Meanwhile… 066
Meanwhile… 066
Two men led their nations,
and each one wore a mask…
One, a “fearsome king”,
took the “jester” up to task.
When those masks had fallen,
amidst words, deeds and might,
the “jester” proved the better,
with his crowned head ever high.
~~~-::-::-::-~~~
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose prior career as an actor and comedian before becoming President of Ukraine inspired much talk of just how competent he’d be in his new role, had long before had one foot in the political realm while his other stood on the stage of entertainment.
In 2014, despite the longstanding conflicts between Ukraine and Russia, Zelenskyy very publicly opposed the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture’s intent to ban works of art or culture - and artists themselves - from being allowed within Ukraine. This, along with his production company, Kvartal 95, donating funds to the Ukrainian Ground Forces, had seen Zelenskyy’s own works banned in both Ukraine and Russia at times.
Why does this matter? Because it shows a measure of his character, as a performer and as an individual, and speaks to his inherent desire to foster conversation - as many artists do - for good or ill. I say “measure”, because this is also at odds with Zelenskyy’s own decision as President to ban three pro-Russian media outlets in February of 2022.
That measure of character, one that would rather foster conversation over conflict, was also shown in the lead-up to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine when Zelenskyy very much downplayed talk of the escalating conflict - talk that was dominated by political voices from the US and Russia, with Ukraine caught between the “banter” of the two. His pleas to deescalate and downplay the imminent threat of Russia’s invasion were a source of frustration for the US, viewed as naiveté, while Putin (for this invasion is Putin’s intent, not that of Russia itself) viewed it as something of a weakness.
Both were wrong, and as the invasion of Ukraine continues at the time of writing this, Zelenskyy has shown that he is anything but the clown he was believed to be.
If anyone in this does have a mask that’s slipping, it is Putin, as Zelenskyy proves to be everything of the fierce leader that Putin has long pretended to be.
-::-::-::-
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