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Maybe protesters should start displaying signs that aren't overtly war related, perhaps saying "Как дела, стукач?"[0] or something similar. Anti-authoritarianis

Maybe protesters should start displaying signs that aren't overtly war related, perhaps saying "Как дела, стукач?"[0] or something similar. Anti-authoritarianism may be safer than being anti-war. [0] "What's up, snitch?"

cmurf 5y ago
I think Russians have been disconnected from responsibility for their government that they now prefer it that way, and will resist anything and anyone that proposes they should be (a) informed (b) do anything about it. Maybe eventually sanctions will get them asking more questions like why they're banned from international sports. Or maybe this is the start of a totalitarianism trend. It's not certain this gets better. https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/when-russian-tv-cancels-on-the-media https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/when-russi... What struct me about this observation is, OK of course it's not possible to occupy the country and force them to have a free press. If that's really what's required to deprogram Russians, then they aren't going to be deprogrammed in the foreseeable future.
- webmaven 5y ago
  The tension between the government encouraging people to inform on each other and a certain amount of social ostracism for informers isn't anything new for Russians. I'm not sure that pointing out the slide toward pervasive paranoia would do much to slow it, but it seems like a better bet than tackling rah-rah nationalism head on.
T-A 5y ago
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-war-invasion-protests-police-arrest-activists-holding-blank-signs-paper-1687603 https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-war-invasion-protest...
- webmaven 5y ago
  Right. Well, a blank sign leaves the viewer free to imagine any implied message they want, whereas protesting informers is pretty specific. Not to say it's risk free, of course.

cmurf 5y ago

I think Russians have been disconnected from responsibility for their government that they now prefer it that way, and will resist anything and anyone that proposes they should be (a) informed (b) do anything about it. Maybe eventually sanctions will get them asking more questions like why they're banned from international sports. Or maybe this is the start of a totalitarianism trend. It's not certain this gets better. https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/when-russian-tv-cancels-on-the-media https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/when-russi... What struct me about this observation is, OK of course it's not possible to occupy the country and force them to have a free press. If that's really what's required to deprogram Russians, then they aren't going to be deprogrammed in the foreseeable future.

webmaven 5y ago
The tension between the government encouraging people to inform on each other and a certain amount of social ostracism for informers isn't anything new for Russians. I'm not sure that pointing out the slide toward pervasive paranoia would do much to slow it, but it seems like a better bet than tackling rah-rah nationalism head on.

T-A 5y ago

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-war-invasion-protests-police-arrest-activists-holding-blank-signs-paper-1687603 https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-war-invasion-protest...

webmaven 5y ago
Right. Well, a blank sign leaves the viewer free to imagine any implied message they want, whereas protesting informers is pretty specific. Not to say it's risk free, of course.