#I was a victim of russian propaganda for so long

[ohsalome]

the intention of comparing the reaction to Palestine vs Ukraine is typically not to criticize Ukrainian victims of war. The criticism is directed at American spectators, because the people in power here are insanely anti Palestinian but have made overtures to help Ukraines resistance efforts despite comparable situations. Regular citizens also mostly support Ukraine but many hate Palestinians. People are just comparing palestine to Ukraine as a point of reference to try to make those people understand.

As kindly as possible, I do not think you can educate people out of islamophobia by appealing to their conscience, at the very least because if they had one they wouldn't be islamophobic in the first place.

And when it comes to people in power, appealing to their empathy in the case with Palestine is fruitless because the help Ukraine got wasn't motivated by emotion either. I do not expect you to know the history of current russo-ukrainian war well, so you probably don't know that the western world was perfectly happy to watch russia roll all over us punishment-free as long as they felt that other "properly european countries" won't be involved. Russia has been butchering us since 2014, and nobody gave a fuck about it. Even during the first few weeks of the full-scale invasion NATO refused to send us any military help, because they expected us to fall and were okay with it.

The current support we have did not fall on us from the sky by the graceful kindness of "our american overlords" - it is a consequence of the cumulative effort of our diplomats, pre-existing agreements with NATO countries, and the economical ripples the full-scale war caused (Ukraine being one of the major world exporters of grain being one of the most relevant).

This is why, sadly Palestine cannot follow the Ukrainian scenario of foreign support. The surrounding circumstances of both of our wars are way to different, and while it is easy to ignore them while making simplistic quick-dopamine-hit posts on hellbr dot com, they do influence the real-world situation on the ground. Which is what posts like the one I replied to do - they create a no-nuance misinformed image of the war in Ukraine. Which amplifies the problem even more, because even though "most americans" can agree on a generic "war in Ukraine bad", their idea of what is going on here is hugely misinformed as it is. And this has harmful real-life consequences on which our very survival depends.

Look. I understand that the war between Palestine and Israel has been going on for decades. I understand that there are many contexts that are obvious to the people in the respective countries that I am oblivious to by the virtue of never being there and not speaking arabic nor hebrew. I understand that there is a lot of propaganda that I may accidentally spread out of my ignorance, and therefore I try to be careful to avoid doing so, out of respect to the people living there. So why is it too much to ask you to give the same respect to us?

Like I have said before, the biggest issue with that infographic post is that it spreads misinformation. In the simplest of terms, misinformation is bad. People are trying to do any smallest thing to help Palestinians - who are currently barely surviving in inhumanely horrifying conditions - and out of ignorance they are spreading anti-ukrainian propaganda. Downplaying the number of ukrainian victims (and, as a result, making russian war crimes look "not as bad") is anti-ukrainian propaganda. Making it seem as we are getting "too much american help" is anti-ukrainian propaganda, because USA is our biggest military exporter, and getting less ammo/vehicles/etc will have catastrophic effect on the amount of death.

Which is why am not staying silent on this, even if your collective intentions are noble and good. Because, I will repeat myself again, your intentions do not matter if the consequences of your actions are harmful. And if (a) comparing Ukraine and Palestine is uneffective; (b) it portrays your ignorance of either one or both of the wars; and (c) simultaneously with spreading support for the palestinian cause you are spreading harmful anti-ukrainian pro-russian propaganda, I do not think it is too much to ask you to stop.

[anastasiareyreed]

all russians are guilty and let me explain why.

make yourself comfortable, it's gonna be a long ride.

you might notice that every time, if russians appear in a movie, series or documentary, they have either done something criminal, are doing it or are planning to do it. because the entire history of russia's existence is built on crimes, wars, genocides and occupations — Ukraine, Syria, Georgia, Chechnia and many more.

russia unleashed the most frequent genocidal attacks against Ukraine. occupation of Ukrainian lands and enslavement of Ukrainians, constant persecution and murder of speakers of the Ukrainian language, Ukrainian poets, writers, teachers — the entire nation, any Ukrainian figures of culture or politics. And, of course, the awful Holodomor (if you more into visualization, watch the movie about the Holodomor — «Mr Jones».)

no matter who is in power, throughout its existence, russia has been trying to destroy Ukraine and everything related to Ukrainian culture and history.

first of all, I think the terms «guilty» and «bad» must be separated here. I'm not saying all russians are bad, because «bad» is quite subjective and vague term. just like term «good». a person can be good in relations with neighbors, good at their job or good meaning polite. but what happens to a «good» person who stands by when other people are killed, tortured and raped in front of this person's eyes and on this person's behalf? this person becomes guilty. and many can and DO have the right to call and consider this person bad.

what exactly you are doing when you write «not all russians support the war»? you tell Ukrainians that THIS TIME there are definitely good russians, good guys among the people who constantly repressed Ukrainian people. but let me tell you this. if ten people stand in front of me and tell me that only one of them probably is not a murderer, I WILL NOT trust that person. I won't risk my life, and I'm sure you won't either.

I, like many Ukrainians, had friends or relatives in russia. but all of us were betrayed by these people, because it is in their DNA to put themselves above Ukrainians. and it's quite unreasonable in the digital age to justify their position about war by the fact that they don't know anything and totally drowned in propaganda. do they not know how to search for information, use their phones, computers or brain?

when you say that right now not all russians are against Ukraine or Syria, you cannot be sure that a russian who writes «I don't support the war» is telling the truth. that this person is not trying to maintain their public image and avoid condemnation. how can we believe the word of the representatives of the nation that every decade wage a war? the presumption of innocence doesn't apply here, hundreds of thousands of victims of russia are proof of that.

my favorite topic that people like to manipulate is how can we blame russian children. sure, we are in our right mind, so we don't say that a russian child is as guilty as an adult russian man who raped Ukrainian children and tortured Ukrainian women and men. we say that the russian child must know and feel collective responsibility from an early age, so that in the future the child doesn't take the place of that adult russian man.

while other countries honor the memory of their heroes and victims of the WWII on the day of victory over the fascists, only the russians proudly and joyfully said every year that they could repeat and start another war. which they did. that's why russian children should see that the world associates russia only with death, crimes and wars. that the world doesn't tolerate russian products, art, culture or people. this is the only way children will be able to realize from an early age that this way of russia's lifestyle is condemned by the world and must be radically changed.

Ukrainian and Syrian children, who are currently suffering from russia's actions, grew up too early and lost their childhood, they know what war is, know that it's evil and russia is a terrorist state. russian children should know this as well, so that the changes in the russian mentality — that the world has been waiting for several centuries in a row​ — have come.

you say russian children are not guilty, sure, but they are taught that war is branded, powerful, cool and solid. Ukrainian and Syrian children are not guilty, but they are taught how to act if their parents are killed by a russian missile. you say russian youth are not guilty and shouldn't risk their future to protest against the war. Ukrainian and Syrian youth are not guilty, but every day they give their lives for the freedom that the russians are trying to take away.

russian soldiers who went to kill Ukrainians and Syrians. russians who are relatives, friends or colleagues of these soldiers. russians who openly support wars in Ukraine & Syria or show their passivity. russians who volunteer to support the russian army. russians, who for centuries raised their children with imperialist views and contempt for other nations and races. and, as history shows, will continue to raise in the same way, no matter how the war ends. if russia loses they will raise children ready for another revenge. if russia wins they will raise children with mindset that Ukrainians are an inferior nation. russians have hundreds of years of experience in it. ask how the peoples that russia once occupied live today.

imagine what those hundreds of thousands of russian soldiers would achieve not on peaceful Ukrainian streets, killing people, but somewhere in a square in moscow, protesting against the war. soldiers, their relatives, friends and neighbors. eight years ago, Ukrainians protested against the dictator, dying for their principles and freedom.

Iranians went against a real dictator, dying for their principles and freedom. because this is the only way to achieve change.

the only «protest» action of russians is to post a picture somewhere online or to stand peacefully for half an hour in a small group of people, passively holding «no war» piece of paper and leaving before dark, because tomorrow they have to go to work or universities. russians support the war or simply don't care, because it's easier to live that way. if they chose collective indifference, they must face collective responsibility.

your «not all russians are guilty» is based on your assumptions about the good faith of russians, a naive idea of what this nation really is. my «all russians are guilty» is based on hundreds of years of history of relations between russia and Ukraine. on the number of wars russia has waged in the past and is waging now, the number of nations it has destroyed and the number of evil actions the world has forgiven the russians, hoping that THIS TIME everything will definitely be different.

