Doba pitomc (2026)

Are we inevitably heading towards a world ruled by idiots? Journalist Alexandr Mitrofanov is one of the sharpest and funniest commentators on the turmoil of Czech politics. As his roots lie in Russia, he also regularly addresses the brutal reality there with considerable scepticism. Drawing on his experience of the East and West, from Russia and the Soviet Union to Europe and America, this brisk essay examines the existence of the crowd man and rejects the Enlightenment illusion that education can liberate him from idiocy. With his characteristic humour, Mitrofanov warns against false optimism, while offering no simple recipe for preserving freedom and liberal democracy. He asks the fundamental question of our time: who is actually an idiot? Readers who feel they may soon go mad from the words and actions of figures such as Putin, Zeman, Klaus, Babi and Trump will find an invitation to critical thinking and perspective, delivered by an experienced sceptic whose brilliant phrasing provokes loud laughter as well as a measure of bitterness that may eventually lead to wisdom. Mitrofanov also offers an answer to the question What is to be done?, as clarified among his closest friends: people must always stand against the salamanders, whether the conflict takes place in Czechia, in Ukraine, where they arrived from Russia, or in the United States. Each of us does what we can to avoid letting idiots flourish without resistance.