the basis for its occurrence? With the apparent diversity and cumulative multiplicity of intellectual forces capable of inducing the thinking public to a public discussion of certain topical general civil, social, political, economic, cultural problems, today in most regions there is often no space where these people could meet. This is connected not only and not so much with the lack of discussion platforms as such, but rather with the underdevelopment of the culture of “intersectoral” communication, with the habitual self-closure of public figures, scientists, politicians, journalists, and wide layers of professional humanitarian intelligentsia in their professional environments.

One of the main troubles of modern Russian society is that individual social groups in the regions, relying on democratic values ​​in their daily work, exist in completely different spheres, move independently of each other, without relying on each other in any way, and, accordingly, do not reinforcing each other.

Today, when the space of freedom and democracy in the country has narrowed, anti-Western rhetoric is returning, when the search for an external and internal enemy has become popular again, and history has again become a means of political struggle, the consolidation of thinking and socially active forces at the regional level is especially important.

Under these conditions, the Memorial society sees as one of its tasks the creation of "points of interaction", junctions between different social worlds, productive "exchange zones", in which the atmosphere of freedom and independence will be preserved and strengthened, coalitions of independent NGOs, democratically oriented political forces, free intellectuals, student groups. In addition, the systematic holding of public events by regional organizations - participants of the project, contributes to the involvement of active people who are outside civil institutions today in public activities.

The content basis of the project is the holding of public events, and their central link is discussions on topical issues that are of acute public interest. Taking into account the specifics of Memorial, part of the discussions often go under the sign “Lessons of the past - experience of the present”, that is, all the unique intellectual baggage accumulated by Memorial is used, connected with historical memory, with “building bridges” in the problem of human rights from the past to the present and from the present to the past. In addition to discussions, other events are also held: meetings, seminars, lectures, book presentations, film screenings, etc. These events are also largely debatable. "Memorial" attaches special importance to exhibitions on topical issues. Exhibitions are an extremely effective cause for discussion, they attract many people who have not traditionally been in the field of civic activists.

The events are most often held by Youth Memorial in partnership with other independent NGOs in close cooperation with various democratic institutions in the region. Moreover, in 2009 our organization went beyond it - events were held in Kirov, Yelabuga (Republic of Tatarstan).

Activities of the discussion project in 2009

In 2009, Youth Memorial, together with other public organizations, held several diverse events in Perm and the Perm Territory, reflecting the main tasks of the memorial discussion project - the inclusion of regional network organizations in the discussion of topical problems of our time at the local level, expanding the social base and increasing the popularity of Memorial ".

Below is information on some of their activities.

Discussion “Youth extremism: it is impossible to cure and fight”

On April 14, Perm State University, with the support of the Department of Political Science and the Perm Electoral Support Center, hosted a discussion titled “Youth Extremism: It Cannot Be Treated.” The discussion was moderated by an employee of the Youth "Memorial" - Sergey Ponomarev.
The discussion was attended by about 30 people, mostly students of political science, lawyers and teachers. They set as their main task the search for answers to the questions: What is meant by youth extremism? How realistic is it dangerous for modern Russia? Who are the young extremists? What should society do with them? Etc. During the discussion, the participants were shown two videos: a fragment from the film "American History X" and a photo report of the recent unrest in Moldova.
The conversation turned out to be difficult. The very concept of "extremism" has caused a lot of controversy. Some insisted on a legal definition, others meant by it any kind of political violence, others were ready to attribute almost everything to extremism, up to strikes and illegal crossing of the street.
One of the definitions we settled on is the following. Extremism means adherence to extreme, predominantly violent means to achieve goals. It is characterized by uncompromising, actions on the principle of "all or nothing."
Estimating the scale of the phenomenon has also proved to be a difficult task. Analytical information relating to youth extremism in Russia is either extremely scarce in the mainstream media or extremely biased. On the one hand, polls show that the majority of young Russians do not see a big problem in the existence of radical movements in the country. On the other hand, more and more people are ready to support radical nationalist slogans like "Russia is for the Russians!"
So, according to polls by the Levada Center, the number of those wishing to realize this slogan “within reasonable limits” increased from 31% in 1998 to 42% in 2008. The number of people who believe that it is high time to openly implement such an idea has been around 15% all these years. You can always argue about the methods and figures of statistics, but this will not cancel the problem itself. Extremism, alas, is the reality of our life, and various communities and groups are starting to resort to it more and more often: from young skinheads to pensioners, if we recall the monetization of benefits.
Another question is how does society feel about this? Part of the audience was inclined to consider youth extremism as a manifestation of youthful maximalism, a thirst for extreme sports. One of the main reasons for its occurrence was called the resentment that is present today among the youth, the difficulties of socialization, social stratification, the thirst to restore justice according to the type “it’s a shame for the state!”.
Other participants in the discussion were inclined to consider modern radical movements as a kind of normal phenomenon for any type of society, reflecting the difference in people's views and forms of achieving their goals. They called for a more serious attitude towards these organizations, their study, analysis and constructive opposition to the ideology of hatred, enmity and intolerance.
The participants were particularly excited by the question: “Under what conditions are you personally ready to become an extremist and take a cobblestone in your hands?”. Someone said that in case of extreme despair, a direct threat to life, or when there is nothing to feed the child. Others, on the contrary, convinced that it was precisely because of children that extreme measures should not be resorted to. Still others said that in general, under no circumstances should one resort to radical actions and that one can always reach an agreement. The fourth suggested that they try to sit down at the negotiating table with Hitler or a cannibal for this ...
It is unlikely that there can be a single correct answer, how to act, everyone chooses for themselves, depending on the situation. The past discussion achieved its main goal - to increase the interest of young people in this problem and the realization that one should try to avoid simple solutions in our very difficult time.