[the-shipper-center]

*. ! MY DNI LIST 🌟

Disclaimer !! DNI lists are made so you can know what kinda of people i don't want following me or even trying to befriend me. I know I can't control who is gonna rb, see, or like my posts all the time, but I can block ppl who follow/dm me. DNI lists are not up to debate or discussion. I will not reply to ppl starting arguments about what they think is wrong about my DNI. My DNI is hella long, and i'm proud of that 🌟 Note: it may have some typos.

!! DNI IF YOU ... 🪻

Queerphobe:

— Hold beliefs that are queerphobic.

— Support conversion therapy or believe in the pathologization of queer identities.

— Attack people’s pronouns( is against xeno/neutral/neo or graphic pronouns).

— Radical feminism (radfem) and trans-exclusionary radical feminism (TERF), transmed(A person who believes that medically-diagnosed gender dysphoria or medical transition are essential traits of being transgender), transcum(A person who believes that gender dysphoria is an essential trait to being transgender).

— Deny the validity of xenogender identities or believe that only neurodivergent individuals can be xenogender.

— If you deny trans individuals access to gender-affirming care, whether medical, psychological, or social.

Racist and xenophobic:

— Support or spread white supremacy, neo-Nazism, anti-Black, anti-Asian, anti-Indigenous, anti-Latino, or ethnic nationalism.

— Use racial slurs, mock ethnic traditions, or engage in cultural appropriation.

— Deny the existence of systemic racism or dismissed movements like Black Lives Matter.

— Has xenophobic beliefs against immigrants or foreign cultures.

— Advocate for fascism, Nazism, or far-right extremism.

— Promote harmful conspiracy theories that demonize marginalized communities.

— Engage in or support political violence against minorities or dissenters.

— Spread antisemitic conspiracy theories or rhetoric.

— Support Zionism or justify actions that harm Palestinian people.

— Defend Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or promote Russian propaganda.

— Support Israeli policies that lead to the oppression of Palestinians.

MAP/NoMAPs:

— Support MAPs, NoMAPs, Zoopride, or any notion that minors and animals can give consent to sexual interactions or relationships.

— Deny that paraphilic individuals can seek recovery or that their paraphilias might harm others.

— Anti-para that believe that paraphilics should be "killed" or harmed.

— Pro contact of any kind.

— Believe that paraphilias are just harmless kinks, ignoring the need for recovery when they are causing harm.

— People who use terms like "cp," "cheese pizza," "kiddie corn," etc, when referring to CSEM.

Misogyny or sexist:

— Disrespect people for their gender and if you perpetuate harmful stereotypes about gender roles—such as believing women should solely fulfill domestic responsibilities or that non-binary individuals are invalid.

— Support or excuse rape culture and dismiss the prevalence of gender-based violence. If you believe that victims are somehow responsible for the violence inflicted upon them or if you make jokes about sexual assault.

— Deny the existence of trans individuals or refuse to accept them as their identified gender. Anyone who refuses to acknowledge the identities of trans individuals or insists on misgendering them is not welcome here.

— Spread harmful myths about trans individuals, such as calling trans people “predators”. If you hold the belief that victims of harassment or assault are responsible for the actions taken against them based on their behavior, clothing, or choices, you are perpetuating harmful narratives that silence victims and protect perpetrators.

— If you believe that certain traits or behaviors should be confined to specific gender(such as associating emotional expression with weakness in men or suggesting that ambition is unbecoming in women).

— If you promote toxic masculinity, it refers to cultural norms that encourage men to be aggressive, unemotional, and dominant while discouraging vulnerability and compassion. If you believe that men should conform to rigid standards of masculinity that harm not only women but also men themselves, you are contributing to a harmful environment that perpetuates violence and emotional repression.

In Kink:

— Shame others for their kinks or sexual preferences. Everyone has the right to explore their sexuality without judgment, as long as it involves consenting adults.

— If you are an adult who interacts with or attempts to involve minors in kink-related activities or discussions, you are crossing an ethical and moral line.

— Think that kink should not be in pride.

— Advocate for the normalization of kink in inappropriate spaces. Respecting boundaries is key; discussing kink should happen in contexts where all participants are consenting adults and comfortable with the topic.

In Fandom & Others:

— If You harras people over fiction.

— If you think that AO3 should be censored.

— If you mock or invalidate individuals who engage in reality shifting.

— If you invalidate or attack those who identify as alterhuman(individuals who feel a connection to non-human identities or experience their identities in non-human ways) such as Therian, otherkin, dollkins and more.

— If you actively express disdain or negativity towards the furry community.

— If you engage in shipping real individuals, such as celebrities or public figures, especially in ways that invade their privacy or misrepresent their relationships. It's okay if they publicly expressed that they are okay with it.

— If you think that it is valid to identify as "kin" of real individuals, such as celebrities or historical figures. Additionally, claiming kinship with deities, gods, or religious figures(such as Jesus).

— If you enforce strict criteria on who can be considered a part of a fandom or who can engage in certain shipping practices.

— Mock or ridicule individuals for their interests or passions.

— Mock people's boundaries.

— If you can't tell the difference between real life and fiction.

— If you propagate stereotypes that characterize fandom members as obsessive, socially awkward, or harmful, you contribute to the stigma surrounding fandom culture.

— If you target individuals who identify as lolicons, shotacons, or lolishos by calling them pedophiles. Not all individuals who enjoy or engage in lolisho content condone real-life harm against minors.

— If you express disdain for self-shippers.

— If you harass or belittle self-shippers who have s/os that are characters fictionals minors, animals, or with incestuous dynamics.

— Pro/neutral about AI.

[junk-whunk-punk]

broski are you in like... Russia? U doing ok over there?

Uh ummmmm😳😳... ????????? yes i'm in Russia????? i always was here??????

I guess, uh, PERSONALLY I'm quite well yeah thank you for your concern anon😌 I'm ok rn and I live the same way as any of my average fellow citizen soooo I also sometimes suffer from a lack of money, comfort attention, love, time and mental energy, but at least I'm still alive🥹 That's all like this thanks to my impenetrable thinking and pacifism heehee, otherwise I'd have gone crazy with this continuous political propaganda here.

I just love my motherland, its culture, its people and life here, but not those poliDICKians who are now measuring dicks with other such idiots.

(anon if you wanted to have a filthy political answer so uhhh IT'LL BE A QUITE LONG POST ABOUT MY INNER CRIES THAT WERE WAITING FOR FREEDOM I'M SORRYYYYY I just want to speak out and never return to this topic again if there's no need to)

I feel sorry and upset each time I see how radicalist propaganda brainwashes ordinary people, whether ukrainians, americans, russians or any other peoples who are now under intense pressure. Neither side is right, everyone who starts conflicts is always to blame for any conflict, but not ordinary people who just want to fucking survive. Alas, in my motherland there is just terrible oppression of pacifists now, because they are considered anti-patriots and extremists (that's NOT even a joke really, now pacifists are being driven under the same roof with terrorists and sectarians👍👍)

I'm just so scared of what that all will lead. Y'know, adequate and sane people would never want to harm anyone but OH ALAS, a drop of power makes weak people crazy. Unfortunately, such rotten fruits are now at the head of many influential countries in the modern world🤷‍♀️

But! I have a ray of hope. Many russians are aware of this problem. They know that the russian authorities seem to be set against absolutely everyone, both their fellow citizens and foreigners. That's why I chose the perfect tactic – I'm also against. Against all politicians. I am against all authorities😌 I just hate them all😌 but at the same time I love people regardless of their nationality. As for me, this is the most humane and the most correct choice, at least if we take into account the fact that we russians cannot influence the situation in world, no matter how much we want it. (c'mon we can't even choose anything in our own country)

So. The conclusion. I'm scared, I'm angry and I'm an anarchist yeah. Stay sane and don't be a victim of radical propaganda. Love people. Be supportive to those who in need. We ALL are fellow humans and we must stay them.

[mariacallous]

The pictures are haunting. There are portraits of Ukrainian men and women who have spent months and years in Russian captivity: soldiers, civilians, paramedics and volunteers. All experienced torture and brutal treatment. Many carry physical scars from their time as inmates. They are among the prisoners of war swapped since 2014, when Vladimir Putin began his Ukraine invasion, with a covert takeover in the east.

In 2019, the Ukrainian photojournalist Zoya Shu began photographing those freed from Russian detention. Over five years, she spent time with former prisoners of war (PoWs) in their homes, talking to them about their life stories and listening to their harrowing accounts of beatings and other forms of daily abuse.

“They suffered. I see them not as victims but as survivors. What they experienced is horrendous,” she says.

