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The "This happens in the US too" comments are an annoying pointless digression. Just like in the Wikileaks threads when people go on about the abuses in other

The "This happens in the US too" comments are an annoying pointless digression. Just like in the Wikileaks threads when people go on about the abuses in other countries, and how unfair it is that JUST America's/ the DNC's/ the CIA/ the NAS's dirty laundry gets aired. Repression and abuses of power should concern us all. One evil does not negate an other.

abiox 10y ago
i agree that "One evil does not negate an other", but it's worth noting that persistent one-sided storytelling contributes to a persistent one-sided view of the world.
deleted 10y ago
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quirkafleeg 10y ago
There's only one comment that says simply "this happens in the US too", and it's unclear whether it's trying to excuse the Russian authorities or simply pointing out that authoritarianism is not limited to Russia (Russian/Russia seems, perhaps accidentally, heavily emphasised in the subject). The other posts that refer the US are in response to comments stating/implying that it's a specifically Russian thing, pointing out that no, similar things occur in the US. They're not trying to say one evil (Russian) is negated by another (American), but that both sides do evil.
steveracer 10y ago
It is the primary mode of Russian paid trolls to use the "tu quoque" method of argumentation ("You do it too!") in online discussions. However, tu quoque is a fallacy. It is irrelevant to the discussion if other places do other things. We are talking about this specific instance. It also is trying to create a false equivalence, stating that if a bad thing happens once in country A, it is as bad as country B. However the frequency and severity of these matters is almost universally different, which shows the false equivalence.
- true_religion 10y ago
  The idea is to shift the conversation from one of utter disapproval for Russia's actions, to one where positions are negotiable. If the US has even one instance of doing this, then questions arise such as: 1. Maybe this is unavoidable, and if so how much time/money should we spend chasing down an unavoidable issue? 2. Maybe there are specific circumstances where this is okay? Why isn't this one of those specific circumstances? We should trust the Russian government, just as American's give their own government the benefit of the doubt.

abiox 10y ago

i agree that "One evil does not negate an other", but it's worth noting that persistent one-sided storytelling contributes to a persistent one-sided view of the world.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

quirkafleeg 10y ago

There's only one comment that says simply "this happens in the US too", and it's unclear whether it's trying to excuse the Russian authorities or simply pointing out that authoritarianism is not limited to Russia (Russian/Russia seems, perhaps accidentally, heavily emphasised in the subject). The other posts that refer the US are in response to comments stating/implying that it's a specifically Russian thing, pointing out that no, similar things occur in the US. They're not trying to say one evil (Russian) is negated by another (American), but that both sides do evil.

steveracer 10y ago

It is the primary mode of Russian paid trolls to use the "tu quoque" method of argumentation ("You do it too!") in online discussions. However, tu quoque is a fallacy. It is irrelevant to the discussion if other places do other things. We are talking about this specific instance. It also is trying to create a false equivalence, stating that if a bad thing happens once in country A, it is as bad as country B. However the frequency and severity of these matters is almost universally different, which shows the false equivalence.

true_religion 10y ago
The idea is to shift the conversation from one of utter disapproval for Russia's actions, to one where positions are negotiable. If the US has even one instance of doing this, then questions arise such as: 1. Maybe this is unavoidable, and if so how much time/money should we spend chasing down an unavoidable issue? 2. Maybe there are specific circumstances where this is okay? Why isn't this one of those specific circumstances? We should trust the Russian government, just as American's give their own government the benefit of the doubt.