Discussion “Contemporary memories of the history of the 20th century: war or competition? Is dialogue possible?

From April 10 to April 14, 2009, 8 volunteers of the German organization Actions of Redemption - Service to the Cause of Peace (ASF in short) became guests of the Perm Youth Memorial. Such meetings in Perm have already become traditional. Participants in discussions and excursions are young people who are concerned about the issues of overcoming the totalitarian past in Russia and Germany, about the forms of preserving memory, teaching history, civic education, and developing volunteerism among the youth.
The idea of ​​holding a discussion belongs to the German side. ASF volunteers, who are currently undergoing a “voluntary social year” in public organizations in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Perm, Voronezh and Volgograd, are keenly interested in the history of our country. And especially the so-called Stalinist period (1930-1950s). They show no less interest in modern Russian society. How does it perceive its difficult history today? Have conclusions been drawn from the tragedies that have befallen him? How is memory stored?
The questions are very topical, given that in recent years in Russia there has been a clearer tendency towards the next revision of national history in the spirit of “heroic deeds and deeds”, justification of political repressions and sacrifices. We are witnessing the return of sovereign-patriotic terminology, myths about a “strong hand” and a good “Master”. In this regard, it is understandable why the idea of ​​holding such a meeting met with enthusiastic support in the Youth "Memorial".
On April 11, a joint excursion of Permians and Germans to the Memorial Museum of the History of Political Repressions "Perm-36" took place. She set the stage for a discussion that took place the next day, 12 April. The topic of the meeting was “Modern memories of the history of the 20th century: war or competition? Is dialogue possible? The formal reason for the discussion was the anniversary of the publication of the appeal of the International Society "Memorial" entitled "On the national images of the past (XX century and the "war of memory")". This document gave a brief analysis of the conflicts of national memories (collective images of the past) that exist today in Europe. Moreover, the conflicts associated with today's interpretations of the events of the 1930s-1950s, the heyday of totalitarian regimes in Germany and the USSR, are specifically mentioned.
The value of this document is also in the fact that in their appeal the memorialists also proposed a way to solve this difficult and extremely intricate problem - the way of an honest and impartial dialogue, a great all-European and all-human discussion.
But a year has passed since the release of the appeal. And so far, there is no adequate reaction and serious steps in this direction, both on the part of individual states and communities. What is it? Unwillingness to take on the burden of responsibility? The desire to preserve "heroic images" and the desire to "not get dirty"? Or is this proposal of the "Memorial" society premature? That generation of people has not yet passed away, the wounds have not healed yet ... Or maybe the world community will never be able to agree on what happened and how to relate to this story?
The vote preceding the discussion showed that the majority of Perm participants consider the most dominant (popular, widespread) assessment of the national history of the 20th century in our country to be heroic. At the same time, they themselves tend to evaluate it rather as a tragic story. German volunteers are not so categorical in their assessments, believing that German society has a very complex and contradictory attitude towards the history of the 20th century. At the same time, almost all participants in the discussion agreed that today there is a split in both German and Russian societies regarding the understanding and evaluation of the history of the last century.
The organizers of the meeting invited the participants to discuss the issues of differences in interpretations in the collective memory on a specific example, a historical event. The participants were divided into four small international groups of five or six people, tentatively into "Poles", "Russians", "Ukrainians" and "Germans". Each group discussed the issue of today's attitude to the events of September 17, 1939 (the attack of the USSR on Poland). In a short time, they must decide how today this people interprets this period of its history, what arguments are used and why. Shortly before the presentation of the results of the discussion in small groups, all participants in the discussion were also asked to find the most acceptable ways to reduce (or resolve) the conflict with the memory of this event among other peoples.