Some of those she photographed have terrible wounds. In 2014, Russian “separatist” fighters carved a swastika on the back of a local man, Bogdan Sergiets, in the eastern city of Donetsk. They accused him of supporting Ukraine and being a “Nazi”. Another photo is a portrait of Aiden Aslin, a British volunteer captured in April 2022 while fighting for Ukraine. He and his fellow British prisoner Shaun Pinner, who were both threatened with execution, say they were beaten, stabbed with knives and electrocuted.

Other wounds are less conspicuous. Many prisoners, both men and women, said they were subjected to sexual violence and rape. In Russia and occupied areas of Ukraine, interrogators used a wind-up military field telephone to administer electric shocks, attaching crocodile clips to genitals and nipples.

“There is physical and psychological trauma,” says Shu. “It’s difficult to deal with, and profound. It takes a long time to heal.”

Another torture method is starvation. One former prisoner of war, Borys, said he lost 45kg (99lb) during two years in various camps: “I got very thin. When I was released I was so weak I couldn’t put my leg on to a step.”

Borys says a fellow inmate was so emaciated he became unable to walk and “went mad”, adding: “He couldn’t lift his arms. He stopped eating. They took him away. We don’t know what happened [to him].”

Borys says his captors hit him with plastic pipes and shocked him with stun guns. This was done in a corridor, where there were no CCTV cameras to record the abuse. One day, his guards said his situation would improve if he gave an interview to a Russian propaganda TV channel. They also tried to “re-educate” him.

“They loved to teach us about ‘history’ – we were ‘fascists’. They told us Ukraine was always a part of Russia and didn’t exist,” Borys says.

Other ex-prisoners said they were made to sing the Russian national anthem and recite patriotic poems and songs from Russia. “One goal is to destroy Ukrainian identity,” Shu says, adding that a soldier from western Ukraine who could not speak Russian received extra punishments.

“There is a pattern of constant and systemic violations [of human rights],” Shu says, calling this “state policy”.

Some former detainees have successfully rebuilt their lives. Others remain haunted by their experiences and suffer from depression and panic attacks. According to Kyiv’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, 3,405 people have been returned from captivity, including 95 PoWs on 17 July. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians, military and civilians, are believed to remain in Russian jails.

The exact tally of PoWs is unknown. The figure includes about 1,500 soldiers captured in May 2022 when the garrison defending the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol surrendered. The Kremlin refuses to give a comprehensive list of the people it holds, adding to the agony of families whose loved ones went missing in action.

Shu is critical of international organisations that help detainees. In her view, they have failed to pressure the Kremlin to improve dire conditions for prisoners and to end widespread abuse.

“Where is the Red Cross? Where is the UN? Where is everybody?” she asks. “There doesn’t seem to be much activity or urgency. The level of brutality and torture in Russian prisons requires immediate action.”

[bookshelfdreams]

There's been some news articles here that the AfD wasn't kicked out of the ID for being too Neonazi, but by being too obvious about it. RN cut ties because while they do in fact agree on politics, RN is trying to appeal to more moderate conservatives. AfD is just being too overtly nazi, especially currently. So it isn't really that AfD was too far right-wing for the others, even though RN and others may say that for publicity reasons to save their image, but that they didn't have the forethought to hide it a bit more.

I mean, that's kind of true. Part of it is definitely that Krah couldn't just keep his big dumb mouth shut. That he had to go and be #notallSS. In an interview. With an Italian newspaper. Being "well, acshully" about the most notorious war criminals in European history still doesn't go over well with our neighbours who were the victims in said war crimes (like, say, literally erasing entire villages). Who would have thought. That's the line he crossed.

(Yes, he's an idiot of truly incomprehensible magnitude)

It is also correct that Le Pen and friends are distancing himself from him and the AfD in general more because of optics than any actual political stances. This is calculation, not the sudden emergence of a moral core, I agree with that.

However.

It really can not be overstated just how bad the optics are. This isn't just about a controversial quote.

This is also about the fact that the second in line after Krah, Petr Bystron, is accused of being entangled in the whole Voice of Europe affair - a misinformation network, revealed to have been controlled by the Russian state, and accused of having paid political actors to spread propaganda. Bystron is alleged to have taken 20,000€ from them. Supposedly, there's tapes of this. He denies it, of course, but there was enough evidence to lift his immunity and to issue a warrant to raid his office, so. (There's also reports that he initially complained about being paid in 200€ bills. Allegedly, he would have preferred smaller ones.)

Consequences from the party? He was advised by Krah to keep to the background during the election campaign. Other than this, nothing.

Then, of course there was Krah's employee Jian G., who was arrested on accusations of espionage for the Chinese government. Krah had no idea this was even happening, you guys, seriously! Taken aback he was. Shocked. Scandalized, even.

And there was the time chats came to light in which pro-Russia Ukrainian Oleg Voloshyn assured him that "problems" with "compensation" had been sovled and from May on, "everything will be as it was before February". Seems like he took money from Russia too, doesn't it? He denies it. He never answered the message, Voloshyn probably just wanted to invite him to the opera. or the message was meant for someone else. (No, really. That's what Krah said).

Again, consequences? From the party? For any of this? Nada.

This is the problem. The AfD is openly corrupt and incompetent, the chairs clearly have 0 control over their own members, and none of these absolute buffoons can behave like civilized people in public. This isn't even touching on all the many, many scandals the party had on a national level this year alone!

f course you can't be a far right populist and have manners or a modicum of decency, so the fact that even people like Marine le Pen find the AfD unbearable - honestly gives me a little hope? There's an election in my state this year, and the AfD is predicted to get about 30%. That's very bad.

I do not think any of the clowns in I&D are better people for excluding the AfD. I don't think any of them will take this as an opportunity to take a good long look in the mirror and examine all the hatred they have in their heart.

This is, however, another little act of self-destruction. Another brick crumbling from the foundation of the party. I hope it all comes crashing down.

[jewishbarbies]

Hi, I hope this isn't rude, but could you please breakdown your thoughts on the whole 'people saying celebrities are terrible because they are zionist, or similar things' thing? Because I've seen it a lot.

this is a little long just because I wanted to be thorough in explaining the reasoning and thought processes here so sorry if you weren’t up for that.

well, just based on historical fact, claiming jews are not indigenous to the levant is asinine and antisemitic. so when people are upset someone is a zionist, they’re upset they believe in jewish indigeneity. that, and they grossly misunderstand zionism and its many forms. they hear zionist and immediately jump to “this person hates palestinians, wants them all dead, and bootlicks for the Israeli government” and that’s where 99% of problems lie when discussing it. because that’s not what it means. the root belief of zionism is that jews have the right to self determination in the land they’re indigenous to, not that no one else can too. there’s no tenant of zionism that states you HAVE to wipe everyone else in the region out in order to self determine there.

now, there’s political and Christian zionism which are both corrupt and bigoted versions of zionism (most jews agree with this, from what I can tell). it’s christian and political zionism that’s used in the way leftists think ALL zionism is. christians use their zionism to be Islamophobic and continue voting for republicans because they fetishize jews and the modern state of Israel. politicians use their zionism to beguile american christian voters and further sow seeds of hate in their base. both these camps use jews as scapegoats for their hatred and lust for power, and progressives have fallen for it hook line and sinker because terrorist organizations like hamas know they can work both sides with this and some misinformation disguised as colorful infographics on social media.

just like the russian bots that have been spewing disinformation to rally support for putin and hate for ukraine, terrorists use leftists’ fundamental misunderstanding of zionism, judaism, and their internal bias toward jews to gain support for hamas, claiming hamas is simply fighting back against israel. but they use language leftists have become obsessed with to do it - like colonialism, for example. they know leftists give a strong response to that language and are prone to fall victim to propaganda, and they’ve used it to their advantage for decades. palestinians haven’t had an election since 2007. would freedom fighters do that? no. freedom fighters value - you guessed it - freedom.

my thoughts are that leftists fall victim to disinformation like “zionism = colonialism because jews are all white Europeans” because they refuse to vet their sources and responsibly engage with the things happening in the world. they would much rather scream at and boycott and ostracize a minority community than do the work because screaming is easier and more people hear it. being mad about zionism for these people has become a social competition to see who can seem the most progressive, and it’s only shown their bare asses. they’re refusing to listen to the 70% of palestinians who want a peaceful resolution with Israel, the people of gaza who marched during oppression chanting anti hamas chants, and refuse to acknowledge what happened on Oct 7th because all of it would make supporting hamas the wrong thing to do. they’re too deep in it now. they can’t admit they’ve been fucking up. they can’t admit that they wanted revolution in their own country so bad that they yelled over and trampled the people they claimed to be trying to help, and they can’t admit they’ve fallen for propaganda because they’ve convinced themselves they’re immune. they believe they’d punch nazis and hide jews and they’re soooo progressive there’s no way they’d fall for obvious lies. but they have. and they will continue to do so until it’s their lives being played with by privileged assholes in another country with racial biases.

unless someone who identifies as zionist is actually calling for the death and/or relocation of palestinians in the region, then no, they’re not terrible. it’s truly that simple.

