Wild money

While the latter-day generations of Soviet citizens enjoyed “universal” equality, fortunes were discreetly built out of the public eye. Today, new Ukrainians often display their wealth for all to see, producing unhealthy publicity and ill-wishers. Actually, such an unfriendly attitude is often provoked by the behavior of such nouveaux riches, especially freshly minted ones. Take two brief examples.

In a large grocery store a young girl wants to buy a pack of cookies and gropes in her worn purse for the needed sum, and here comes an imposing lady. She walks up to the counter, literally pushes the girl aside and says, “Don’t stand here counting your miserable change.” She places a big shopping bag on the shining top and says to the sales assistant, “Now let’s get on with it. I want everything the very best and quick.” The man nods obediently, without looking at the girl, and starts serving the rich customer. This takes some time as the bag is large and the shopping list long.

Yet another sketch from nature. Two young and prosperous looking shuttle traders sit on a bench near a trolley stop. Every piece of clothing they have on is brand new, fashionable, and expensive, including super-fashionable tennis shoes (a sign of belonging to a prosperous firm or racket), meaning that both have just hit the jackpot and are now enjoying themselves. Their long legs are stretched before them and they eye their shoes, almost bursting with pride. A middle-aged woman sits on the same bench, also wearing track shoes, but old, worn, even torn here and there. Eventually the young men become aware of the striking contrast between their footwear and the old woman’s. Jokingly they move their shoes close to the woman’s and what follows seems incredible. The two young men, obviously of sound mind, begin to tease and laugh at the old woman. They want her to tell them the “foreign manufacturer’s” name, then offer to trade her shoes for the pair either of them is wearing, promising to pay for the exchange. Finally, they recommend her to go give her shoes to the local history museum “before they die on you.” The old woman remains silent throughout the exchange, looking away from them, trying to hide her shoes under the bench.

Watching, I could stand it no longer. I walked over and tried to talk to them. In response I heard, “Get lost, come back when you have as much cash as we do. Then we’ll talk.” The young savages did not even realize that they were showing off their wealth, youth, and stupidity in front of misery and old age.

So young and so heartless. Why? Maybe this is part of our legacy from Soviet times when everybody enjoyed “equality,” was paid “according to his work” and charity was cast out of public life and took on a negative historical color. Perhaps the first generation of newly affluent people have to be that cruel, not only in Ukraine, but everywhere? Be it as it may, our latter-day Rothschilds seem unaware of the old truth known hundreds of years ago, even by illiterate merchants. They knew that one had to pray to be forgiven for one’s wealth, because in this world big money is iniquitous, even if earned in a “strictly clean” way. Wealth provides man with unique opportunities, at the same time imposing additional requirements, as though making him a member of some knightly order helping the ailing and needy. Big money is a strength one acquires and which many others are denied.

Of course, it would be unjust to say that the current rich are all that heartless. We have our share of patrons of the arts and philanthropists. Considering, however, what experts describe as billions of dollars changing hands in a country and its current social condition, such charity looks infinitesimal. So many museums closed for permanent repair, so many grade schools looking worse than military barracks written off to be torn down, so many homeless children wandering city streets all over Ukraine. Jobless and hapless scientists, empty laboratories! And so many other horrible things humiliating for all those who can do at least something to help. And meanwhile many of the new rich not only flaunt their wealth before the poor and do not bother to hide their contempt for the “fools” unable to overcome their misfortune.