The task was not as simple as it seemed at first to young people. I had to become for a while a representative of another people, to look at things from a different perspective, to defend someone else's view, often different from my usual one.
As a result of the discussion, it turned out that there is much more negative attitude towards Russia, as the successor of the former USSR, than towards Germany, in whose society the awareness of the tragedy occurred long ago and at a deep level, and whose steps towards reconciliation are well known. The claims of the “Poles”, who perceive themselves exclusively as victims, boil down, first of all, to the fact that the “Russians” have not yet apologized for the crime committed in 1939 and in the subsequent period. This circumstance is aggravated today by the fact that "Russia continues to be closed to us and does not perceive us as partners." The last circumstance is a subject of resentment for “Ukrainians” as well. Disrespect for their independence and their own view of history leaves a significant imprint on the whole attitude towards Russia.
The opinion of today's "Russians" regarding this event is completely opposite: the attack on Poland on September 17 is regarded as an insignificant event, and the guilt is recognized exclusively by the Stalinist leadership of the USSR. Today's actualization of this issue in the media is seen, first of all, as the desire of the Polish side to use this tragedy for political purposes.
Further general discussion was built around proposals for resolving such national conflicts of memory. The Russian participants in the discussion see a way out of the impasse, first of all, through the improvement of the education system (joint international projects, the destruction of the stereotyped consciousness of Russians through historical teaching, the creation of new institutes for teacher training). In their opinion, enlightenment is possible only if the archives are opened and the field for discussions is expanded, especially in the media. For the German participants, personal communication between representatives of different peoples, the opportunity to discuss the problems of history and modernity at various levels and forms (Internet forums, new youth clubs) seems important.
Assessing the past discussion, it is worth noting the positive fact that all its participants, albeit in part, were able to overcome national complexes. For them, in the end, it was not so much the arguments justifying the actions or actions of a country THEN that were important, but the opportunity to listen, perceive, and meet a different point of view TODAY. Thus, young people proved for themselves that such a Dialogue is possible.

Presentation "Youth volunteer programs and projects in the Kama region: what, when and why?"

On April 28, 2009, as part of a civil expedition in the city of Chaikovsky, Perm Territory (the expedition is organized by several well-known public organizations, the lead organizer is the Perm Civil Chamber), Youth Memorial held two events aimed at attracting young people to discussion and participation in various forms of civic activity. In particular, a presentation was held for the youth audience, teachers, representatives of public organizations, journalists of the city of Tchaikovsky entitled “Youth volunteer programs and projects in the Kama region: what, when and why?”. The meeting was attended by a record number of people for such events - more than 80 people. The presenter was Robert Latypov. It was not only about the existing programs and projects of the Youth Memorial (primarily volunteers), but also about the problem of youth participation in civic activity in general. The speech was clearly a success, as it caused heated debates in the audience regarding the opportunities available for local youth for self-realization (there are both all-Russian and purely local problems here), as well as the fact that Memorial was established with new youth organizations. And two articles were published in the local press, which reflected this meeting and the subsequent discussion.

Discussion "Youth and politics: who dances whom?"

In the same place, in the Palace of Youth in Tchaikovsky, on April 28, a discussion took place “Youth and politics: who is dancing whom?”. Since the time difference between the events was solid, the audience that came was somewhat different. In addition to the youth leaders of student and school associations, journalists, the so-called “working youth”, as well as young parliamentarians, prevailed here. During the discussion, footage from the films "Election Day", "All the King's Men" and "Hipsters" was used. The meeting was attended by 32 people. The course of the discussion was somewhat similar to the discussion held by Robert Latypov and Sergey Ponomarev in the city of Berezniki on March 13, 2009, but it was noticeably livelier, more energetic, sharper.