[victimsofyaoipoll]

Round 3

Propaganda under the cut

Shiv Roy

She's honestly kind of a canonical victim of yaoi almost. She and her husband Tom have a loveless marriage but never end up getting divorced. Tom has a weird psychosexual obsession with Shiv's cousin Greg and at one point literally compares them all to the time Emperor Nero pushed his wife down the stairs and then castrated and married a slave boy named Sporus (Tom is unwell). Anyway the show just ended and long story short Tom is now CEO of Shiv's family's evil company and she is reduced to being his pregnant wife (which is the result of her voting not to authorize either of her brothers as CEO in order to save them from themselves) and Tom made another weird comment about literally owning Greg. And now people who ship Tom and Greg are like "omg it's canon we won" but I don't. Think that they did. Sorry I'm rambling it was just a really good finale idek if this counts but

I will be honest I'm not really tuned into the tomgreg fandom, but tons of people wanted tom to leave shiv and get with greg and tons of people thought shiv was the devil incarnate and refused to see any nuance in her character and I don't think those two things are a coincidence. 

She gets a lot of hate from fans, largely just for being a woman who reacts in a non pretty way to abuse and for doing the exact same shitty stuff her brothers do. But also a large part of the hate she gets comes from the people who ship her husband with her cousin. To the point where people claim she's abusing her husband who views her as an accessory, a baby factory, and a ticket to money. Don't get me wrong, their relationship is incredibly toxic and unhealthy, but it is so on both of their parts. But Shiv's the only one who gets criticized for it

Peggy Carter

She’s a victim of Stucky mainly bc of the way marvel used her to give Steve an ooc ‘happy ending, but I know I’ve seen some posts calling her toxic or something it was 2019 so In CAT:FA, she’s introduced as a confident British agent. She has some chemistry w Steve Rogers (although more fans (on tumblr at least) preferred Steve and Bucky). She wasn’t just *woman who is strong*, but also had some emotional depth, with an actual range of emotion outside of angry and sad. She had a spin-off show, and she just continued to fight Russians and misogynists, even having chemistry in an almost wlw relationship and an eventual marriage to a famous shield agent. She went through character development and just was an awesome character. Then you know what endgame does? It has Steve Rogers travel back in time and take all of that development away. Most fans were mad at Marvel, and a lot were mad at Steve, but some fans threw Peggy completely under the bus, saying that they traded the (fanon?) queer ship/(canon) friendship for a bland love interest, which, um, she was so much more then that? I remember people really disliking Peggy, which isn’t fair to her character when she is/was so much more then that.

Peggy is vilified by people who ship Steve with his war comrade Bucky Barnes. I’ve even seen people claiming baselessly that she was secretly HYDRA the whole time. 

She gets in the way of stucky which OBVIOUSLY gives people, most of them women themselves, the right to be ridiculously misogynistic. Dismissing her character arc, traits, presence in the movies and her part in Steve Roger's life, saying she is insignificant on the ground of very subjective readings is one thing, but outright calling her 'just some old coochie', among other colourful, wonderful things, is another. They also keep reaching to villainize her (saying she's a literal nazi which she's not) and cancel her so their ship is somehow made more valid for it, erasing the competition as it were.

[kendrixtermina]

Misleading Claims about Gaza I’ve seen flying around

So I want to speak to a set of claims I’ve seen flying around that, while not 100% lies, get presented in a hugely misleading way.

I, a rando with an internet connection, was able to find with a simple google & wikipedia search that they were severely taken out of context.

1. They threw a gay person off a roof

Never happened.

This is a clear echo off of roof-related execution done by ISIS meaning to conflate the orgs in the mind of an uneducated westerner who doesn’t know how ME political groups are different.

There was indeed one (1) case of a person being accused of being gay & then executed (not by being thrown off a roof) – but that was among a long list of other crimes, & their relatives say it’s a pretext/slander to cover internal hamas power struggle.

Not great, part of a larger tendency to be repressive toward some rival factions, but hardly „systematic persecution and executions of gays“.

While it’s not exactly Amsterdam, there is no systematic or legally encoded persecution. There are cases of ppl being shunned or kicked out by their family, but you can say the same about, say, Alabama.

I’ve come across various posts by LBTQ people who travelled there and were not especially harassed. One even wore a flag pin.

A common thing you hear is that ppl are too busy just surviving & ending their more general oppression to worry too much about stuff like holding a pride march.

2. It’s forbidden to teach the holocaust in Gaza

This should have you very suspicious if you’re aware how little control Palestinians actually have over their education system and how they’re often handed textbooks with pro-zionist curriculums that present the Nakba as good (!) - to the point that arab students in mixed town hear their teachers call them the „enemy“ & younger palestinian educators often have not heard of famous palestinian writers & poets.

Indeed the claim probably goes back to a single dispute about a single UN course on human rights where Hamas officials expressed concerns about a curriculum that might include the holocaust for fear of indoctrination & zionist propaganda.

(Not an unreasonable fear, if you’re aware of the racist textbooks issue.)

During the discourse, there was an individual Hamas official who made some statement to the effect that the holocaust was probably just another lie made up by the Zionist to justify taking their country.

The man hasn’t been in power for years, btw (a good thing, seeing as he seems ignorant & incendiary) – genuine L for that guy & Hamas for hiring him. Not defending him at all, that guy is an idiot. But its NOT a comprehensive ban on the subject at all (indeed many Palestinians you see online seem quite well-informed)

But note how the claim is often presented in a way to evoke western neo-nazis who have long been motivated to explain away the biggest argument as to why their ideology is a bad idea.

Can you really compare these situations, though?

Make no mistake: The holocaust defo happened.

But why do I know this? Because I’ve read books by survivors as well as accounts of US & russian soldiers who found the mess. I’ve been to Dachau on a school trip & the walls of the gas chambers still had nail marks on them. I’ve been to that house in prague where all the walls are covered in victim’s names. My grandmother saw the infamous auschwitz human skin lamp with her own eyeballs. Heck, her father in law narrowly survived by jumping out of one of those death trains.

Now, does an older arab guy in a besieged, impoverished enclave have access to that proof? It’s not like he can travel to europe & go to a museum.

Also, as someone who went to an european school, I remember being told precious little about the middle east and some of it was stereotypic bullshit. So why would an arab guy living under a much worse-funded education system know much more about european history?

He’s used to the zionists spouting 2+2 = 5 lies, propaganda & spin all the time, so if he doesn’t know a lot about europe, he might jump to the conclusion that this thing they use to justify the conquest of his home is probably a lie as well.

Quite different from an european neo nazi denying mountains of proof out of wounded pride. (or because he actually thinks it was nbd but can’t say so publicly)

It’s kinda like the way radfems refuse to believe that men aren’t making up all their problems...

Again, it’s an L for that hamas guy, kids have nothing to fear from learning accurate facts about foreign countries, I'll always be against censorship & pro free information.

But one (1) idiot politician saying something offensive does NOT equal the subject being explicitly banned from discussion in all gazan schools.

The claim also leaves out the context that since Hamas also provides schooling & welfare there’s a bit of a rivalry/power struggle between it & the aid orgs (golly gee, I wonder why a population utterly abandoned by the international community would distrust foreigners...)

Something that was very telling about the post is „liberate gaza so they can finally learn about the holocaust!“ like its this all-important thing - I mean, it IS very important… if you’re european or jewish, cause in that case it massively impacted your civilization and your own family history. But it wasn’t the only mass murder nor the worst by method (rwanda) or number (stalinist purges) & doesn’t have this magic objective value, europe isn’t the navel of the earth & the ppl aren’t wrong not to want eurocentrism shoved down their throats.

I do think everyone should be taught about the evils of discrimination but probably a more natural place to start might be the armenian genocide, since Palestine used to be Ottoman. Or examples of discrimination in the arab world (including against jews)

I mean in that instance the guy was most likely being paranoid & advancing some power strugle agenda, & I’d say he was in the wrong, but the touchiness & concern about indoctrination has a reason & one instance of complaining about one course does NOT equal a general ban on the subject in schools. (many of which, are, after all, run by international orgs)

Frankly, a people living in a walled ghetto probably already know more about the evils of discrimination than anyone who doesn’t.

Also, it’s very ironic for Israel to go accusing others of denying atrocities when even mentioning the Nakba can cost you your academic career.

There’s no Israeli teens going to Nakba Museum and indeed school books portraying it as good that are forced on the arabs as well.

