242 on 29/12/2015 at 11:17
Quote Posted by MoroseTroll
Are you sure? Because I always thought that Crimea was part of Russia since 1783. Nikita Khruschyov has made Crimea a gift for his homeland, Unkraine, in 1954. You say Russia has annexed Crimea, a Ukrainian region for 60 years, I say Russia has returned its old region that was part for 171 years. Who's right?
Hitler's Germany "just returned" its (as Hitler saw it) old region:
Inline Image:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Bundesarchiv_Bild_137-004055%2C_Eger%2C_Besuch_Adolf_Hitlers.jpgOctober 1938: Hitler drives through the crowd in Cheb (German: Eger), part of the German-populated Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia, which was annexed to Nazi Germany.
What Putin has done
with your full support was outright and illegal military annexation. It's the fact. No words or justifications can change that. May be one day you Russians will understand it, as Germans did many many years ago.
Quote:
A large amount of inhabitants of Crimea clearly wanted to be part of Russia over being part of Ukraine.
Yes, it's true. See the picture above. There are many such places in the world, however there are civilized countries that never would annex internationally recognized territory of another state, and there is also... Russia.
But even that is not enough for Putin and his many supporters. They still
fully control insurgency and outrage upon justice in Donbass. Russia just won't return control of our border there. Putin is snake and liar, it was proven many times already.
MoroseTroll on 29/12/2015 at 20:39
Another thread derailed - checked. Thank you, 242.
Tony_Tarantula on 29/12/2015 at 21:14
Quote Posted by Manwe
Why do you think the third act of every major blockbuster coming out of Hollywood in the last few years takes place in China or Asia? Because they're desperate to conquer that market. It's what they do, they eradicate cultures by shoving their own shitty values down other nation's throat.
Trust me, most of us hate American "culture" as much as everyone else. In a lot of ways we threw out the baby with the bathwater when it came to the mid 20th century American culture.
Just keep in mind that when most Americans talk about "freedom", they really just mean the right to engage in hedonism, consumerism, and sexual depravity without any judgement or constraints.
edit:
And yes, most Americans hate the US government for good reason. Look at who the establishment candidates are: another member of the Bush dynasty, a cuckold "conservative"(Rubio), and a woman who is one of the most corrupt politicians in the world((
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zephyr-teachout/clintons-corruption-probl_b_8547556.html) one who has an extremely cozy relationship Bulge Bracket banks and megafunds).
I can't say this enough but Trump and Sanders are popular BECAUSE people are so dissatisfied with the establishment. What I'm encountering frequently(I travel a lot and make an effort to take the pulse of society's mood when I do so) is that there's an enormous number of Americans who simply don't care who they put into office as long as its not an establishment figure. That's why Trump would destroy Hillary in an election, and Sanders would destroy Bush, Rubio, Christie, Fiorina, or Walker.
Manwe on 29/12/2015 at 21:53
Quote Posted by MoroseTroll
Another thread derailed - checked. Thank you, 242.
To be fair I think I helped a little. That Godwin point came out of nowhere though. A more apt comparison to the Nazis would be Israel to be honest. See? I can do it too. Here have a random historical picture of the devil himself to sway you emotionally:
Inline Image:
https://volkundvaterland.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/adolf-hitler.jpgNever again!
heywood on 30/12/2015 at 12:40
Regarding the political developments in Poland, can someone explain the East-West regional split?
Quote Posted by Manwe
Whether you like it or not, that's the culture your country export. And it exports itself very well. Everybody in the world knows who Chandler, Joey and Phoebe are. Everybody knows who Starsky and Hutch are, Kirk and Spock, Mulder and Scully, etc... Name two characters from a Russian TV show? Two characters from a Chinese Sitcom? I'll make it easier for you, can you name two Chinese actors? Jet Li and Jackie Chan don't count, that's not their real name.
Sorry to derail the thread further, but that isn't culture. Culture is a set of common beliefs, values, social practices and customs, experiences and history, tastes, etc.
