On Dealing with the State

In 2001 a film called The Fast and the Furious came out, and it left a deep mark on the minds and hearts of the young men of that era. A friend and I were no exception, and after the second installment landed in 2003, we decided to move from fantasy to putting it into practice.

I was 20 at the time.

On a small investment we opened one of the first car-tuning parts shops in Russia, and soon after we started renting the runway of a small airfield to hold drag races over 402 metres. The cars, to put it mildly, fell short of the ones on screen, but the emotions of the people taking part were every bit as bright. Memories of that time still bring a smile and a warmth to my chest.

To run the events we needed approvals and cooperation from the Interior Ministry, the GIBDD — the traffic police — the local administration, and the ambulance and fire services. That was my first experience of actively dealing with government bodies — what’s now called GR, government relations.

Back then, in the eyes of many people, the state and its representatives were something to be avoided, even feared. That went double for the police — the militsiya, as it was still called. The names people gave its officers — well, you know all those swear words yourself; they’re still in the air.

I still remember the words of the head of the Interior Ministry department that covered our racing site: “They call us every name in the book, but when trouble hits, they come running to us.” And it’s true — at times the people in law enforcement turn out to be the only ones who can help in a critical moment. The same goes for other institutions: the courts, hospitals, schools and so on.

Of course, things happen, and I’ve run into monstrous injustice myself. But almost never do these officials have any special intent to cause us pain and suffering. People do their jobs within the procedures, limits and resources they have. Yes, at times we’re forced to explain and prove our case, but that exists in every country on earth. I’ve lived in several countries myself, and I can confirm it from personal experience — there are no perfect systems.

I’ve gone in for questioning in criminal cases, been searched on the road, fought for my position in courts at various levels, gone through tax and prosecutorial audits, stood as a witness, and watched an ambulance fail to save a person’s life right in front of me. Yes, it’s unpleasant. But it’s part of life, and at times it’s the price of moving forward toward your goals. We can’t reach for big success and comfort ourselves with the illusion of staying invisible to the state.

However incompetent these institutions may sometimes look to us from the outside, they’re staffed by a great many people who sincerely try to help.

I’ve seen videos where drivers theatrically taunt traffic officers, exploiting the limits of what the officers are allowed to do, and find it funny. Probably out of some personal hang-up or trouble with self-esteem. I’ve been pulled over plenty of times, sometimes entirely fairly, and by behaving respectfully toward the officers and not denying my fault when I broke the rules of the road, I’ve never once met with a biased attitude. Unlike those who pick a fight, start arguing their case and calling someone.

When we devalue state institutions, we devalue our own safety, the possibility of justice, the right to private property and much else that underpins the quality of our lives — and we trade it for anarchy, or a world where the codes of the criminal underworld reign.

The romance of the gangster looks intriguing only in the movies, until it touches your own home and family. Any sane person who lived through the 90s will confirm this. And some, sadly, can no longer confirm it — that’s left to the surviving members of their family to say.

The state, in the end, is us — it’s how we treat one another: officials, public-sector workers, entrepreneurs, the military, employees of private business and state companies alike. The way we treat each other is the quality of our state system. After all, off the clock we’re all just people, so alike and sharing common interests.

Here’s to a wonderful experience dealing with state institutions! 😎