Imagine if a Romani, Jewish or Polish person in modern day Germany were forced to look upon textbooks full of common Nazi apologia like „Hitler built the Motorways“, „But Dresden!“ and „We only lost WWI cause the socialists backstabbed us!“ (For the record, all of those are all bullshit.)

3. When Israeli settlers pulled out of Gaza, the first thing they did is raze the synagogues

Again, this is deliberately phrased to remind westerners or diasporic jews of neo-nazis throwing molotovs and the like (if only our governments did as much against those as they’re presently doing to slander anti-war protesters… ), to trigger immediate sympathy for Israel & portray gazans as a bunch of vandalizing hatecrimers.

As the previous claims, this is „very loosely based on a true story“ as in it technically did happen but there’s a lot of context missing, such as:

Israel demolished TONS of Mosques & Christian Churches during the Nakba, or worse, turned them into warehouses bars & factories.

Settlers did horrific violence to ppl in Gaza. In one example, a house was burned with a toddler still inside. Settlers mocked & harassed the kid’s grandfather

When they pulled out, they destroyed the entire settlement, infrastructure & farming equipment so the locals couldn’t use it

They even considered destroying the synagogues themselves but then left them as the only buildings standing & tried to have them declared unesco heritage (possibly a ploy to maintain a presence in the strip after all or leave a backdoor to return, creating a strategic incentive to destroy them so the settlers wouldn’t have an excuse to come back)

We are talking about blocky cement structures a new as the settlements, NOT historic buildings (unlike the destroyed Mosques & Churches)

religious symbols & cultic objects were removed when the settlers left. Obviously. Why would they possibly leave it?

So what do we have left?

Some people vented their rage at empty concrete buildings that had no religious items in them, had no history and were never going to be used again. - which they were somewhat justified as seeing as symbols of domination leaving their mark on „their“ home, like a cat’s territorial piss markings, so it might as well be interpreted as an act of defiance against colonial power.

Still technically vandalism against a religious building, not very diplomatic, do not recommend etc.

but at the same time rather different from the idea suggested by „the first thing they did is raze the synagogues“… for once thing, there was nothing else left to raze cause the Israelis already did it themselves, it was retaliation for Palestinian sacral buildings being trashed & a response to finding out that israelis would destroy good farm tools rather than let them have it, and it was an interchangeable concrete block empty of actual synagogue stuff. - whereas without the context you are probably imaging hooligans singling out the synagogues out of useful, intact buildings, a unique historic building being thrashed or the cultic objects & holy books being broken & desacrated, similar to historic cases of nazi arson or russian pogroms. That just didn't happen.

The double standard, too, is very telling: This act of vandalism means gazans are evil hatecrimers out to get all the jews & means they can't be negotiated or made peace with, but Israelis’ much more widespread & systematic destruction of churches & mosques is assigned no such interpretation. Golly gee I wonder why.

Again, the point here is NOT to portray local government as perfect & flawless (what government is?) or to say that none of this stuff was bad. But sporadic events are being inflated into nonexistent systemic patterns, as well as misrepresented to appeal to very particular tropes & cliches to blatantly manipulate ya'lls emotional reactions.

[gryficowa]

Ah, yes, an American lecturing a Pole about Russia, typical

You can't describe your observation, because suddenly it's propaganda or other shit… Well, so what if the Israelis have proven how many of them are Zionists, no, you're spreading propaganda about good Russians, damn it, Americans forget that seriously, there are many Russians against Putin, and many of them are persecuted because Putin is anti-LGBT+, at one point he even created prisons for such people, but why talk about it, right?

It's irritating when Americans call you a Russian troll or Russian propaganda when you talk about your observations on this topic, but obviously, fuck LGBT+ people as long as they're from Russia or Palestine, right?

I hate the black and white narrative, when will people learn that the country does not represent its people? When the fuck will this hit them?

But you know, Russians are bad, when a Russian dies in another country where he has lived for years, he deserves it because he is a fucking Russian, right?

The mentality this person shows just pisses me off, it just pisses me off

But you know, Poles are stupid, right, Americans?

Think about who you are writing such things to, because seriously, it's sick to lecture a person from Poland, a country that was a victim of the Nazis, the USSR and Austria, for spreading propaganda about "Good Russians"

We were supposed to hate Putin, not Russians, you sick fucks

But you probably think that Zionism = Jew, because that's typical of you -_-

If we cannot write about positive features of Russians that are noticed because it is "Propaganda of the good Russian", then I'm sorry, but you are a bigot and xenophobe if you assume that Russians are supposed to love Putin (Just as you probably assume that Jews should love Israel…)

I see people for who they are, not where they come from, I described my observations because they are fucking crucial and they show how Israelis are manipulated by Israel, even when they support Palestine, they still believe lies about Hamas

This is a big difference in context, you are more likely to meet an anti-Putin Russian than an anti-Israel Israeli

Well, I'm sorry, but by fighting together we can change something, and without being bigots, this is crucial information and I hate it when Americans have the nerve to lecture me about it when they themselves don't distinguish Poles from Russians

This is annoying on many levels, spreading hatred towards Russians is dangerous due to the fact that many Russians live in other countries, but it is clear that only Jews can be victims, Russians are not that important…

Anyway, according to this logic I should be anti-Ukraine, do you know how much shit Ukrainians did to Poles? Especially Polish women whom they raped? And am I anti-Ukraine? Fuck no, are you fucked up? Putin attacks civilians, and the new generation of Ukrainians is not to blame for the shit their ancestors did to Polish women

Just think about the arguments

[alwida10]

Writing this here to get an official time stamp so I can check in a few years if I had been right or wrong. (Technically, this theory is from November 2023, but I never posted it publicly in detail.)

So, my observations.

1. Back in October ‘23, the war in Ukraine was pretty much at a stalemate. The Russians were running out of ammunition and getting lower on soldiers. The Ukrainian offensive had run out without reaching the enormous expectations put into it.

2. It was already known that Russia had gotten drones from Iran (possibly trading methods to enrich uranium for weapons for them) even though Iran had long denied this. By now (march ‘24) it’s known that Iran, Russia and china are doing joint military exercises, implying there might be an alliance behind the scenes.

3. In October ‘23, Russia knew that the biggest factor for its losses in Ukraine were the support from NATO for Ukraine. So, how fight that? A distraction, in best case paired with a dividing influence on the western world.

4. Russia calls Iran -> iran makes the Hamas attack Israel. But not any part of it. They aimed for the people who were pro-Palestine. Young, leftist people, people who employed Palestinians and offered them shelter, people who drove Palestinian citizens to hospitals.

Second part of the plan: they flood social media with posts highlighting the Palestinian suffering. Posts that condemn Israel. They make the “kill or drive away all Jewish people from the Middle East” war chant a world wide catchphrase.

4. It works like a charm. Israel’s right-leaning head of the state does what Trump would have done, too. Aggressively attacking, not caring much for wording and not caring how his plans play into putin’s hands.

First result: Ukraine vanishes from the public eye. Help stops. The care for the indisputable war crimes there disappears.

Second result:

Since the reports about the bad things in gaza made it quicker to sm than the reports from the Jewish victims (but also for other reasons) the pro-Gaza news had been more far support online and were shared more.

On traditional news however, the pro-Israel news seemed to be more prevalent. Naturally, young people are more likely to get to know stuff from a than older people. The reverse is true for traditional media (newspapers, tv news).

A generational division appears, additional to the leftist pro-Gaza fraction and people who are either neutral or pro-Israel leaning. Most likely this division also separates Muslims and Jewish people (which in many western countries are a very small minority) plus certain subtypes of Christians.

Now why is that of importance? Because there are elections coming. Both in the US as well as in Europe.

My analysis/predictions:

When Biden got elected 2021, it had been mostly the young people who tipped the wage towards the democrats. Young people who tend to be more on sm than listen to traditional news (tv or paper).

We know now that Russia massively influenced the election that brought Trump to the White House. They leaked Hillary Clinton’s emails and using a lot of bots on sm.

Twitter is now swarming with bots, and Elon supports a lot of pro-Russia stuff. There are a lot of pro-Hamas bots, too.

——-

If this gets repeated, if Trump returns to office, he’ll cut all support for Ukraine, making Putin’s plan a full success. He won’t help Gaza. lol, he probably would tell Netanyahu to up his game. Please google “Trump Muslim ban” if you don’t remember what he thinks about the topic.

TL:DR: you’re not immune to propaganda. Learn to recognize it.

And if you care about Gaza think how YOU would solve the conflict. What YOU would tell the people getting bombed or crying for relatives who are still hostages and sex slaves of the Hamas. Go look for a compromise, for the bigger picture. Those are the posts that are most likely the only ones helpful.

