Lithuanian Political Figures Debate 'Parody' of Statecraft

A dialogue between Vytautas Landsbergis and V.V. Landsbergis explores the nuanced definition of parody, extending the concept to the realm of statecraft and governance. V.V. Landsbergis posits that parodies can be either intentional, created to mock stagnation, or unintentional, arising from a lack of skill or competence in attempting serious work, resulting in what he terms "amateurish parody" or kitsch.

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And what do you think parody is? As a creation that doesn't really exist?

This critique is directly applied to the current Lithuanian government, which V.V. Landsbergis describes as resembling a parody from its inception. He points to perceived misrepresentations and a failure to deliver on promises, such as the slogan "a state that works," suggesting the government merely attempts to appear functional. The conversation implies that while initially perhaps absurd, the political spectacle has become uninteresting and disappointing.

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There are conscious parodies – satire, when one wants to laugh at some stagnating phenomenon or genre. That is conscious parody. And there is unconscious parody, which appears accidentally – when one wanted to create a serious work of art, but failed. Lacked talent, competence, and it turned out to be an amateurish parody. Kitsch.

Contrasting Lithuania's situation, V.V. Landsbergis cites Ukraine as a state that, despite facing aggression, has "grown a spine" and developed a working strategy, demonstrating resilience and a commitment to building the future. Japan and Finland are also mentioned as examples of states that are not parodies. Vytautas Landsbergis engages with these points, framing the discussion as a challenging task to analyze the concept of parody in relation to statehood.

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Perhaps the state is also a work of art, and sometimes it succeeds in creating a serious one, and sometimes only an amateurish, funny, or hopeless one. A failed imitation that pretends to be a serious, solid version of a state, preening itself, wanting to convince, to portray a state. That is parody.

The dialogue further contemplates a broader societal trajectory, with Vytautas Landsbergis suggesting a regression towards a primitive state of "monkey gatherings" and gang warfare, where strength dictates outcomes. V.V. Landsbergis questions if Lithuania is heading in the same direction, expressing concern about the lack of strong, capable leadership within the Social Democratic party, drawing comparisons to past figures like Kirkilas and Linas Linkevičius.

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For example, in Lithuania, we have our government and little rulers – but to me, it looks very much like a parody, from the very beginning.