There is no single "American" culture anyway because it's a large country with regional differences and all the major cities are multicultural. And the US imports more culture than it exports. The US today is the product two centuries of immigration, where immigrants brought their culture here and adapted it.
You wouldn't learn any of it from watching the stuff Hollywood exports around the world. Hollywood is quite good at making films that are culturally void in order to have universal appeal to a worldwide market. And most TV shows depict a culturally vapid generic WASP-ness. When you do see Hollywood attempt to show American culture in film, it is heavily stereotyped and clichéd, e.g. My Big Fat Greek Wedding and every Italian and Irish mob film.
Finally, I think that a country's export-friendly works are usually the least culturally significant. I know I can't learn much about Japanese culture by watching anime or playing JRPGs, or learn about French culture by watching Gérard Depardieu flicks and listening to Alizée.
Quote Posted by Tony_Tarantula
That's why Trump would destroy Hillary in an election, and Sanders would destroy Bush, Rubio, Christie, Fiorina, or Walker.
:confused::confused::confused:
Manwe on 30/12/2015 at 19:49
I'm talking about pop culture here. The shit the masses consume avidly, that influences them and shapes their vision of the world. People aren't very clever you know, and there is such a thing as propaganda. Hollywood doesn't give a shit about diversity and history, it only has a few basic values to promote: individualism, materialism, consumerism, free market, the inalienable right to carry guns and to shoot strangers on your property, a black and white view of the world (West = good, East = bad), fear of terrorism (meaning brown people) and unconditional support for our troops, etc... I mean, are you gonna tell me that films like Olympus has fallen, or Lone Survivor are anything else but disgustingly racist propaganda pieces? What about any Michael Bay movie with the jingoist imagery?
Look I'm French, I observe other people's behavior. The younger they are, the more Americanized they are. They all dream of America, all they care about and talk about are American TV shows, American Movies, or American celebrities. It's gotten to the point where American words and terms, such as "swag", "bitch", "dead", "life", "fake", "post", "black", etc... have become commonly used. French culture or the French language are constantly derided and frowned upon. The more "American" you act, the more hip, or cool you are. Nobody knows or cares about French history anymore. Here patriotism is the worst insult you can throw at someone. Worse than that young people are ashamed of being French. It's a fucking disaster really, we're a schizophrenic people without a nation anymore.
Of course these people don't really know much about "real" American culture, they're just mindless drones stripped of any personality, and capacity for critical thinking. They're essentially ideal consumers. And when a Starbucks opens for the first time in a city, they're willing to wait in line for hours to be the first to be served an American brand of coffee (no kidding, this actually happened in my city a few weeks ago). That's Hollywood for you, brainwashing people to consume American products and brands, no matter what.
Yakoob on 30/12/2015 at 22:53
Manwe, that's sadly how half the world thinks. You see the same in Poland and especially Japan. The whole idolization of American. My Polish cousin was shocked when I told him I liked Warsaw as a city better than Los Angeles.
I guess that's what was meant by "America exports its culture well." Well, in this case, refers to its convincing power rather than authentic representation.
van HellSing on 5/1/2016 at 18:55
(
http://www.economist.com/node/21685201)
Purge of public media. Also, this gem by the foreign affairs minister in light of criticism:
"As if the world, in a Marxist fashion, were destined to evolve only in one direction—towards a new mix of cultures and races, a world of bicyclists and vegetarians."
Manwe on 6/1/2016 at 12:18
Quote Posted by van HellSing
Purge of public media. Also, this gem by the foreign affairs minister in light of criticism
Another wise decisions it seems. Dunno about Poland but here the media are traitorous whores, completely sold out to billionaires' interests. They're professional liars and conmen, fascists disguised as liberals, entirely disconnected from reality, who hate the people and their country.
Thirith on 6/1/2016 at 12:36
Next thing you know, Poland's going to invade Poland... erm.