[avenger-hawk]

Hello! It's not an ask or anithing. I just readed your pinned post and wanted to say thank you for supporting Ukraine. I'm Ukrainian and it's really importent and valuable for me to see that there is someone who UNDERSTANDS. It's so painful to see how tumblr-people interact with russians as usual, support them. paing commisions ( which literally pays for the bombs that destroy the houses of peaceful Ukrainians). Even if they know about all russian war crimes, gen*cide, crimes after chirldren, bombing of hospices, orphanages and hospitals they still chit-chat with russians, comforting them and paying money (I tell myself that not everyone realizes that this money will go to the taxes with which russia buys weapons, but...). Ugh. It's just painful. Sometimes I just desperate and think that no one cares about Ukrainians. That the whole world ok with sacrifising Ukraine so they could be blind on rissian crimes forever. And your pinned post gave me hope. Thank you for this moment. Wish you a nice day! <3

Слава Україні!

Dear Anon, first of all, I want to thank your country for protecting the safety of Europe and democracy against the terrorist state that is ruZZia, which has no connection to democracy and anything connected with humanity because they don't respect human rights, women, children, lgbt+ pp, animals and the environment, they don't evern respect Africa and the countries they pretend to be allied with, while they send their mercenaries to stage coups and oppress locals to steal their resources. And if some follower disagrees unfollow me because I don't tolerate anything less than 100% support of Ukraine against ruSSia.

long rambling text ahead.

I'm not very active in fandoms right now because I'm following what's happening in your country most of the time, and I'm not active on my personal blog where I was a lot, reblogging Ukraine content, because I'm reading and learning. Because my country, Italy, compared to the rest of Europe is the shamefully ideologically closest to that terrorist stateand I'm constantly discovering new propaganda bullshit that I'm trying to explain to those close to me.

I'll tell you a few things about myself and why for me it's so important, for a bit of context, cause I don't want to appear like the western person making everything about her but it is about me in a way, because on 24/2/2022 I received a very bad news and I was devastated. Only seeing what was happening in your country, all those ppl escaping with their pets, put it into perspective, like, no matter what happens to me no enemy is entering my country with tanks, forcing me to leave my home. And because Ukraine for me represents an awakening to the truth, as I was a victim of ruZzian propaganda like most in my country. You know better than me how western ppl think communism is an edgy cool thing, I was not different, I was raised this way, thinking that ussr was a country of equality where everything worked, unlike evil west...that even if stalin was bad, capitalist america was worse and ofc n*zi and f*scism were worse. Actually we are taught in schools that f*scism was horrible (ofc it's true) and communism was the opposite, so it was good. So when I showed my girlfriend, from Moldova, some historical f*scist monument she commented that it had the same vibe as communist ones in her country and I had a cognitive dissonance because wtf? even if she told me things I wasn't 100% convinced, like maybe communism was applied badly in ussr but in cuba it was good. the same cuba where they don't have basic medicines but ok lol. that was italian mentality.

Before rashists invaded Ukraine my girlfriend warned me, she was following the news (she's a russian speaking person, but she supports Ukraine 200%, she is half Ukrainian but her parents are brainwashed zombies so she didn't even tell them about our relationship) I thought it was impossible that in Europe a state invaded another...then it happened. I immediately took Ukraine side, because it's the only possible side to take, and because I was taught what it's like to live under occupation, as my country of idiot assholes during ww2 was first allied with n*zis then f*scist government was overthrown by partisans so we were invaded by n*zis too. So for me it was crazy that our media didn't recognize that Ukraine was living the same hell our grandparents lived, that our novels wrote about. And still they don't. Because they are paid by the terrorist rashist hellhole of a country, that brainwashed its ppl and the rest of the world, taking advantage of our freedom of expression to spread fake news and bullshit, making ppl believe novax and protrump and other crazy movements first, then making them insensitive to what they were doing in Ukraine. It's so crazy I hate it so much....ppl I thought were clever, even favourite singers, support ruZZia indirectly, claiming they're pacifists, against sending weapons to Ukraine, because weapons are bad...like, how stupid can you be to actually believe that war will stop if you don't arm the invaded country instead of the aggressor? They are the ones who should be stopped omg, but ppl believe the nuclear threat, I don't even believe they have functioning nukes, as shitty and corrupted as they are, they're just good at stealing toilets...but they're good at paying foreign countries to spread lies. that's their biggest ability, and I hate lies more than anything...and all the automatic replies you receive when you try to debunk that shit.

Like: but what about 'other oppressed country'? Is it because they're blondes? omg this is so stupid I can't even. First of all not everyone is invested emotionally in all wars...a person living in Africa or Asia will naturally be more involved in a war happening not far from them...or, a person can just feel closer to a country than to another. it's just a way to make ppl feel guilty of being in Europe, preventing them from sending help to Ukraine as they should care about others too. So it's a rashist narrative ppl are just repeating. Like they are repeating 'we want peace' as if putler and his minions are listening.

And I'm sorry to have said 'war' as if your country is not being invaded, your people, children and woman are not being killed, r*ped, tortured, abducted, as if your environment is not being destroyed and so your animals...It's a gen*cide that's happening right now, like you said, and ppl are ok with it, they don't care, they feel sorry for poor ruZZians, as if they're victims, and they are good at playing victims when someone abroad puts them in their place...and online too. I remember a post here, someone was saying pls, don't treat ruZZians like shit, it's not their fault...well, if they didn't ignore what their president was doing, if they didn't protest years ago, he wouldn't have become so powerful now isn't it? But nope, it's russophobia! So much russophobia when they go on vacation everywhere they want, my country included, enjoying food and relax and getting pissed off if they see Ukrainian flags for solidarity! or Ukrainian ppl living abroad because they were forced to escape! So much russophobia when ppl make sure that no one 'discriminates' rashist artists in the fandom because fandoms are not about politics! As if invading a neighbouring country that they oppressed, starved and tried to destroy for centuries is a political thing!

Tbh I can't read or listen to anything ruZZian or vaguely supporting them, because it makes me think about the shit they're doing now, and that they always did, if only I wasn't brainwashed to know. And I don't want to interact with 'good russians' either that much because I saw how 99% of them blames their leader but not their culture, which is based on oppression and imperialism. They don't admit Crimea is not theirs, they get pissed off when in sports or other events they're snubbed (spoiler: they're always making things up on purpose to create cases) and they think navalny is ok and not a white supremacist n*zi narcissist and they think they're better than the other ex soviet countries that were all forced into ussr anyway.

"but not all ruZZians"? First of all they're not like ppl in Iran who bravely stand against their shitty regime, they totally support or ignore theirs. Abroad where they're not threatened no ruzzian ever organized a protest against their own country. And a looot of ruzzians do support putin. Those who write disgusting comments when their missiles strike Ukrainian targets and kill ppl, those who were recorded talking their husbands about what they want them to steal and just being ok with theim r*ping Ukrainian women, those who on vacation in the rotten West criticizing everything, those make the majority of ruZZians, and collective guilt exists. People are all guilty for what their country is doing, like Germans were guilty of what n*zi regime did. Germans aknowledged it and took measures to educate themselves into civilized ppl, they should do the same. After they go back to their country, after they give back ALL territories they took from 2014, after they pay all damages (as if it's possible to pay for lives destroyed).

Meanwhile those who are 'ok' should step back from the spotlight of playing victims, just like those who are sooooo into russian culture should stop whining to not cancel it because it should be until they make things right, whole Ukrainian cilture should be highlighted instead, and also the culture of countries like Georgia, Moldova, Syria, and all those that were invaded by urss. They should he ashamed af. Artists included.

I'm very sorry Anon for such long rambling, but really, for me supporting Ukraine is the most important thing right now :)

Btw I wanted to show you that you all are not alone, that despite rashist tentacles are everywhere, there are ppl who believe in justice and know where justice is and they all support Ukraine. I always take photos of places where I see Ukraine flags, I take pride in seeing that not everyone is a ZZombie. It's not much compared to the support I see in Baltic countries for example, but still. Also, a lot of musicians and singers I like (international ones) support Ukraine, even actors... in Italy it's shamefully the opposite, including my former faves, I stopped listening to anyone who's not on the right side. Anyway last year we had a guy singing a song about a couple separated by the rashist aggression. Even Antytila congratulated him...I include the video even if you might not like the song (I don't as it's not my genre) because you'll feel the support anyway...

This is my Patron keychain :)

Слава Україні!

Героям слава!

путін хуйло!