Press conference before the performance "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich"

One of the most notable cultural events in the Perm Territory in 2009 was undoubtedly the premiere of Alexander Tchaikovsky's opera One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich based on the story by A. I. Solzhenitsyn. In itself, this event could not pass by the Perm "Memorial" - and so it was. Not only did the Perm Opera and Ballet Theater give out 100 free tickets for the premiere for members of Memorial (mostly former repressed people were the audience), but the theater held a joint press conference with Memorial with the presentation of an exhibition dedicated to the history of the Bolshoi Terror" 1937-1938 in the foyer of the theater. All this took place on the evening of June 10.
The press conference on the occasion of the premiere of the opera was attended by the chairman of the Perm regional branch of the Memorial society A. M. Kalikh, the co-chairman of the Youth Memorial, R. R. Latypov and the chief conductor of the orchestra A. A. Platonov. We were not able to trace all publications and stories on local television, but we know for sure about at least two stories about the opera itself (very flattering reviews) and a press conference. As for the exhibition, we used paper materials from the memorial exhibition "1937 - The Great Terror - 1938", as well as materials from the funds of the Perm "Memorial". The technical staff of the theater helped us in its creation. In total, more than 500 people were able to get acquainted with the materials of the exhibition.

Public lecture "Sakharov and Solzhenitsyn: together or apart?"

On June 16, 2009, within the framework of the series of Perm public lectures and debates held for the second year by the Perm Civil Chamber and the Center for Civic Analysis and Independent Research (GRANI Center), a public lecture by Alexander Mikhailovich Kalikh, Chairman Perm Regional Branch of the International Society "Memorial". The topic of the lecture and discussion on its motives is "Sakharov and Solzhenitsyn: together or apart?" It was revealed through consideration of the following questions: The opposition's eternal and irreconcilable dispute about the future of Russia: "Soilers" and "Westerners" - who is right? Or is the truth something else? Do Sakharov's and Solzhenitsyn's "lines" continue today? Who are the "pochvenniki" and "Westerners" in Russia and Perm today?
Alexander Mikhailovich offered the assembled public a retrospective analysis of the history of the relationship between Sakharov and Solzhenitsyn in the period 1960-1990, the fundamental disputes between the two thinkers and the evolution of their views. Through the analysis of individual, but the most striking documents (appeals to the authorities, memorandums, open letters, draft constitutions) written by Sakharov and Solzhenitsyn, Alexander Mikhailovich tried to show, on the one hand, the greatness and indisputable civic feat of each of them and, on the other hand, the profound difference in their understanding of reality and, consequently, in the views on its improvement. It was stated with bitterness that today the heritage of both thinkers and public figures is practically not studied, not used, and they themselves are practically forgotten. The subsequent two-hour discussion only proved the correctness of this thesis.
Among the audience (more than 40 people) were representatives of public organizations, politicians, officials, journalists, students and university professors.
You can read about the essence of the lecture in the article by Alexander Mikhailovich Kalikh “Subjectively about the Objective”.

Discussion "Forget the Gulag?"

