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> Russia can come off like the benevolent country protecting freedom. Not even the most devoted partisan can claim this was a straight face. Russia kills journ
by seppin 6y ago
> Russia can come off like the benevolent country protecting freedom.
Not even the most devoted partisan can claim this was a straight face. Russia kills journalists that speak against Putin, poison political opposition, and paint with microwave radiation any diplomat misguided enough to attempt a dialogue.
It's a mafia state, pure and simple.
- whateveracct 6y agoHN contrarians don't wanna hear that - they routinely gobble up the narrative that the US is less free than Russia and other autocracies.
- Matticus_Rex 6y agoI don't think anyone here is saying that the US is less free than Russia. They're saying that this move has PR to that effect as one of its goals.
- soledades 6y agoYeah, gimme some of that gobbledygook.. gobble gobble gobble
- ska 6y ago> they routinely gobble up the narrative that the US is less free than Russia and other autocracies I have seen little or no evidence to support this contention, and plenty that does not support it. There are certainly periodic discussions suggesting the US is less free than it's own PR would suggest, but that's not at all the same thing.
- seppin 6y agoI think it's more than Snowden is living the dream of every underappreciated IT worker and to speak against him is to speak against that dream, too.
- seppin 6y agoThe more I interact on this website, the more i'm convinced this is exactly it. Snowden represents every IT support monkey disrespected by their org, most of whom check Hacker News daily. I fully agree IT in every industry deserves more respect, but Snowden is thoroughly enjoying his new found celebrity post-defection. To deny this is part of his motivation is to be blind.
- Matticus_Rex 6y agoYes, but mafia states do PR so that they aren't recognized as clearly as mafia states.
- seppin 6y agoYes, and if you are a citizen of a free country that defects to a mafia state to help in their PR efforts, such an action should be called out for what it is.
- TheCoelacanth 6y agoSnowden didn't defect to Russia. The US trapped him there by revoking his passport while he was traveling through on the way to Ecuador.
- seppin 6y agoWhy do otherwise smart people keep saying this over and over? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24860909 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24860909
- Matticus_Rex 6y agoLiterally no one contends he defected for the purpose of helping Russia's PR, so you calling it out as that is deliberately slanderous.
- seppin 6y ago> Literally no one contends he defected for the purpose of helping Russia's PR Right, including me. That just happened to be the result.