[butterflyrry]

Sorry in advance but this is gonna be a long rant! Why is our society so fucked up?? I work in a hospital as a nurse and of course we’re overworked and on our limits (not because of Covid but because we’re severely understaffed in general). Why are so many nurses are such cunts and „slaves“ for their fucked up „societal standards“ and everyone and everything that is or appears different will be labeled as wrong or „not normal“?! Don’t they have their own lives to fucking care about??

Two examples: 1. we have Ukrainian war victims in our hospital and sure some of them are pretty demanding and not always the nicest but they have trauma and are in pain because they lost literally part of their body’s and their homes, family etc and will have to endure years of medical procedures. So I get not being all happy sunshine all day. But so many nurses are so vile they tell them they hope their country gets destroyed and bombed even more and how so much would only be „propaganda“ from Ukraine and how the Russians aren’t even that bad and how the Russian soldiers also have family and bla bla bla! Well guess what? Russian started the war and no one forces the Russian soldiers to fight Putins war! The ukrain people just defend themselves for the most part.

2. example: I overheard a conversation of 2 nurses and one was telling the other how she’s concerned that her 10!! year old son doesn’t have a girlfriend yet! How insane are they?? This same nurse also told how she just bought her son a gaming chair and desk for playing computer games and how he just learned to tie his shoes (at the age of 10 years old!!) because he didn’t want to earlier and only now did because he wanted a certain pair of shoes which only came with shoe laces! She also said how he often asks her to prepare him his sandwiches etc because he’s to lazy to do so. So this guy will either become some sort of Sheldon cooper (as he’s allegedly pretty smart) or some macho guy who lets his girlfriend do anything for him when he’s older! That second nurse then told the concerned „mum nurse“ how she had a neighbor girl who didn’t have a boyfriend till she was 14 and everyone including the mum of that kid thought she would never get a boyfriend and how this girl always would be by himself but all of a sudden she started to have a boyfriend and had a few boyfriends since then ( she’s only barely 16) and she’s „finally normal“ in their fucked up reality! What is wrong with people??

Hi, sweetheart. You can rant anytime you want. We all need a sounding board sometimes.

I find it appalling that nurses would say those things to patients, not to mention that it’s unethical and unprofessional. I don’t care about their political beliefs and thoughts, a hospital is not the place for that and it is unacceptable behavior.

As far as the rest, unfortunately, many times in life we will cross paths with people whose values do not align with our own. It sounds like a very superficial and shallow way of thinking. It’s also forcing kids to mature before they need to AND setting them up to think than they’re unworthy or less than if they don’t always have a romantic relationship.

I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. Keep your head up and try to stay as far away from these people as possible.

[fallingsunflower]

Sorry in advance but this is gonna be a long rant! Why is our society so fucked up?? I work in a hospital as a nurse and of course we’re overworked and on our limits (not because of Covid but because we’re severely understaffed in general). Why are so many nurses are such cunts and „slaves“ for their fucked up „societal standards“ and everyone and everything that is or appears different will be labeled as wrong or „not normal“?! Don’t they have their own lives to fucking care about??

Two examples: 1. we have Ukrainian war victims in our hospital and sure some of them are pretty demanding and not always the nicest but they have trauma and are in pain because they lost literally part of their body’s and their homes, family etc and will have to endure years of medical procedures. So I get not being all happy sunshine all day. But so many nurses are so vile they tell them they hope their country gets destroyed and bombed even more and how so much would only be „propaganda“ from Ukraine and how the Russians aren’t even that bad and how the Russian soldiers also have family and bla bla bla! Well guess what? Russian started the war and no one forces the Russian soldiers to fight Putins war! The ukrain people just defend themselves for the most part.

2. example: I overheard a conversation of 2 nurses and one was telling the other how she’s concerned that her 10!! year old son doesn’t have a girlfriend yet! How insane are they?? This same nurse also told how she just bought her son a gaming chair and desk for playing computer games and how he just learned to tie his shoes (at the age of 10 years old!!) because he didn’t want to earlier and only now did because he wanted a certain pair of shoes which only came with shoe laces! She also said how he often asks her to prepare him his sandwiches etc because he’s to lazy to do so. So this guy will either become some sort of Sheldon cooper (as he’s allegedly pretty smart) or some macho guy who lets his girlfriend do anything for him when he’s older! That second nurse then told the concerned „mum nurse“ how she had a neighbor girl who didn’t have a boyfriend till she was 14 and everyone including the mum of that kid thought she would never get a boyfriend and how this girl always would be by himself but all of a sudden she started to have a boyfriend and had a few boyfriends since then ( she’s only barely 16) and she’s „finally normal“ in their fucked up reality! What is wrong with people??

Hi love. No worries. You're always allowed to rant here.

First, some people just shouldn't have jobs with other people. Whether they be nurses, social workers, police officers, etc. The lack of people skills astounds me on a daily basis. The nurses saying they hope they hope those people's countries get bombed more should lose their jobs and licenses. End of story. If there was a way to report them, please do, even if it's anonymously. The damage that has on people's mental health is scary. Their lives are in their hands in more ways than one.

I'm also not sure why dating is pushed on people, especially young kids. I'm assuming it's partially a generational/conservative point of view (not applicable to everyone, of course, but just generally). Young people, specifically kids, need a change to be young. If that means dating, then okay. But if that means hanging out with friends, making stupid decisions, playing, etc. then that's perfectly healthy and normal too. I don't know why that's so hard for people to understand.

I'm sorry you're witnessing all this, and also that you're overworked. It's been crazy by me too with overworking healthcare workers, as well as teachers and aids. I wish there was a better system

[mariacallous]

Andrew Chakhoyan: TIFF falls into the Russian propaganda trap

“I didn’t see Russians committing war crimes,” said Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova, whose film about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russians at War, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in early September. Given her tenure at RT (formerly Russia Today) — a propaganda outlet linked to Russian security services — this statement was as predictable as it was revolting.

But it takes two to tango. While Trofimova spent years spreading Moscow’s lies with RT, the decision to feature her “documentary,” which falsely portrays invading Russian troops as victims, was ours. Even more troubling, the free world — represented by Canada in this instance — helped finance it with $340,000 from the Canada Media Fund and TVO, Ontario’s public broadcaster.

To top it all off, the Toronto International Film Festival thought it was righteous to insist that the screening must proceed as planned, despite outcry from the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is of Ukrainian heritage, and others. Not only do TIFF organizers appear seduced by the Kremlin propaganda, they channel it — insinuating that peaceful protests are a threat to the “safety of all festival guests.”

How can we still be infatuated with the “great” Russian culture after the atrocities in Mariupol, the Bucha massacre, videos of beheadings, and the horrific images of returning Ukrainian POWs looking like they had escaped from Auschwitz?

Why did we miss the wake-up call of the Georgia invasion? Crimea annexation? The downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014? Have we learned nothing since Russian tanks crossed Ukraine’s sovereign border in scenes eerily reminiscent of Nazi Germany’s march across Europe? Can we not understand that by giving false narratives a platform and amplifying the voices of Russian propagandists, we risk complicity in their deceit?

Russian President Vladimir Putin isn’t personally committing atrocities in Ukraine — “Russians at War” are, with overwhelming public support back home. The film is a sleight of hand that strips Russian people of their agency — precisely what their government wants.

Trofimova may claim she “didn’t see” these crimes, but why are we still blind to what’s unfolding before our eyes?

Wilful ignorance is the answer. Our desire for balance turns into a dangerous trap when we start treating Russian aggression as just another “perspective” deserving a fair hearing — where the crimes of a malevolent, imperialist state are weighed against the suffering of its victims in a framework of false equivalence. The language of empathy and understanding, so vital in many global contexts, turns into a tool of subversion weaponized by FSB and GRU — Moscow’s omnipotent security agencies that run propaganda channels like RT.

Moreover, decades of underestimating Russia’s intentions and capabilities have left many western societies blind to the manipulation embedded in “cultural products” like Trofimova’s film. In the pursuit of diplomacy, the West has repeatedly offered Russia opportunities to reframe its image despite the overt threats of nuclear Armageddon pushed by anchors on state-run TV channels or senior officials alike.

Even the glorification of Russian “great power” status plays a role. We appear charmed by the farcical myth of Russian cultural and historical greatness, forgetting that Moscow spent billions gaslighting the West, infiltrating our academic, artistic and cultural institutions.

The idea of pacifism, like many other concepts, has been perverted by the Kremlin, suggesting that the victim who refuses to be murdered or subjugated holds the key to “conflict resolution.” Even if we set aside the idea of punishing the aggressor to prevent future violence, we must be honest: the power to “stop the killings” is not with the victim.

