Инвектива как эстетика и ритуал отождествления

Русская речь. 2020. № 3. С. 07–21.

Vatletsov S.

The author is concerned with a high level of aggression in the contemporary society. In this article he studies the nature of the “verbal aggression” as an ideology of identity. The analysis implies descriptive and analytical method of the political discourse in modern periodicals. The author argues that “verbal aggression” functions as a psychological protection from an emotional discomfort caused by an unsuccessful communication, on the one hand. But on the other hand, insulting and expressing negative evaluations possess the features of a ritual. The basis for the performance is a symbolism which includes ideas, thoughts, actions. This is not merely a human psyche’s impulsive reaction but it can be a people’s goal-oriented activity. The latter helps the invective realize its utilitarian function when insults are motivated with a beneficiary also in favor of a third party. Dependent on the objectives of the conflict which the participants are after the author singles out “an invective ritual of alienation” and “a ritual of communion (loyalty)”. With the “ritual of alienation”, a speaker formalizes an intention to name the things which are spiritually strange to him or her. The “ritual of communion” identifies unity of the communicants as obvious or false. The both types of rituals have the properties which convey ideological climate in the community in a certain time. The author comes to a conclusion that the ritual of identity into “us” and “them” has the risk of its formal performance. Accumulating formalized invective rituals in a community advances a high level of aggression especially in the age of postmodern and post-truth when the social discourse has been formed through emotions and an individual interpretation of reality has been imposed as a the only one. Together with this, people giving the foul language a magic force subconsciously seem to be dodging the moral responsibility for the consequences of the crazed invective act.

Keywords: identity, ритуал, инвектива, отождествление, ritual, public discourse, публичный дискурс, post-truth, постправда, verbal aggression, private invective, public invective, частная инвектива, публичная инвектива