White Niggers
Chapter 30
Friday, September 6th, 2019, 11:40
Dr. Zemanek's office, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Welthandelsplatz 1, 2nd district of Vienna
"But why?" Lisa says.
"I told you: the party line, among other things," Dr. Zemanek says. "I don't want to become a dissident. That's one reason."
"What are the others?" Lisa says.
Dr. Zemanek shakes her head and makes a grimace that shows the pangs of her internal struggle.
"Do we have to?" Dr. Zemanek says. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, I really don't."
"Truth doesn't break me–it builds me," Lisa says. "Bring it on."
Dr. Zemanek looks at Lisa intently from various angles, as if trying to detect by staring whether or not Lisa can handle whatever she is going to say.
"Okay," Dr. Zemanek says, and nods.
"To be honest this whole reparations topic is…," Dr. Zemanek says. "How should I say? Dumb. Stupid."
"Why?" Lisa says.
"For one, it gives you a false hope," Dr. Zemanek says. "A fata morgana that misleads smart people like you."
"For the sake of argument, imagine you won your class-action lawsuit and got billions of Euros of reparations for Ukraine," Dr. Zemanek says. "Whether it was from Russia or the West doesn't matter. Does that sound good? Does that feel like a victory?"
"Yes…" Lisa says. "Where's the catch?"
"Who says that this money won't be stolen or used inefficiently, like the money the Americans give Ukraine?" Dr. Zemanek says. "Or the assets that the Soviets left behind, including nuclear weapons?"
Lisa shakes her head.
"If I was completely honest, I'd have to reject cooperating with you on the version of the thesis for getting reparations from the Russians. But I haven't noticed this problem until now, so that's on me," Dr. Zemanek says. "Blaming the Russians won't hurt anybody… anybody I care about, anyway."
"Whom does blaming the Russians hurt?" Lisa says.
"The societies that scapegoat them," Dr. Zemanek says. "Instead of solving the problem for real, you say it's the Russians. So, everybody forgets about it, and the problem doesn't get solved."
"By that logic, you don't care about Ukrainians, do you?" Dr. Zemanek says.
"The only Ukrainian I care about is you," Dr. Zemanek says. "Therefore, the offer with Schoenherr."
"I don't understand," Lisa says. "You say that blaming the Russians hurts at least the Ukrainians, possibly also the West. And at the same time, when I want to write the truth in my thesis, you threaten to resign. Where is the logic?"
"Blaming the Russians for troubles in Ukraine is a lie that is harmless to me," Dr. Zemanek says. "Blaming the West is also a lie, but it can get me fired. And it can destroy your career chances. That's the difference."
"Wait a minute," Lisa says. "Why is blaming the West for the trouble in Ukraine a lie? You haven't been able to raise any significant objections against my case."
"You can win that case in court, I give you that," Dr. Zemanek says. "But this win would still support a lie."
"What lie?" Lisa says.
"You said earlier that the Ukrainians are fighting each other over whom Ukraine should belong to: the West, or Russia," Dr. Zemanek says. "They are fighting over the master they prefer. And those who want to stay independent, to be their own master, seem to be non-existent. Or they don't have any power. The Russians aren't the principal offender, neither is the West. It's the Ukrainian society: its inability, or unwillingness, or immaturity to act in their own long-term self-interests."
"Wow!" Lisa says. "Even Putin hasn't accused the Ukrainians as a whole of stupidity."
"You expect a politician to be honest?" Dr. Zemanek says. "Especially someone who has been in office for two decades. Really?"
"As uncomfortable as it sounds, you may be right," Lisa says. "But what do you propose?"
"Nothing," Dr. Zemanek says.
"It's wrong to accuse a society of stupidity and not offer a solution," Lisa says.
"Only if I am a part of the society in question," Dr. Zemanek says. "And I didn't say the Ukrainians are stupid as individuals, I just said they fail to self-organize. They are stupid as a nation. And that's not racist. Most Western societies are stupid nations that consist of smart individuals."
"Still, what can we do?" Lisa says.
"It's not my responsibility to think about Ukraine's future," Dr. Zemanek says. "Civilizations come and go. Maybe Ukraine was an artificial construct created by the Soviets, and maybe it has run its course."
"This is absolutely terrible what you are saying," Lisa says.
"Why?" Dr. Zemanek says.
"Didn't you just say Ukraine may cease to exist?" Lisa says.
She raises her finger.
"Ukraine as we know it," Dr. Zemanek says. "Maybe there will be multiple Ukraines – a Western and a Russian one, I don't know."
"Still," Lisa says.
"Why does it bother you?" Dr. Zemanek says. "You are not there. And I said – you're only a few minor corrections in your thesis away from a bright future."
"How do you expect me to observe the destruction of my society and not doing anything against it?" Lisa says.
"Just look at me," Dr. Zemanek says. "I lead by example."
"Huh?" Lisa says.
"The West is in decline," Dr. Zemanek says. "It is perfectly possible that in fifty years, Austria will look very different from now. The St. Stephen's Cathedral may be turned into a mosque. But look at me: I'm not worried, I'm enjoying my life."
"That would make me feel very, very uncomfortable," Lisa says.
"This may be because you regard yourself as part of a nation comprised of other people with eternal souls," Dr. Zemanek says. "That's very Christian."
Lisa straightens up.
"That does sound like me," Lisa says.
"If the soul does not die after the body dies, it means that the person living today is connected with the dead ancestors and yet unborn children and grandchildren," Dr. Zemanek says. "Do you feel sometimes like you are a link in a chain from the past to the future?"
"Yeah, all the time," Lisa says.
"Here you go," Dr. Zemanek says. "That's the root of your inability to cope with the potential decline of your society."
"And your remedy is what, exactly?" Lisa says. She feels perplexed.
"Lisa, Lisa. God is dead! We killed him!" Dr. Zemanek says. "More than a hundred years ago."
Dr. Zemanek is smiling.
"If there is no God, no eternal souls, then my life starts and ends with me," Dr. Zemanek says. "I don't have to care about my ancestors or my descendants. I can enjoy life in all its manifestations. I can be whoever I choose to be. And by getting rid of that Christian mindset, I rid myself of the necessity of thinking about hard questions. Like how to save Ukraine, or Austria, or the Western civilization."
"You say as if I can force myself to believe in whatever I want," Lisa says.
"I think it was Prof. Dutton who showed that people with high IQ are able to make themselves believe whatever they choose," Dr. Zemanek says. "They can be neo-Christian like you, or they can be post-modernist like me. Communist today, neo-liberal tomorrow. And you are probably the smartest student I've seen in the recent years. It's only a matter of effort."
"It's a pretty bleak picture you are drawing," Lisa says.
"It's not bleak," Dr. Zemanek says. "Just look at the places I have travelled to."
"Alone," Lisa says.
Dr. Zemanek smiles and waves her finger.
"Dear Lisa," Dr. Zemanek says. "If I dumped men as often as I throw away used tampons, I wouldn't put incriminating pictures of this lifestyle on display, especially not at work."
Dr. Zemanek winks.
Lisa chuckles and takes one of the cookies. For some reason she feels uncomfortable eating them, as if there were needles inside.
The idea of enjoying sex without guilt, shame, and a ton of obligations is indeed charming, Lisa thinks.
Lisa sips on her coffee.
Lisa sees that Dr. Zemanek is looking at Lisa like a good mother she never had. One-night stands don't produce daughters like Lisa.