The discussion was held on July 26 within the framework of the International Forum "Sawmill" on the basis of the Memorial Museum "Perm-36" (Kuchino village, Chusovsky district, Perm Territory). Considering the scale of the Sawmill and the venue, we hoped to attract a wide variety of participants to the discussion. Including ideological opponents. Unfortunately, our hopes were not justified, because by the time the discussion was held, the bulk of the Sawmill spectators had already begun to leave (it was the last day of the forum, just before it closed), and the site itself, assigned to us by the organizers of the forum - a volunteer town - was in away from the main and famous sites. However, the discussion still took place. And although it was attended mainly by "our" people, it turned out to be no less lively and instructive.
The main organizer and moderator of the meeting was Andrey Suslov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Head of the Department of National History of the Perm State Pedagogical University, Director of the Center for Civic Education and Human Rights. The participants of the meeting were volunteers of the youth shift "Changing the World" at the museum "Perm-36", students and teachers of PSPU (30 people in total). The conversation was focused on the topic of what prevents Russian society today from remembering state terror. Very quickly, the meeting participants came to the conclusion that one of the main brakes is not so much the state, but the missing "request" for such a memory from the society itself. The state, seeing this indifferent attitude of society, builds its policy in the sphere of national history in the spirit of its glorification and retouching of all the negative pages of the past. During the discussion, various possibilities were voiced to reverse this situation, to make the memory of the tragedy relevant and discussed. As one of such examples, a summer school was cited, which was to be held from July 27 to August 8 in the Perm Territory. It brought together German and Perm students who wanted to explore existing places of memory and museums dedicated to the theme of political repression in the USSR.
By the way. This project was successfully implemented by the Youth "Memorial" and the Institute for the Study of the History of Eastern Europe (Bremen, Germany). As a result of her work, a video film “What to do?” and a brochure with articles by school participants is being prepared for publication.
In conclusion, it must be said that although there were no separate publications on the discussion itself (the above-mentioned mistakes of the organizers affected), in general, the coverage of all Sawmill events today was at a decent level. Consequently, the information component of the discussion project was partly completed.

Presentation "Why is it profitable and interesting for me to be a volunteer?"

On October 7, 2009, as part of a civil expedition in the city of Kirov (similar expeditions are organized by several well-known Perm public organizations, the lead organizer is the Perm Civil Chamber), Youth Memorial held two events aimed at attracting young people to discussion and participation in various forms of civic activity. In particular, there was a presentation of the projects of the Perm Youth "Memorial" for the youth audience, teachers, representatives of public organizations, journalists of the Kirov region under the title "Why is it profitable and interesting for me to be a volunteer?"
A little over 30 people attended the meeting. The presenter was Robert Latypov. It was not only about the existing programs and projects of the Youth Memorial (primarily volunteers), but also about the problem of youth participation in civic activity in general. The speech was a clear success, as it caused heated debate in the audience regarding the opportunities available to local, Kirov youth for self-realization (there are both all-Russian and purely local problems here). The success also lies in the fact that the links between Memorial and new youth organizations were established.

Discussion “Youth and politics: are we really that far apart?”

In the same place, in the Regional Palace of Youth in Kirov, on October 7, a discussion took place “Youth and politics: are we so far from each other?”. Since the difference in time between the two events was solid, the audience that came was already different. In addition to youth leaders of student associations and journalists, young politicians (“Yabloko”), as well as members of the Youth Parliament of the Kirov Region, prevailed here. The meeting was attended by 18 people. The moderator of the discussion - Robert Latypov - offered the audience the following questions for discussion: Why is the older generation today more politically active than the youth? Does the low political activity of young people mean that they have no problems? Do the current elections in Russia give young people access to power? Do young people not want politics or are they not allowed into politics? Why do young people need democracy if they don't use it? Does the “potential of youth” really exist? If so, why is it not visible? What should the youth do to force the authorities to reckon with themselves? Prospects for self-realization of young people today - where and what are they?
The discussion, due to the relatively greater preparation of the audience, turned out to be lively and energetic. The discussion of local and regional problems, especially those relating to the relationship between youth and the state, aroused particular urgency. Some of the speakers (conditionally "pessimists") prefer to see young people as the most conservative and apolitical layer of Russian society, gravediggers of any civil initiative. They suggest that in the near future you should not count on young people as a serious ally in positive transformations in the country.
Others (“optimists”) believe that young people today, although they have few tools to influence the surrounding reality, still have potential. But it is important to “wake him up”: by direct appeals, delegation of powers and status (regional youth parliaments were cited as an example), direct support of the state in solving the problems of education, employment, and leisure.
An unexpected result of the discussion was the general agreement of the majority of the audience that today there are more myths around young people than an objective and adequate idea of ​​what they are, what worries them and where they would like to move. And that the state and society today actually treat it as a problem that, if the opportunity arises, it is better to forget.

Discussion “Civil Society: Who Needs It in Russia?”

A discussion under this title took place on October 25 at the Palace of Youth in the city of Berezniki, Perm Territory, as part of the training seminar "Creative Volunteer Workshops". Such seminars are regularly held by Youth "Memorial" for activists of youth volunteer organizations. The 23 participants of the meeting were invited to reflect on the following questions: How is the interaction between government and society taking place today? Are civil organizations a "third" power in Russia? What hinders and what helps young people today to show their civic activity?
The discussion did not quite turn out, due to the age of most of the participants and little experience in participating in such events. However, the very fact of actualization of the problems of local youth justifies our efforts. Not to mention the fact that for all participants, Memorial has ceased to be associated with an organization that deals exclusively with the past, and exclusively negative.