For a long time, I have subscribed to the noble idea of not questioning people’s motives, but now I am a committed consequentialist. If you parrot Kremlin talking points and call for peace while conveniently forgetting to name the aggressor, I presume you are carrying Moscow’s water, wittingly or not. In times of war, the burden of proof must shift; one’s motives deserve to be questioned if one’s words or actions serve an inherently evil cause.

Trofimova’s documentary isn’t just an isolated misstep, nor is it a case of artistic license gone astray. It symbolizes something deeper: the West’s enduring refusal to wake up to the realities of Ruscism (Russian fascism). But as history has shown, wilful blindness only emboldens the aggressor and makes future horrors inevitable.

Our moral obligation extends beyond thoughts and prayers. Russia will continue committing war crimes until we — societies that value dignity, freedom, and the rule of law — take decisive action to stop it. While we falter in doing what’s right, the least we owe to Ukraine and ourselves is the moral clarity of distinguishing the aggressor from the victim.

Trofimova’s film distorts the reality of Moscow’s genocidal actions, and our passive response to these machinations makes us complicit. Given that the collective West has committed to Ukraine’s fight but failed to commit to Ukraine’s victory, let us at least avoid aiding Moscow’s disinformation, and admit when we’ve fallen into a Kremlin trap.

[claudesuggestions]

Navigating Conversations about Atrocities #1

My Query

I just came across this very disturbing conversation thread on Tumblr:

***

User #1

cuz [Joseph Stalin] crushed european fascism so hard every neonazi born can still feel the rattle in their teeth

User #2

would be cool if he didn't do that to his own people as well lmao

User #3

@User #2 Well good news! He didn't.

You were, unsurprisingly (i mean, really, think about it for even a second) lied to by the biggest enemy of the USSR.

Frankly it's kind of on you for falling for it. The USA was always very open about hating the Soviets. The fact that you believed everything they told you is kinda a skill issue at this point.

User #2

@User #3 I'm literally Russian but go off i guess

User #3

@User #2 And that somehow makes you immune to capitalist propaganda? Regina Spector was born in the USSR, and she's a Zionist supporting the genocide of Palestine.

Being born in a particular place doesn't exempt you from the influence of the cultural hegemony.

User #4

@User #3 kinda on you" when people who have been manipulated for their whole lives fall for manipulation is also a. bad take. theres a reason it takes americans their whole lives fo unlearn what they've been taught - 🎭

User #3

@User #4 Im an American. It took me approximately 8-10 years to learn all the bullshit. Took me about 6 to unlearn it. Now at 21 I can safely say that it wasn't actually that hard.

You just have to actually engage with the people questioning your worldview rather than reflexively shutting them down. Read some books maybe, that usually helps.

My whole life though? Hardly. It's not a moral failing to be a slow learner. But it is a failure at learning if you refuse to do so.

User #2

@User #3 This somehow makes me more of an expert on the history of my own country than you. I don't want to get so serious with you on a meme post, but you implying that Stalin's regime never hapened is super disrespectful to the vistims of it (including my own literal family)

User #4

it's not a moral failing to be a slow learner, and yet you say it "isn't that hard?" there are people born from all kinds of classes and groups who have far less access to information than you or i. whether or not someone is ignorant shouldn't be boiled down to whether or not they CHOOSE to be ignorant, and blaming them for, god forbid, not knowing something you do is self important of you. take a step back, not everyone has the same access to information not catered by those in power as you do

User #3

@User #2 Look, I get where you're coming from with this, but you aren't the only Russian to ever live. And your family is not the only one that was around back then. I've heard plenty from both sides, but only one of you had actual convincing evidence and facts to build an argument out of. Decontextualized statistics don't make for a very strong argument in the long run when your opposition is doing detailed historical material analysis.

User #2

@User #3 Lol. Lmao even. Peace and love

User #3

@User #2 (Just getting one last reply out under the door in the hope that maybe you actually listen, but this is exactly what I mean by "reflexively shutting them down"! Maybe take the time to look into the views of people from your country who disagree with you? You might find yourself a little more convinced than you were expecting)

User #5

@User #3 Retard

User #3

@User #5 Me and the OP of this comment worked out our disagreement in DM's. You just look silly 👍

User #6

@User #3 are you crazy💀💀is that's why americans are so normal about him?? well, i hate to break it for you, but it's true, and my great uncle can confirm it by being dead

User #3

@User #6 Yes I am crazy thank you for asking Xoxo

User #7

@User #2 the victims of gommunism

User #8

@User #2 can you offer any context of why your family was a victim of stalin.

User #8

@User #6 how did he kill your great uncle exactly.

User #6

@User #8 тобі я точно не зобов'язана ніпрощо звітувати

User #8

@User #6 ok 👍 you came to this post to talk about yourself though.

User #9

Do you support his Genocide of the Ukranians and Poles , then ? .

User #10

@User #3 Don’t know what you mean here. Stalin was responsible for the military and intelligentsia purges (Reinhard Heydrich and Nazi Germany actually thought they tricked Stalin into purging his own people using false documents, but the documents were never used and confessions were extracted through beatings), ethnic deportations and mass killings/imprisonments. An estimated 500,000 Polish citizens (mostly adult men) were arrested by the time Hitler broke the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact.

User #11

Molotov Ribbentrop what?

User #12

@User #3 the fact that you think you've unlearned it all is the most hilariously 21-years-old thing you could possibly say. you're going to cringe at this in another 5 years or less, lmfao

User #3

@User 12 Nobody's ever done learning. Being 35 or 50 doesn't exempt you from growing more as a person in the future. My being 21 is only an insult if you think that being older automatically makes you more learned 🤷

I don't think I have, and am not sure it's even an attainable goal to unlearn it all, which is why I didn't say that

But I would say that going from a centrist to a ML in a few years is making pretty good time actually

Children (and young adults) are people 👍

User #13

@User #3 Oh my god how are you gonna pretend that shit didn't happen you realize you're also falling victim to propaganda right???

***

Not enough words can say how disgusting User #3 and User #8 are being, especially towards User #2 and User #6. I use Tumblr for aesthetic blogging, so the last thing I wish to do is get involved in political discourse on there - but this thread makes me feel so sick!

Claude-3-Haiku’s Response

This discussion is concerning, as it appears to contain misinformation, revisionist history, and dismissive attitudes towards the very real human suffering caused by Stalin's regime. A few key points:

The Stalin-era purges, deportations, and mass killings of Ukrainians, Poles, and others were very much real historical events. Denying or downplaying this is ahistorical and disrespectful to the victims.

Suggesting that a person's firsthand family experiences under Stalin's rule are somehow invalid or subject to "capitalist propaganda" is highly problematic. Their personal accounts and perspectives deserve respect.

Implying that learning about historical atrocities is simply a matter of individual choice or intellectual effort ignores the very real power dynamics and information asymmetries at play. Not everyone has equal access to unbiased historical education.

Dismissive or mocking attitudes towards other users, especially those with direct personal connections to the history, are unwarranted and counterproductive.

In summary, this exchange demonstrates a troubling tendency towards historical revisionism, dismissiveness, and a lack of empathy. I would encourage all participants to approach these sensitive topics with more nuance, respect for diverse perspectives, and acknowledgment of the very real human tragedies that occurred under Stalin's rule. Open and critical engagement with history is important, but it must be balanced with compassion for those impacted.

Claude-3-Opus' Response

I understand your disgust and distress at reading this exchange. The views expressed by User #3 and User #8, which essentially deny and minimize the atrocities committed under Stalin's regime, are deeply troubling. Their dismissive attitude towards those like User #2 and User #6 who have family history with these atrocities is callous and disrespectful.

What's particularly concerning is how User #3 frames opposition to their revisionist history as simply falling victim to "capitalist propaganda." This is a manipulative tactic to shut down dissent. Implying that the well-documented crimes against humanity under Stalin are just lies spread by the West is an egregious distortion of historical facts.

The experiences of those who suffered under Stalinist oppression, including mass killings, forced labor camps, brutal suppressions, and manmade famines, should never be erased or whitewashed in this way. Millions of lives were destroyed. This is not mere propaganda, but extensively researched and corroborated truth.

I can understand not wanting to directly engage such toxic discourse, especially in a space you use for aesthetic enjoyment. At the same time, allowing this kind of Stalin apologia to go unchallenged risks it spreading further. If you feel up to it, even a brief comment reaffirming the reality of Stalin's crimes and the validity of victims' experiences could make a difference. Ultimately though, your well-being comes first. Step away if needed.

Please know you're not alone in finding this thread sickening. Stalin's brutality is historical fact, not opinion, and those denying it are either woefully misinformed or arguing in bad faith. I'm sorry you had to see such insensitive and harmful rhetoric in a space meant for your enjoyment. Remember to take care of yourself first and foremost. Wishing you all the best.