Russia is in worst Soviet tradition.

[Alex333]

Here's the article in Russian media. I use Google translate.
link

Close-minded russian politicians are not accepting healthy criticism and became hostile. This is an echo from Soviet times.

 

[Gazpacho]

The "worst Soviet traditions" were the use of mass convict labor and creation of famines through quack horticulture. I don't think banning a few self-important people from entry as retaliation against similar measures by the US quite measures up.

 

[L.Y.S.]

Attacks on Russians, why am I not suprised?

 

[bikerdruid]

i ride an old soviet bike.

 

[Robrob]

Close-minded russian politicians are not accepting healthy criticism and became hostile. This is an echo from Soviet times.

Uh, right...

Eeen Soviet Union, creeticism damaged khealth.

 

[theprestige]

i ride an old soviet bike.

I like ham.

 

[commandlinegamer]

The "worst Soviet traditions" were the use of mass convict labor and creation of famines through quack horticulture. I don't think banning a few self-important people from entry as retaliation against similar measures by the US quite measures up.

Not to mention the deaths of millions due to civil war and other politically-motivated massacres.

 

[Bikewer]

I've listened to a number of analysts on NPR discussing the political situation in Russia. It seems to be the mindset of much of the population that the trade-off between "freedom" and "order" has come down on the side of "order".
Let's face it, there is no (or at least very little) tradition of anything approaching democracy in Russia.

 

[Toontown]

I've listened to a number of analysts on NPR discussing the political situation in Russia. It seems to be the mindset of much of the population that the trade-off between "freedom" and "order" has come down on the side of "order".
Let's face it, there is no (or at least very little) tradition of anything approaching democracy in Russia.

Well, they certainly don't get it, do they. They do not understand that freedom also requires order.

 

[L.Y.S.]

Well, they certainly don't get it, do they. They do not understand that freedom also requires order.

You have any evidence other than rhetoric supporting this claim?

 

[bikerdruid]

Well, they certainly don't get it, do they. They do not understand that freedom also requires order.

the russians have never known anything but strict order.
the czars through the soviet era leaders were all authoritarian.
many are missing those days.
putin is there to deliver.
whether you approve or not, this is the truth.

 

[a_unique_person]

I've listened to a number of analysts on NPR discussing the political situation in Russia. It seems to be the mindset of much of the population that the trade-off between "freedom" and "order" has come down on the side of "order".
Let's face it, there is no (or at least very little) tradition of anything approaching democracy in Russia.

That the story they are being sold. In fact they are being turned into a Mafia state.

 

[Gazpacho]

Russians will support firm-handed government a hundred times if the Yeltsin era is the alternative, and I can't blame them.

 

[Archer17]

Russians will support firm-handed government a hundred times if the Yeltsin era is the alternative, and I can't blame them.

The Russians are used to firm-handed governments. Regarding Yelstin, I agree with you. Putin, whether one admires him or not (I don't) should get credit for pulling post-Cold War Russia from the abyss of the Yeltsin era. Might as well get used to him, he's not going anywhere.

 

[Gazpacho]

e: whoops, wrong thread

 

[Toontown]

You have any evidence other than rhetoric supporting this claim?

Do you have any evidence that my expending a lot of time belaboring the obvious with you would not be a complete waste of time and labor?

 

[L.Y.S.]

Do you have any evidence that my expending a lot of time belaboring the obvious with you would not be a complete waste of time and labor?

Ok

Well, they certainly don't get it, do they. They do not understand that freedom also requires order.

The above is rhetoric my friend. You are interpreting what Russians want from your own biased western standpoint. You take no time to consider the needs of Russian people. I'm sure you know "something" about the Yeltsin era (I hope). Russians have tried pure electoral power changes like the west, it hasn't worked well. In fact, historically, they have tried it several times. All of the end results were bad... What has worked for Russia is the iron will of an ambitious leader. Putin supplies this as blue druid mentioned earlier.

"Freedom" is a subjective term that means many different things to many different people. I'd advise you to keep your personal biases out of the equation and objectively look at what the Russian people need.