The discussion on October 27 turned out to be in many respects similar to the event in Berezniki. The meeting was also held as part of the training seminar "Creative Workshops of a Volunteer". Only this time, the Youth Information and Resource Center of Tchaikovsky became its platform, and more active audience gathered - 35 people, leaders and activists of public organizations and municipal institutions for working with youth. Participants were asked the following questions to discuss: What do we want but don't have? (analysis of the situation with youth activity), Volunteering today - is it the way to Success? Is the youth a reformer or a gravedigger of civic initiatives?
The discussion was lively. The conversation quickly turned to an analysis of the progress made in attracting young people to various forms of civic engagement. A big controversy arose around the concept of "state youth policy". Is it a myth, an imitation or a combination of real actions and forms of support from the state? Oddly enough, but the first turned out to be closer to the majority of participants (note that these are mostly “municipals”). In their opinion, today you can only rely on yourself and local resources.

Round table "Civil Society in Russia: Who Needs It?"

On December 25-26, 2009, the Youth "Memorial" held regular off-site "Creative Workshops of a Volunteer". This time, the city of Yelabuga (Republic of Tatarstan) became the venue for them on the basis of the “Practical Academy of Social Management” project. The goal of the academy is to involve Yelabuga youth in socially active activities and to train leaders of youth public organizations. The workshops were traditionally hosted by Robert Latypov and Sergey Ponomarev, who held a series of educational events. It is worth noting that these were already the tenth visiting "Creative Workshops" in the outgoing year, a kind of record for our organization. At them, we try to organically introduce discussion events that reflect the goals of the general memorial project.
On the first day, on January 25, the presentation of the Youth Memorial projects and the round table “Civil Society in Russia: Who Needs It?” took place. The discussion at the round table turned out to be quite frank and multifaceted. Various aspects of civil society were touched upon, the main players in this field were discussed, and the contribution of volunteer organizations to the development of humanitarian values ​​in Russia was evaluated. Elabuga residents were especially interested in the critical attitude of Permians to the authorities and the state in Russia. It would seem that, according to the residents of Yelabuga, it is impossible today to overcome centuries-old traditions, established stereotypes and practices in Russian society - but no, for Perm people, you can look at everything differently. For example, from the point of view of a simple consumer. Why does the state not do what it promised? Why do we not control the actions of the state and its institutions? Is our state so strong? Maybe he needs to be helped not only by our calmness and indifference of the layman, but by real actions, advice, and sometimes pressure?
It cannot be said that all questions have been answered. It probably shouldn't have been expected in the first place. However, the fact that the very posing of these questions caused at least indifferent reflection and disputes can be regarded as a success.

Discussion “What story do I want to remember?”

The workshops ended on December 26 with a discussion on the problems of historical memory: “What story do I want to remember?”. It is worth mentioning especially about it, since serious differences were revealed between the worldviews of the representatives of Yelabuga and Perm. According to the memorialists, modern history is more than ever full of myths, the danger of which lies not even in the fact that they give a distorted view of the past, but in the fact that they actually deprive Russians of the opportunity to pose difficult questions and seek answers to them. The myths of Russian history (about the Great Empire of the USSR, about the effective manager Stalin, about the Great Victory, and others) give such answers right away, you don’t even have to think about the price of these victories and their consequences ... But what for Permians seemed already self-evident, More than once spoken and in many respects even banal, it turned out to be unexpected and explosive for the people of Elabuga. According to the organizers of the workshops, the public was simply not prepared for such a frank dialogue, which, perhaps, should have been approached gradually.
The more you perform at different venues, the more you understand that in each region, in each city, there is a special specificity that needs to be taken into account. Russia is an amazing country in the sense that each region is like a separate state, with its own political regime and culture. Plus, the difference between the practices of a metropolis and a small town plays a role. Everything is different - a different attitude to power, to others. Not worse or better, just different. The province has its own questions and its own answers. Understandable and organic for her and so amazing for us.

Discussion “Volunteering in my city: are there any prospects?”

