One of my longest posts ever… 🙂 Been working on it, on and off, for a few weeks.
With everything happening in the world these days, it’s hard to see the true reality of what’s *really* going on. Looking at the “war” happening right now, most in the U.S. are being fed one (or maybe two) stor(y/ies), people elsewhere in so many disparate countries, are seeing something else, completely different. And don’t forget about everything in between. Because it’s all important.
Most American’s only think, and are influenced, by the U.S. Mainstream media, both left & right, there’s maybe an independent here and there, and that’s about it… That’s the extent of what they’re exposed to. But there’s so, so much more to be heard.
I have been trying to be super diligent and reach out, personally, to people from many aspects of what’s going on, the Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Estonians, etc. (Even Chinese and Indian) on all sides… “Conservative, liberal, middle”. Whatever any of that really means anymore. Not much in my opinion. Labels are stupid.
Anyone who really listens to all these opinions, hopefully without bias, and hear their heartfelt feelings from their perspectives, cannot deny that there is so much more at play that what is disseminated by superficial, “main stream”, sources.
The older folks, in the particular being addressed, tend to lean towards the “glory” of the former Soviet Union’s structure. It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t too bad either. You worked hard, suffered, got skinnier and got, barely, what you needed. But it was “stable”. There was a sense of nationalistic pride and patriotism. Many westerners associate patriotism towards the American right, but it is everywhere…. Everywhere.
The younger folks, over there, tend to lean towards capitalism, free society, “YouTube culture” and (despite many’s beliefs) are not socialistic (at all) whether it’s based on “old” socialism or the “new” Socialism that so many touting in the millennial age group. Some of the youth there still subscribe to the “old ways”, but isn’t that true everywhere?
Across the board, everyone’s general conceptions of socialism and communism is a bad idea, even if they once faithfully supported it. Almost every group I’ve talked to has said so.
The world should believe those who are, and have been, closest to it, not those who haven’t and have unrealistic perceptions of it. We are not yet at a “Star Trek” type future (But I’m a big fan). Even Star Trek “Earth” didn’t use money, but they accepted other cultures that did and knew they had to conform occasionally to “get ahead”.
Everyone I’ve talked to tend to have differing opinions one way or the other of whether the “goal” of Putin (not supporting him in any way) is good or bad, in the grand scheme of things. Right now, the “whole” of the Russian people, for which he is “responsible”, depends on his actions. And those actions are, arguably, dependent upon those options left to him after all the sanctions, by NATO and the Western influences.
One of the main areas I disagree with, wholeheartedly, are the sanctions being placed on what are conveniently called “Oligarchs”, like America and others don’t have them too… Their assets, properties, bank accounts, planes, trains, ships, are being seized in the name of US/NATO sanctions against Russia. Sure some of them probably obtained those assets through questionable means, but can *we* here, in the west say our “Oligarchs” didn’t do the same?
Many of us, depending on who it was, would be angry if our rich people were being seized. Elon, Buffett, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Gates, etc. (Don’t like any of them except Elon), but they don’t deserve to be “shut down”. If you shut them down, millions of jobs, at all levels are affected. People from the top management to the lowly delivery drivers and customer service reps could be out of a job.
Putin, probably, started of as a “starry” eyed youngish politician, out of the KGB (FSB) and had major hopes to make his country a better place. Why would anyone who has any sense at all want anything different?
If the people are better off, he (and the Russian middle to upper-class) are better off, the people overall live better, are happier and spend more, do more, buy more, and that trickles up. Then those who benefit most, buy more, do more, spend more and that trickles back down to to everyone else who works in management, middle management, lower management, subordinate, general labor, etc. They, at all levels, start new small startup companies, come up with new ideas and expand the world.
Am I making a case for capitalism? Sure, but enough of that. Sorry for being a heathen. 😉
Outside of The War and general economics, many (most), don’t know that Russia is, and has been for a long time, the most ethnically diverse country in the world. So many diverse groups of people get along, and “co-exist”, much better than anywhere else.
The current Russian territory and all the former republics, are amazingly diverse. Not only by color, but by religion, distinct culture, down to general day to day routines, etc.
I really enjoyed this (R-Tee), purposely misspelling to avoid banning, documentary on the topic. It is very eye opening and dates back to African-American families who left after the US civil war and found a better life and mostly unfettered prosperity in the former Soviet Union, including after the collapse in the 1990s. They were actually “held up” and revered back in that era.
Whereas on the other hand. The Ukraine has often always held much more of a stigma and negative viewpoint of the entire world and has for quite a long time. Sure most of the Ukrainian people are great people, who have nothing to do with what’s going on, but as usual, their politicians, and N4Z1 influenced military (Google Azov – Ukraine), aren’t so innocent. Until the recent “propaganda” of course. 🙂
This is a simple documentary. By historians, people that almost anyone here in the “west” would agree with politically.
But, because of the sanctions. I could not access this documentary without connecting to my VPN though Uzbekistan. Yes, I had to “go to” Uzbekistan to get it. Lol.
They [The Western powers] are trying their best to shut down free expression most everywhere else. Who exactly? That’s a post for another time.
I bet they’ll ban this video, my upload, because it’s produced by “those who shall not be named”, but I hope my text you’re reading now stays for a bit.
I bet many will ignore this video, and my commentary, perhaps to try to discredit it, because they were told to by some silly, uniformed talking head on TV, who forms the entirety of their geopolitical belief system….
Instead, watch it and listen to these very real, amazing, African/American/Russian people tell their story.