ormr

That might be the case in the US where capitalists have much more influence over election outcomes and politicians themselves are often part of dynasties that accumulated enormous wealth. This is however not comparable to many European countries. Sure, you have capitalists in all capitalist societies. But their direct influence on election results is much smaller and politicians are very often ordinary people and not obscenely rich or privileged by their ancestry.

A whole different aspect is that these ordinary people, once they came into power, lend their ears way too much to capitalist interests and the likes of lobbyists, often ignoring the problems and needs of ordinary people and focussing instead on catering to the industry.

The people could however not vote for these politicians if they realized that their policies thwart their own interests. If they fail to do so, it’s their own fault that the conditions for the majority are not improving. How can you fix the stupidity?

It’s not contradictory but thanks for repeating my sentence with different wording.

Sovereign countries can choose their alliances freely. Of course it’s Russian paranoia to be fearful of the NATO expansion. NATO would not start WW3 by invading Russia. And NATO expansion is the direct consequence of Russian imperialism. Russia’s neighbors are afraid of Russia which has proven time and time again that it can and will use military force to subjugate it’s neighbors. We’ve seen it under the reign of the Tsar. We’ve seen it during soviet times and we’ve seen it in modern Russia with Chechenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine… You have to be willingly blind to overlook all these cases of military aggression out of paranoia and megalomania. Do you think the largest country on earth was created by peaceful negotiations and hugs? It’s absolutely ridiculous.

Your “ample evidence” is fabricated by the spin doctors in Moscow. Congratulations for drinking up that propaganda so willingly.

Nevertheless Ukraine had physical control over these nuclear weapons although it couldn’t have launched them. Ukraine also had claims to the black sea fleet and gave up on both in the years before the Budapest memorandum in which the above-mentioned security guarantees where given. In hindsight that was probably a mistake and the west should have used Russia’s weakness to break Crimea and the black sea fleet out of Russia’s hands for good to avoid future conflict and cripple Russia’s geopolitical ambitions which where always fueled by paranoia. But you can’t be that paranoid about losing sth. that you don’t have anymore.

Russia can’t be trusted to adhere to the contracts they sign. They will even invade and terrorise a country they themselves called “brothers” for a long time. It’s utterly shameful and all you have to say about this is “bUt nAtO DiD bAd tHiNgS!!1”.

Russia had already acted in bad faith and abandoned it’s contractual obligations with regard to giving security guarantees (!) to Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine giving up the nuclear weapons on their soil after the fall of the soviet union. The Minsk negotiations took place AFTER Russia illegally annexed the Krim and moved troops into the Donbass to stage an insurrection.

Now you could say that some Western nations also didn’t honor their obligation to guarantee Ukraine’s sovereignty. But doing so would’ve meant open war with Russia so it’s partly understandable why they acted this way. And at least the West didn’t outright invade the country the pledged to protect like Russia did. It’s indefensible and you white washing these rogue and terrorist acts just shows what an utter deplorable piece of human garbage you truly are (did I word this correctly?)

An UN official having an opinion doesn’t make any claim about genocide in Gaza a fact btw.

I only agree that we shouldn’t view Russia or Russians as fundamentally evil of dehumanize them with language like “orcs”. But really… do you view Russia as a liberal democratic state? I’m sorry but are you out of your mind? And surely they are not led by ordinary people but by a class of oligarchs under the lead of the godfather of this mafia state.

Also you say you don’t care about border disputes between countries. You’re wrong that this is up to the people sharing this border. Legally that’s a very ignorant statement as there are very good reasons that the UN member countries are extremely reluctant to accept any changing of borders, especially not by force. International law puts emphasis on stability of borders. Also it makes border conflicts every countries’ business. So yes: Even as a Euro-American you’re very much entitled to have an opinion about it and legally it’s your countries’ duty to have a stance on it. No one is on the sidelines here.

You’re the one posting stupid shit again and again. Russia shouldn’t have invaded, period. No country in the EU longed for war with Russia. On the opposite Russian governments have a very long history of being absolutely paranoid, thus justyfing annexation and assimilation of countless territories and peoples for the sake of “feeling secure”. It’s absolutely ridiculous to fall for this shitty narrative that fits so well with the rest of dumb Russian propaganda.

Likewise there is no genocide in Gaza. If you’re in support of a terrorist group using hospitals, kindergartens, mosques, etc. to hide, keep hostages and store explosives, I’m really wondering how wicked one can be. Maybe you’re an antisemite?

We have all kinds in my city: Medieval cobblestone, brick roads and asphalt. As a cyclist I have to tell you that I hate all kinds of brick roads that I have encountered. Even when they’re not the horrible middle age version, they will often get deformed by roots or depression of the ground quite rapidly, making them even more bumpy. For this reason I think, I saw in Sweden in an otherwise bricky city center that they had a narrow asphalt lane on the side of the road for cyclists. I was just amazed that someone would spend that much thought into what’s great for cyclists. As a cyclist I really love asphalt :D

I’m not detached from my worldview. But if holding a belief means I have to view everything that happens through the same lens, and not being able to appreciate multiple perspectives on an issue, then yes, I’d rather not hold a belief but decide from case to case. If that means to you that I’m detached then I can’t help it.

Being able to enjoy an argument doesn’t imply that I don’t take it seriously. Feeling troubled and challenged by people who don’t conform to a world view… That could surely be said about the reactions of many here, why should I be an exception?