On January 25-26, 2010 similar field workshops took place in the city of Saransk (Republic of Mordovia). At that time, a republican school of volunteerism was held here. Its organizers, in addition to the Youth "Memorial", were the State Committee of the Republic of Mordovia for Youth Affairs, the Mordovian Republican Youth Center and the public organization "Association" Mercy ".
As part of the workshops and at the request of our Saransk colleagues, Robert Latypov and Sergey Ponomarev held a discussion “Volunteering in my city: are there any prospects?” The Mordovian Youth Republican Center became a platform for its holding. It gathered a large audience - 42 people, leaders and activists of public organizations and municipal institutions for working with youth. Participants were asked the following questions to discuss: What do we want but don't have? (analysis of the situation with youth activity), Volunteering today - is it the way to Success? Is the youth a reformer or a gravedigger of civic initiatives?
The discussion was lively. The main passions flared up around the volunteer's personal book being introduced by the state, which should reflect all the steps of a volunteer's life (see Robert Latypov's article “The Administrative Renaissance of Volunteerism” about this). Opinions were polar and the debate went on for a long time, whether it should be implemented or whether this initiative should be abandoned. But, in the end, the majority of the audience agreed that although the initiative of the state as a whole is positive, the very practice of its implementation suffers from ill-conceived, unprofessionalism in this area and contains great reputational risks for the entire institution of volunteering.

Instead of a conclusion

As can be seen from a brief acquaintance with the events of the project, the Youth "Memorial" is trying to organically combine several areas of its activity: historical and educational, educational, methodological (especially in the field of developing the volunteer movement) and the actual discussion project. In our opinion, this association contributes not only to educating citizens, consolidating independent NGOs, but also attracting new people to active civic activities. Not the last role is played by the task of strengthening and developing Memorial itself, and, consequently, the entire “memorial” network.
We see as one of our main tasks the activation in Perm, the Perm Territory and other neighboring regions of a significant layer of people who understand that modern society cannot be built on a statist monoidea, without the priority of democratic values, without the active participation of civil organizations, without the participation of active people who are ready at least morally to support the activities of non-governmental structures. Our other task is to destroy borders, partitions between the community of civil activists, intellectuals, politicians, students, journalists, and businessmen.

Good afternoon! Elvira Baryakina and the Writer's Handbook are with you.

Today we will talk about the "hot topics" that always cause discussions on the Internet.

It's no secret that in any society there are "pain points". They become painful because there are several polar opinions on this or that topic, and, having met with the opposite point of view, people begin to defend their vision of the situation. They want the world to be “like this” - convenient for them personally: otherwise an inevitable catastrophe will come.

So, let's see what these "hot topics" are:

Politics

Migrants, refugees, the national question.

One of the hot topics is migrants, refugees and the national question. Some believe that migrants should be welcomed, others that they should be expelled from the country. On one side of the scale - security, on the other - the lack of labor at affordable prices.

Progressives vs. conservatives

There are people who uphold the ideals of global peace, and people who are closer to more conservative values. Some call for reforms, others for a return to the roots. Everyone can be understood - everyone has their own comfort zone, but it is impossible to please everyone.

Great Power vs. "We're bad"

Some people say that “We are already the coolest and have won everyone”, others write indignantly that we have flaws everywhere you look. The eternal theme: the glass is half empty or half full

News

Hot discussions can be generated by discussing the news. Suppose the author read something in the news feed and gave his comments on this or that event. At the same time, he put the question in such a way that one would like to argue with him.

Interpretation of statements

What did significant people say: President Putin, President Trump, etc.?

Natural disasters and terrorism

We show our reaction, discuss who is to blame, what to do, where to run, how to help.

Science News

Here we can talk on a variety of topics: admire the next achievements of mankind, condemn them or doubt their usefulness. The main thing is not just to report this or that news, but to express your opinion - then there will surely be people who want to add something to the above.

News from the life of celebrities

The whole range of emotions is manifested here - from admiration to outright hatred. A blogger can discuss the outfits, actions, or statements of a star... The shape of her nose, the shape of her dog's nose, the shape of her plane's nose. Comments can be obtained by asking readers questions or deliberately challenging them to an argument.

Animal News

What happened at the Melbourne Zoo? Who had a baby in San Diego? We show photos and tell touching and / or interesting stories. If you have quality content, many will start sharing it.

