Quick One #1: This is all of you (on Russia)
“Oh no! Voldemort Putin - the tyrant! - he must be stopped to save democracy!”
Russians get a bad rap. Could more than a century of subversive, sinister Russiaphobia baked into mass media be the culprit?
Clearly, the powers-that-be have not forgiven the USSR for having the audacity - the audacity! - to develop a state that enshrined human dignity in constitutional law; a government that granted citizens all that the pussy hats and Antifa march for: reproductive rights, social housing, universal healthcare, free education, blah, blah.
Additionally, there are other types of “russians” we are routinely warned about—notably, the Chinese and Cubans. Luckily, us consumers are good at listening. Good at focusing on the grind. We don’t trust anyone but the G7 who grace us with peace and prosperity. Thanks, Reuters for having our backs.
I mean, the Chinese have the gall to eradicate poverty in their own country. Robbing so many poors of the opportunity to pull themselves up by their bootstraps; to budget, invest and self-optimize their way towards superstardom, like all the billionaires in America. Chinese people don’t even have Facebook (to heart-react the billion-dollar PR campaigns against their own people and country).
Some smart person will tell you that China runs debt traps all over Africa. Except they don’t (The Atlantic; John Hopkins; BBC). In fact, the Chinese, even with the smuggest liberal audiences obsessively monitoring their diplomacy for any evil intentions, own a mere 12% of African debt with nearly 50% less interest charged than Western creditors. Actually, the Chinese just forgave 23 loans and have no history of actions on defaults. Hmm, what’s their game?
Same with the Cubans. The good guys tell us that Cuba is a failed state. We have to trust them; it can’t be the decades of economic strangulation and political alienation. Actually, that country went to the dogs after Castro took away all those second homes, cane fields and tobacco plantations from the poor unsuspecting landlords.
Just the other day, Cubans went out and voted, and the entire country - imagine that - was forced to participate in a public referendum to set up the most progressive family laws in the world. It only adds to their suffering, on top of incredible literacy rates, superb healthcare and enviable public education.
The bad guys just keep getting away with it. Decades of sanctions, military aggression and pure scolding from more enlightened nations have not chastised them enough to curb their waywardness. Regardless, us scrollers must do our part, with weaponized hashtags and flag frames.
We are likewise urged to absolutely condemn the efforts of contested regions to decide their own future. Here’s South Africa’s self-proclaimed voice of the progressive, the Daily Maverick (DM), calling recent votes to decide statehood a “sham”:
(Take a chance and have a look at on-the-ground reporting done by journalists like Eva Bartlett and Graham Phillips to judge for yourself.)
Allow me to play Devil’s Avocado (trademark Tracy Jordan, 30 Rock) for the Russians. Russia could be upset that:
1 - As part of agreements to dissolve the Soviet Union, NATO promised not to expand eastward. Yet NATO has. And continued to provoke Russia - diplomatically, economically, culturally, militarily - in every possible way, you name it; thirsty for another Cold War (and sweet war dollars).
2 - Ethnic Russians have been harassed and bombed for at least eight years in conflict regions. The usual hysterics did not blink an eye.
3 - Coups, sanctions and literal bombs are used with impunity against democratically-elected governments that fail to serve Western interests. Take the 2014 Maidan coup, as an example.
4 - Diplomatic solutions are never adhered to. Zelenskyy and his handlers are acting like they never heard of Minsk I and II. I guess shipping crates full of weapons and playing nuclear chicken is the only path to peace.
5 - Despite sacrificing 27 million citizens to defeat Nazi Germany, the highest casualty count of any country, they are the ones labelled fascists. While literal neo-nazis operate within the Ukrainian army, right at the side of their TV-comedian-millionaire-president.
Ah, but let’s not forget the Soviet’s unholy resistance to the FREE MARKET!
(Like how the USSR empowered decolonization and anti-imperialism struggles all over the world, from Afghanistan to Havana, Korea to Congo; effectively creating the only bulwark and source of support against oppression and exploitation, the only power that can legitimately claim to be champions of dignity and sovereignty.)
Although, DM says Africans must care about “Ukraine’s struggle for freedom”. Because “Ukraine’s inevitable victory against Russia will be a win for Africa.” Somehow.
[Never mind that even Europe bleeds as it is cuckolded by the imperial core.]
Care about what we tell you to care about and how we tell you to care about it!
Echoed everywhere else: 9GAG, Trevor Noah, Mark Hamill and the White House, they all say that Putin is evil and must be stopped before his unprovoked bloodquest destroys all democracy.
…
You dummies.