What we would vilify in the west, they would revere in Russia. While we link Stalin to evil, many Russians link Stalin to pushing a backward agrarian nation forward. While many in the west think of Gorbachev as a reformer, many Russians believe him to be an indecisive weakling that destroyed Russia's international prestige. And while we view Putin as returning Russia back to its old Soviet oppression, many Russians view him as a last hope that they will regain some sort of international power. It is clear that the Russians themselves have a very different interpretation of events than we in the west have of them.

I personally respect Putin because he dragged a nation which was on the brink of collapse back from the abyss. It doesn't matter if we in the west do not like Putin. He will be here for decades to come. And I'm sure once he can no longer be President of Russia by law, he will pursue making the Union State between Russia and Belarus a legal entity recognized by international law. There is nothing we can do to change this, Putin is here to stay. For at least another 2 decades a minimum.

 

[Toontown]

Ok



The above is rhetoric my friend. You are interpreting what Russians want from your own biased western standpoint. You take no time to consider the needs of Russian people. I'm sure you know "something" about the Yeltsin era (I hope). Russians have tried pure electoral power changes like the west, it hasn't worked well. In fact, historically, they have tried it several times. All of the end results were bad... What has worked for Russia is the iron will of an ambitious leader. Putin supplies this as blue druid mentioned earlier.

"Freedom" is a subjective term that means many different things to many different people. I'd advise you to keep your personal biases out of the equation and objectively look at what the Russian people need.

What we would vilify in the west, they would revere in Russia. While we link Stalin to evil, many Russians link Stalin to pushing a backward agrarian nation forward. While many in the west think of Gorbachev as a reformer, many Russians believe him to be an indecisive weakling that destroyed Russia's international prestige. And while we view Putin as returning Russia back to its old Soviet oppression, many Russians view him as a last hope that they will regain some sort of international power. It is clear that the Russians themselves have a very different interpretation of events than we in the west have of them.

I personally respect Putin because he dragged a nation which was on the brink of collapse back from the abyss. It doesn't matter if we in the west do not like Putin. He will be here for decades to come. And I'm sure once he can no longer be President of Russia by law, he will pursue making the Union State between Russia and Belarus a legal entity recognized by international law. There is nothing we can do to change this, Putin is here to stay. For at least another 2 decades a minimum.

And why have I been the beneficiary of this lecture? Do I get a similar lecture for each sentence I write? Will each lecture be similarly unrelated to what I wrote?

BTW, I see nothing in the lecture to indicate that Russians actually do "get it", or that freedom does not require order.

 

[L.Y.S.]

And why have I been the beneficiary of this lecture? Do I get a similar lecture for each sentence I write? Will each lecture be similarly unrelated to what I wrote?

What exactly were you writing about? Maybe I misinterpreted the message. Are you alluding to the fact that Putin is doing a good thing by instilling order into the Russian people? Feel free to expand.

BTW, I see nothing in the lecture to indicate that Russians actually do "get it", or that freedom does not require order.

Again, feel free to expand on this point.

 

[Toontown]

What exactly were you writing about? Maybe I misinterpreted the message. Are you alluding to the fact that Putin is doing a good thing by instilling order into the Russian people? Feel free to expand.



Again, feel free to expand on this point.

I see. You don't want me to say nothin bad about your Putin. But if I want to say something good about your Putin, then I have your blessing.

OK, I'll say something good about Putin: He's less paranoid than Stalin. So far, he doesn't appear to have gone off on any large-scale preemptive execution sprees that we're aware of. He is a great sycophant attractor. He has lots of sycophants who patrol the internet daily, looking for anyone saying anything bad about Putin. He has only stolen $80 billion from the Russian people. He could have stolen much more, but he let them skate. He is slightly taller than Stalin, so perhaps the short-man syndrome isn't as pronounced. I'm so impressed, I could just fart. Do we humans have some great leaders, or what.

Here is a song, especially for Vladimir:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NvgLkuEtkA