Watching TV in times of crisis

Maybe I DO need that brain chip from Severance

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a product of television. His sitcom Servant of the People, which he created, produced, and starred in, was a rare televised manifestation of his near-future reality. The series stars Zelenskyy as a high school teacher who is unexpectedly elected as President of Ukraine after going viral. Shortly after the third season aired in 2019, Zelenskyy himself was elected to office. Only a censored version of the pilot aired in Russia—the scene they removed involved a joke about Putin.

Like most people, my eyes have been glued to the New York Times live updates of the invasion of Ukraine, with a pit in my stomach and a sense of helplessness. There's something about a full-scale country invasion that makes the usual pop culture drable feel more insignificant than usual. I don't have comforting words or thoughts because I can barely comfort myself, and that’s from the privilege of a city not at war.

I guess I’ve been doing what I usually do, in times of crisis—trying to understand and contextualize my reality through the stories I consume on television. I’m trying to wrap my head around the pain. I’m trying to find reprieve. I’m trying—and failing—to contextualize against wars that are not as thoroughly reported on, around the world. And I’m trying not to sever myself from it all, as tempting as that idea might be.

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When did Russia infiltrate television?