Russia is providing humanitarian aid to Cuba (that is being starved by your US) and helping to repel European colonizers in Africa, e.g. the Sahel. Yeah, Russia isn’t the USSR but one can realize who is the lesser evil in the Global South’s eyes.
I could list humanitarian aid the US has delivered, too, almost certainly at times at odds with Russian cruelty, but I don’t really want to go there because I don’t see it as a meaningful distinction because I primarily see the difference between the US and Russia as one of capacity, not ethics. If Russia had the power and position the US has, I don’t think they’d act any better. They’re no less evil; they just have less capacity to enact evil. That’s why I can understand a desire to distance oneself from the US and can even understand how Russia could be perceived as an ally, but I don’t think they’re a genuine ally. They’ll help to the extent it furthers their own goals, and they’ll turn on you as soon as that furthers their goals.
it’s telling that you have to come up with idealist hypotheticals of why Russia could be bad if they were like the US. Instead of just, looking at and describing reality where the USA is the fascist empire rampaging across the planet with 800 foreign military bases while Russia has 0.
You have been trained your whole life by the Liberal hegemonic worldview that was instilled as you in education and through media to immediately begin Rationalizing everything, digesting it into a soup where you are the good guy and those who oppose you are the bad guys, or at the least that everything is the same and nothing matters. Every single geopolitical and historical fact you have ever encountered and discussed with others has been filtered through this Liberal Idealist Rationalizing process, where you break it down and come up with some hypotheticals or twist it through some contortions and what-ifs and allegories and metaphors until it comes out what you want it to.
Stop doing that. Just look at hard facts. Use materialism and empiricism. Stop being a fucking debate nerd who needs to turn everything into gotchas and rhetorical fallacies. It’s not only tiring to those who engage with you and makes you insufferable, it also makes it so you have no fucking idea what is actually happening on Earth and will consistently be wrong. Ever wonder why the “tankies” are always right, about opposing American Wars while you squishy idealist lefties are consistently incorrect and fall for it over and over? Why does your tendency always believe in every American imperialist project like Ukraine, Israel, Syria until it’s over or in serious decline and finally removes its mask? Maybe just try listening to the people who were right the whole time and continue to be right, and find out how it is they’re doing it (it’s materialist marxist analysis).
They’ll help to the extent it furthers their own goals, and they’ll turn on you as soon as that furthers their goals.
You see, while hypocrite liberals feign reproach, the Global South understands that. You can live with Israel as an ally, others will grab any helping hand available because they don’t have the luxury to refuse. While THE UNITED STATES represent an EXISTENTIAL THREAT to the entire world, there’s no other way.
Whether Russia gets on that level or not, that’s a consideration for another day.
Whether Russia gets on that level or not, that’s a consideration for another day.
Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m overly pessimistic about it. But I just don’t think it’ll pan out the way you hope. I don’t see dependence on Russia panning out well for more than just a little while. Maybe it’s worth a moment’s respite, but I worry it only perpetuates the cycle, not breaks it.
What the fuck do you want, man? I’m working all the hours I can just to still not make enough to cover my bills. I barely have any time or money for myself. I try to join events, and I try to volunteer a little time here and there to contribute to things, but I can’t champion every cause even if I recognize it’s one worth fighting for. Just because I don’t meet whatever arbitrary minimum standard you want to set doesn’t mean I don’t care, and it doesn’t mean I don’t try to help make things better.
The cold truth is that no usian really cares, they’re too busy scrolling smartphones and eating bad food to stop supporting either reds or blues to do the same fucking thing in the office. No real change will come from the extremely racialized and racist, too individualist, US society.
Russia is providing humanitarian aid to Cuba (that is being starved by your US) and helping to repel European colonizers in Africa, e.g. the Sahel. Yeah, Russia isn’t the USSR but one can realize who is the lesser evil in the Global South’s eyes.
I could list humanitarian aid the US has delivered, too, almost certainly at times at odds with Russian cruelty, but I don’t really want to go there because I don’t see it as a meaningful distinction because I primarily see the difference between the US and Russia as one of capacity, not ethics. If Russia had the power and position the US has, I don’t think they’d act any better. They’re no less evil; they just have less capacity to enact evil. That’s why I can understand a desire to distance oneself from the US and can even understand how Russia could be perceived as an ally, but I don’t think they’re a genuine ally. They’ll help to the extent it furthers their own goals, and they’ll turn on you as soon as that furthers their goals.
it’s telling that you have to come up with idealist hypotheticals of why Russia could be bad if they were like the US. Instead of just, looking at and describing reality where the USA is the fascist empire rampaging across the planet with 800 foreign military bases while Russia has 0.
You have been trained your whole life by the Liberal hegemonic worldview that was instilled as you in education and through media to immediately begin Rationalizing everything, digesting it into a soup where you are the good guy and those who oppose you are the bad guys, or at the least that everything is the same and nothing matters. Every single geopolitical and historical fact you have ever encountered and discussed with others has been filtered through this Liberal Idealist Rationalizing process, where you break it down and come up with some hypotheticals or twist it through some contortions and what-ifs and allegories and metaphors until it comes out what you want it to.
Stop doing that. Just look at hard facts. Use materialism and empiricism. Stop being a fucking debate nerd who needs to turn everything into gotchas and rhetorical fallacies. It’s not only tiring to those who engage with you and makes you insufferable, it also makes it so you have no fucking idea what is actually happening on Earth and will consistently be wrong. Ever wonder why the “tankies” are always right, about opposing American Wars while you squishy idealist lefties are consistently incorrect and fall for it over and over? Why does your tendency always believe in every American imperialist project like Ukraine, Israel, Syria until it’s over or in serious decline and finally removes its mask? Maybe just try listening to the people who were right the whole time and continue to be right, and find out how it is they’re doing it (it’s materialist marxist analysis).
You see, while hypocrite liberals feign reproach, the Global South understands that. You can live with Israel as an ally, others will grab any helping hand available because they don’t have the luxury to refuse. While THE UNITED STATES represent an EXISTENTIAL THREAT to the entire world, there’s no other way.
Whether Russia gets on that level or not, that’s a consideration for another day.
Don’t assume I approve of that even a little bit.
Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m overly pessimistic about it. But I just don’t think it’ll pan out the way you hope. I don’t see dependence on Russia panning out well for more than just a little while. Maybe it’s worth a moment’s respite, but I worry it only perpetuates the cycle, not breaks it.
What are you doing against it?
What the fuck do you want, man? I’m working all the hours I can just to still not make enough to cover my bills. I barely have any time or money for myself. I try to join events, and I try to volunteer a little time here and there to contribute to things, but I can’t champion every cause even if I recognize it’s one worth fighting for. Just because I don’t meet whatever arbitrary minimum standard you want to set doesn’t mean I don’t care, and it doesn’t mean I don’t try to help make things better.
The cold truth is that no usian really cares, they’re too busy scrolling smartphones and eating bad food to stop supporting either reds or blues to do the same fucking thing in the office. No real change will come from the extremely racialized and racist, too individualist, US society.