Release of new interesting products

We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of new gadgets, films, programs, etc. Comments will appear from those bloggers who benefit their readers, as well as from those who deliberately tease them.

Family

This topic has a huge potential for discussion - because it concerns everyone without exception.

Child safety

Disputes on this topic always evoke a lively response: what can and cannot be done? Is it okay to hit kids? What threatens the religious education of children? And what is secular? Giving your child more independence? Do not let go of him a single step? Intercede during conflicts? Or let him solve his own problems?

The relationship of adult children with parents

This is where a lot of people have a pain point, and so if you tell a story on this topic, give advice, or simply express your opinion, you can generate a significant reader response.

Love and romance

Who can be loved and who cannot? What is romance? Rose petals on a pillowcase or something else? What is the relationship in marriage and before marriage? How to find a girl of your dreams or how to find a young man of your dreams? What about gifts? How to show your loved one that he is infinitely dear to you?

Divorce and division of property

How to survive a divorce? What about parenting responsibilities? Who will get a plastic bath, and who will get a tea strainer? And what to do with children? Personal stories elicit “thank you for sharing” comments and stories about your situation. Advice, especially categorical advice, often causes controversy.

Homosexual

On the topic of homosexuality, transvestites, etc. You can also argue to the point of hoarseness. This question does not bother someone at all, but infuriates someone. And those who are tolerant of people of non-traditional orientation can be brought to white heat by injustice towards gays.

society

Interpretation of history

Someone remembers the USSR with nostalgia, and someone thinks that “under the Scoop” everything was terrible: if it weren’t for the bloody gebnya and Comrade Stalin, we would live like in Finland.

Feminism and gender equality

Someone is of the opinion that men and women should be given equal rights, and someone believes that a woman should stay at home, and a man should earn money.

Believers vs. atheists

We discuss whether there is a God or not. This also includes disputes over various churches and denominations.

Education

Charity

There are unequivocal things: sick children should be helped! But there are questions that cause fierce debate among the people. For example, it seems to some that it is pointless to spend energy and money on disabled people with severe mental retardation, while talented children from poor families cannot receive a normal education.

And then there are the problems of homeless people, drug addicts with a deep and irreversible deformation of their personality, and the problem of criminals who need to somehow adapt to life in society. For example, is it worth it or not to do charity work for rapists? There is clearly something to argue about!

Behavior in society

What is acceptable and what is unacceptable? Can only good things be said about the dead, or is the truth more important? Is it possible to criticize the Motherland, especially "in a difficult hour for the Motherland"? What to do with someone else's child if he offends his younger brother in front of your eyes, but mother doesn't care? Social norms are constantly changing and what was in the order of things yesterday, today already looks like barbarism - and here one can argue ad infinitum.

Health

Alcohol and smoking

On the Internet you can find any opinion on this topic. Someone passionately supports the culture of winemaking, someone believes that any alcohol is poison. Someone cannot stand tobacco smoke, someone smokes like a locomotive, and is indignant when non-smokers impose their lifestyle on him.

Fitness

Which exercises are good and which are bad? This topic causes fierce debate, because. a huge number of half-educated and outright charlatans have bred on the Web, who clearly do not have a special education. At the same time, amateurs often determine who is who and who is right and who is wrong.

Plastic surgery

“Girls, where did you get such a cool Botox? Your face looks like a doll!” Firstly, you can argue on the topic “Should or not we need to fight the natural course of time”, secondly, we can discuss various means, thirdly, we can ask questions and exchange recommendations, etc. And still it is possible to discuss results - at itself, and at stars.

ethnoscience

We discuss and apply the methods of treatment that our grandfathers used.

Alternative medicine

We discuss and apply treatments like homeopathy and acupuncture.

abortion

Is the fetus already a person or not yet? Does humanity need to multiply if there are already 7 billion of us? Does the state have the right to decide whether a woman has a child or not?

Nutrition

The topic of nutrition is not just an exchange of recipes, but also heated debates about the benefits of products, the correctness and incorrectness of cutting dill, the secret of the “true Olivier”, etc.

Healthy lifestyle

We discuss what is bad and what is good. If you give reliable, scientifically based information, then honor and praise be to you. If you specialize in pseudoscientific information - well, also an option, why not? ... Some people are attracted and happy about this.