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This videogame review from a YouTube channel called Warlockracy is actually also a really interesting perspective on at least some aspects of Russian subculture

by palmetieri2000 4y ago

This videogame review from a YouTube channel called Warlockracy is actually also a really interesting perspective on at least some aspects of Russian subcultures and their prominence, I found it a surprisingly insightful social commentary wrapped up in an entertaining vid. 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ_PiXLVaJ8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ_PiXLVaJ8 (~45mins) The second video is more serious but also rather interesting (clips from it became very popular at the beginning of the Russian invasion into Ukraine). It is a lecture from a Finnish University Professor whom spent most of his career in Intelligence specializing in Russian relations and now teaches intelligence and security. He talks extensively about the corruption hierarchies in Russia as well as Putin and Propaganda, well worth a watch (and more recent videos have been released since found on the same channel). 2. https://youtu.be/kF9KretXqJw https://youtu.be/kF9KretXqJw (~60mins) Operating under the assumption that the video isn't misrepresenting the cultural aspects of Russia I think we would both be surprised at how "cartoonish" things can be.

theshrike79 4y ago
Video #2 should be required watching for anyone joining the conversation about the Russia - Ukraine war. Martti J. Kari (the lecturer) spent his whole career in the Finnish military studying Russia. The Russian mentality is _really_ hard to understand for a generic westerner. Russia has been lead by a conservative leader for 200-300 years. Lead by an autocratic leader (Tsar) for a good thousand years. The next Tsar will always be from the "Princes" - never a complete outsider. Trying to change that mindset is as impossible as it would be for the USA to not have a two-party system. Their whole culture and bureaucracy is based on the fact that there is an "us" and a "them". Three or four parties will never happen in the USA.
- paganel 4y ago
  There was almost nothing “conservative” about Leninism. The same goes for Stalinism. Your comment actually just made me want to but “The Atheist Manual” (or something similar, can’t remember the exact title) that was published in 1950s USSR and which I found in a Romanian translation in an antique bookshop that I usually frequent.
  - smsm42 4y ago
    One has to distinguish between early revolutionaries - who had many weird ideas to overhaul everything, from the calendar to the family structure to the language to the alphabet to how the art is done (in that latter they actually produced some interesting results that didn't end up in blood, tears and mass murder, too bad it happened in many other areas). They definitely weren't conservative by any measure. But, once Bolsheviks took power and consolidated, their regime was as conservative as the Tsar's - including promoting the same conservative values the early revolutionaries raged against. People in power have much different interests than people trying to overthrow the power, you know - even if those happen to be the same people at different times. The time it happened has been somewhere contemporaneous with the power transition from Lenin (largely disabled and unable to control anything for the last year of his life, but being severely ill even before) to Stalin.
    - paganel 4y ago
      As I said, the Church had a very, very rough time throughout the existence of the USSR. There was a slight reprieve going into WW2 and during the war because Stalin wanted the most out of the USSR citizens, but otherwise religion, the conservative thing by definition, was a non-entity. Also, women participating in the labor-force was encouraged throughout the regime’s existence, until the very end, there was no “Stepford Wives”-like tale East of the Wall. One of my aunts was an industrial crane operator in the ‘80s, I, as a kid, was finding that perfectly normal (I also grew up East of the Wall). Stay-at-home mothers, another traditional thing by definition, was seen as retrograde, “you had to have a job, hence a salary”, everything else was seen as laziness. And I could continue with countless other examples similar to these.
- Andrew_nenakhov 4y ago
  Three or four parties could easily happen in the USA of they'd change their electoral system. FPTP system and lack of culturally divergent regions (like Scotland in the UK) is the reason there are no third / fourth powers. If, say, half of Congress were elected by party lists, there'd be a lot of political diversity fast.
  - qbrass 4y ago
    Except that will never happen either, for the reasons you gave.
- achenet 4y ago