I don’t sort most views here in my “uncivilized” folder and I couldn’t care less to “report” that to anyone, as I’m not aligning with any particular community and am not interested in making fun of others when I can be sure that I will get nice slaps on the back for. You surely do enough for the “uncontacted tribe” image yourselves when I remember the (funny) posts about the panic of some people in other communities after federation. Plesse don’t imply that I invented this shit or that it’s now suddenly some offensive perspective.

I know about these opinions, especially since I’m living in the East. Also I genuinely respect them. But of course there are reasons for this: The people who wouldn’t voice that opinion have been long gone. Either fled before 89 or moved to Western Germany in the years after, as millions of young Eastern Germans have done. And those who stayed were most likely those living on the countryside where influence of the government was smaller and the oppression less notable. But of course the GDR was not hell on earth and some people had the chance to enjoy life every now and then.

Still… Even if not many were shot: Many more were interrogated and tortured in Stasi jail. And knowing that anyone, even your closest relatives, could be spying on you… Just because you didn’t conform to the reason of state. That must’ve been horrible. It’s not like people fled the country without reason.

That’s what I came here for. I like the hexbear shitposting attitude :D

Just today I took the rare opportunity to dive into your echo chamber and have some debates. I hope y’all are not too triggered now. Don’t take all the things I said too seriously. In the end I’m not 100% sure what the best course of action regarding Ukraine would be. But you certainly are, so having such discussions in a nuanced way really becomes difficult. Enjoyed it nevertheless so far.

Don’t be mad that I’m lashing out a bit. At least you’re saying clearly that I’m just falling for propaganda, not being able to think critically in your opinion. But I could say the exact same thing about you. Imo it’s ignorance to lecture someone about the history of their own country as if that person had never informed themselves or reflected on that history. I didn’t want to diminish the role of the Red Army in defeating the nazis, of course they had insane losses and contributed significantly to the victory over nazism. However I don’t think that the Americans taking part in it did only play a minor part. Both sides working together was necessary to achieve this. And I don’t think it makes any sense to argue about who contributed the most. Also completely besides the point because my argument was about pacifism. And neither the Russians nor the Americans defeated the nazis without weapons.

If we’re already in illusionary politics land, here’s my take on Donbass and Crimea. I don’t care about their independence referendums. There’s even a secessionist movement in Bavaria, demanding independence from Germany. Doesn’t mean that any prick who thinks they deserve their own country should get one. How did the russians even end up there, if not by imperalist soviet policies which btw led to the deportation and death of millions who lived there before, e.g. Crimean Tatars. So Crimea belongs to the Tatars, right? Or no: Lets go back further. It belongs to the Greek who settled there before the Tatars! It’s not like the Russians in Ukraine are some fucking indigenuous tribe whose customs and rituals deserve to be world heritage. While they should be treated with the same dignity as all citizens of Ukraine it’s not like having a common language for teaching has anything to do with violating “ethnic constitutional rights”.

In the end, the big majority of people in the Donbass would probably have preferred not to be occupied by unmarked troops sneaking into their homeland and afterwards being governed by idiotic strongmen who draft them for a war they never wanted.

Good god. How nice of you to clear me up about the history of my own country hahaha. I’m sure the invasion in Normandy was basically a stroll in the park for the Americans. And the Eastern Germans they were so glad about their “liberation” that the Soviet govt had to build a wall to keep people from running away from this GLORIOUS “democratic” state. Even shot people who wanted to exercise their right to leave.

But lets leave it at that. There’s no sense in discussing with someone who thinks they are all-knowing keepers of the truth without even knowing the definition of doubt.

I agree that the invasion of Iraq was illegal and unjustified just as the invasion of Ukraine was, and it set a terrible precedent. If China would’ve been in the position to credibly fend off the invasion at that time (before it even started!) that would’ve been a great thing. Now I would say the same about Ukraine but the West didn’t take the threat seriously enough back then.

A difference in outcome is imo that Iraq was a dictatorship to start with. When I talk to Ukrainian refugees now living here they tell me that they want to preserve the political freedoms they gained after the Maidan revolution. They don’t want to become a puppet state similar to Belarus and many of them are determined to fight for that. Ukraine surely is far from a perfect democracy and it has it’s share of nazis as all societies have. But who am I to tell the Ukrainians to just let it be, accept their defeat and flee while they still can? But the war is a terrible meat grinder and it should ne stopped ASAP. I wish for honest negotiations and that might even include some tough to swallow compromises for the Ukrainian side. But what’s more important is that there needs to be a new security architecture that prevents future wars and works for all sides. The Ukrainians have been let down by all sides in the past as neither country from the West, nor Russia, who all guaranteed Ukraines security in treatys have met their obligations.

And the nazis I’m siding with are the Ukrainians? Laughable.

Also why do you confuse yourself with the people who historically never sided with the nazis? You might think to share some beliefs with these historical figures. But you’re just a bigmouthed keyboard warrior who most likely never had to confront the choice between your life and your ideals.

And that belief is pacifism? That’s of course a legitimate opinion to hold. But mine is different. The US has committed their fair share of atrocities over the decades. But I live in Germany. And if it weren’t for the US involvment in WW2, I might be living in a fascist shithole today. So… is that comparable to the situation in Ukraine? Imo it is to a certain degree. Is war horrible? Of course, we should never fight them. But if someone wages war, ignoring all means of diplomacy because they think they’ll profit from it, and your only option to end the war immediately is surrendering to maximalist demands… with the expectation that this will again continue in some years with new demands… What you gonna do?

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Since when does the Rand corporation publish research focusing on income inequality?

Lol thats literally what I say to the flies. But my death/hit ratio is probably 0.3.

Corn me up snake