  France had been ruled by kings, and before that, the Roman Empire for thousands of years, and then one day we had a revolution and became freedom-loving leftists. Same can happen in Russia -indeed, same DID happen in Russia, until the USSR turned into a totalitarian state under Stalin. Also, the US can totally have a multi-party system if they reform their electoral system. [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law
  - theshrike79 4y ago
    But the ones who decide on reforming the system are the two parties - who don't want to dilute their power to other parties. Thus: it'll never happen.
    - achenet 4y ago
      Once again, don't underestimate the American people. If they get mad enough, they'll storm the capital and demand electoral reform at gunpoint. The French kings weren't keen on democracy, and the Russian Czars weren't keen on communism. Yet they still happened.
gdy 4y ago
>I found it a surprisingly insightful social commentary And how did you determine that it is insightful? The video starts with the guy confidently saying that Alcatraz is a nickname of a Moscow prison (!!!), apparently having no clue that the Russian name of the game doesn't have anything to do with prisons and the name 'Planet Alcatraz' is given to the English edition of the game. If you have no idea what you talking about -- just make things up, right? Should I find Manhunt or Postal to be a mirror of American culture? "Interesting perspective", "insightful social commentary"?
- rossvor 4y ago
  He said no such thing, he said that the planet was named "Матросская тишина" (seaman's silence) after this prison https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrosskaya_Tishina https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrosskaya_Tishina . And you are aware that he's playing the russian version of the game, right? Translating some bits for the english audience. I'm sure he's perfectly aware what the name of the game is in russian (it's literally in the first shot of the video). Seems like you watched 5min to just quickly find something to discredit and immediately dismiss it. > Should I find Manhunt or Postal to be a mirror of American culture? "Interesting perspective", "insightful social commentary"? Not a "mirror" of a culture, but if you were not already versed in American culture and watched an insightful review of those games pulling on various culture trends which make up those games, I see no reason why it couldn't be an "Interesting perspective" or "insightful social commentary".
  - gdy 4y ago
    You are right about the prison, I guess I missed both the word 'planet' and the prison name and filled in the blank, and made an unjust judgement of the author of the video. 'Seems like you watched 5min to just quickly find something to discredit and immediately dismiss it' That's quite an uncharitable interpretation. You are right about one thing though -- I gave up quite early. "I see no reason why it couldn't be an "Interesting perspective" or "insightful social commentary"" In the context of judging the American nation as a whole -- of course not.
    - 4y ago
gdy 4y ago
"Operating under the assumption that the video isn't misrepresenting the cultural aspects of Russia" And why do you operate under this assumption? The guy keeps saying '[In Russia] conservatives have always had power.' Was Lenin a conservative? Very few countries undergone such radical changes as Russia. The one thing he repeats even more is 'infallible Tsar'. Let me tell you a secret -- Putin have ruled for so long because life for ordinary Russians was getting better despite all his fuckups. Now this have changed and we have entered very 'interesting' times.
- palmetieri2000 4y ago
  Feel free to read the responses others have given to my initial post, they cover your complaints quite handily.
- smsm42 4y ago
  > Was Lenin a conservative? Lenin ruled for barely 4 years. Since November 1917 till late 1921, when he already had been gravely ill and was largely removed from all power and left as a figurehead. In 1923, he had his third stroke, and his days were numbered. So, compared to overall Russia's history, Lenin's four years have been but a brief episode. Stalin, who replaced him, was a conservative ruler (though of course not the kind of "conservative" that we have now in America, obviously), so were all up to maybe Gorbachev - who ruled for about 6 years overall. As you can see, not being a conservative leader in Russia means a rather short tenure, somehow. > Now this have changed and we have entered very 'interesting' times. If you think people in Russia will raise up and overthrow Putin because of the suffering he has inflicted on them due to his insane lust for conquest - don't hold you breath for it. He has much better chance do die as a Tsar (which is what most Russian Tsars did) than to be deposed. Russian people, as a mass, have absolutely zero inclination to overthrow Putin's regime.
  - gdy 4y ago
    Try and think of the many ways in which the USSR was different from the Russian empire and you will understand the scale of Lenin's and Stalin's radical changes.

theshrike79 4y ago

Video #2 should be required watching for anyone joining the conversation about the Russia - Ukraine war. Martti J. Kari (the lecturer) spent his whole career in the Finnish military studying Russia. The Russian mentality is _really_ hard to understand for a generic westerner. Russia has been lead by a conservative leader for 200-300 years. Lead by an autocratic leader (Tsar) for a good thousand years. The next Tsar will always be from the "Princes" - never a complete outsider. Trying to change that mindset is as impossible as it would be for the USA to not have a two-party system. Their whole culture and bureaucracy is based on the fact that there is an "us" and a "them". Three or four parties will never happen in the USA.

paganel 4y ago
There was almost nothing “conservative” about Leninism. The same goes for Stalinism. Your comment actually just made me want to but “The Atheist Manual” (or something similar, can’t remember the exact title) that was published in 1950s USSR and which I found in a Romanian translation in an antique bookshop that I usually frequent.
- smsm42 4y ago
  One has to distinguish between early revolutionaries - who had many weird ideas to overhaul everything, from the calendar to the family structure to the language to the alphabet to how the art is done (in that latter they actually produced some interesting results that didn't end up in blood, tears and mass murder, too bad it happened in many other areas). They definitely weren't conservative by any measure. But, once Bolsheviks took power and consolidated, their regime was as conservative as the Tsar's - including promoting the same conservative values the early revolutionaries raged against. People in power have much different interests than people trying to overthrow the power, you know - even if those happen to be the same people at different times. The time it happened has been somewhere contemporaneous with the power transition from Lenin (largely disabled and unable to control anything for the last year of his life, but being severely ill even before) to Stalin.
  - paganel 4y ago
    As I said, the Church had a very, very rough time throughout the existence of the USSR. There was a slight reprieve going into WW2 and during the war because Stalin wanted the most out of the USSR citizens, but otherwise religion, the conservative thing by definition, was a non-entity. Also, women participating in the labor-force was encouraged throughout the regime’s existence, until the very end, there was no “Stepford Wives”-like tale East of the Wall. One of my aunts was an industrial crane operator in the ‘80s, I, as a kid, was finding that perfectly normal (I also grew up East of the Wall). Stay-at-home mothers, another traditional thing by definition, was seen as retrograde, “you had to have a job, hence a salary”, everything else was seen as laziness. And I could continue with countless other examples similar to these.
Andrew_nenakhov 4y ago
Three or four parties could easily happen in the USA of they'd change their electoral system. FPTP system and lack of culturally divergent regions (like Scotland in the UK) is the reason there are no third / fourth powers. If, say, half of Congress were elected by party lists, there'd be a lot of political diversity fast.
- qbrass 4y ago
  Except that will never happen either, for the reasons you gave.
achenet 4y ago
France had been ruled by kings, and before that, the Roman Empire for thousands of years, and then one day we had a revolution and became freedom-loving leftists. Same can happen in Russia -indeed, same DID happen in Russia, until the USSR turned into a totalitarian state under Stalin. Also, the US can totally have a multi-party system if they reform their electoral system. [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law
- theshrike79 4y ago
  But the ones who decide on reforming the system are the two parties - who don't want to dilute their power to other parties. Thus: it'll never happen.
  - achenet 4y ago
    Once again, don't underestimate the American people. If they get mad enough, they'll storm the capital and demand electoral reform at gunpoint. The French kings weren't keen on democracy, and the Russian Czars weren't keen on communism. Yet they still happened.

gdy 4y ago

>I found it a surprisingly insightful social commentary And how did you determine that it is insightful? The video starts with the guy confidently saying that Alcatraz is a nickname of a Moscow prison (!!!), apparently having no clue that the Russian name of the game doesn't have anything to do with prisons and the name 'Planet Alcatraz' is given to the English edition of the game. If you have no idea what you talking about -- just make things up, right? Should I find Manhunt or Postal to be a mirror of American culture? "Interesting perspective", "insightful social commentary"?

rossvor 4y ago
He said no such thing, he said that the planet was named "Матросская тишина" (seaman's silence) after this prison https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrosskaya_Tishina https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrosskaya_Tishina . And you are aware that he's playing the russian version of the game, right? Translating some bits for the english audience. I'm sure he's perfectly aware what the name of the game is in russian (it's literally in the first shot of the video). Seems like you watched 5min to just quickly find something to discredit and immediately dismiss it. > Should I find Manhunt or Postal to be a mirror of American culture? "Interesting perspective", "insightful social commentary"? Not a "mirror" of a culture, but if you were not already versed in American culture and watched an insightful review of those games pulling on various culture trends which make up those games, I see no reason why it couldn't be an "Interesting perspective" or "insightful social commentary".
- gdy 4y ago
  You are right about the prison, I guess I missed both the word 'planet' and the prison name and filled in the blank, and made an unjust judgement of the author of the video. 'Seems like you watched 5min to just quickly find something to discredit and immediately dismiss it' That's quite an uncharitable interpretation. You are right about one thing though -- I gave up quite early. "I see no reason why it couldn't be an "Interesting perspective" or "insightful social commentary"" In the context of judging the American nation as a whole -- of course not.
  - 4y ago

gdy 4y ago

"Operating under the assumption that the video isn't misrepresenting the cultural aspects of Russia" And why do you operate under this assumption? The guy keeps saying '[In Russia] conservatives have always had power.' Was Lenin a conservative? Very few countries undergone such radical changes as Russia. The one thing he repeats even more is 'infallible Tsar'. Let me tell you a secret -- Putin have ruled for so long because life for ordinary Russians was getting better despite all his fuckups. Now this have changed and we have entered very 'interesting' times.

palmetieri2000 4y ago
Feel free to read the responses others have given to my initial post, they cover your complaints quite handily.
smsm42 4y ago
> Was Lenin a conservative? Lenin ruled for barely 4 years. Since November 1917 till late 1921, when he already had been gravely ill and was largely removed from all power and left as a figurehead. In 1923, he had his third stroke, and his days were numbered. So, compared to overall Russia's history, Lenin's four years have been but a brief episode. Stalin, who replaced him, was a conservative ruler (though of course not the kind of "conservative" that we have now in America, obviously), so were all up to maybe Gorbachev - who ruled for about 6 years overall. As you can see, not being a conservative leader in Russia means a rather short tenure, somehow. > Now this have changed and we have entered very 'interesting' times. If you think people in Russia will raise up and overthrow Putin because of the suffering he has inflicted on them due to his insane lust for conquest - don't hold you breath for it. He has much better chance do die as a Tsar (which is what most Russian Tsars did) than to be deposed. Russian people, as a mass, have absolutely zero inclination to overthrow Putin's regime.
- gdy 4y ago
  Try and think of the many ways in which the USSR was different from the Russian empire and you will understand the scale of Lenin's and Stalin's radical changes.