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To me the HN comments are even more interesting than the event itself. Politics is rarely at HN so it was a rare chance to see the opinions about this topic. M
by avodonosov 2y ago
To me the HN comments are even more interesting than the event itself. Politics is rarely at HN so it was a rare chance to see the opinions about this topic.
Most commenters have highly inadequate view of the Ukrainian situation. I wonder why. Even in highly censored and manipulated universe of western information space, there are enough facts to form more adequate views. What makes people ignore the facts and stick to the wrong views?
I suspect it's because of a feeling instilled, that sticking to these opinions makes them good people. If you #StandWithUkraine you become a kind of a moral hero.
Paradoxically, this confirms the need for brainwashing in mass politics. If normal, sufficiently intelligent and developed audience can not form adequate views of political questions, somebody needs to guide their views.
Unless some new technology or social organization emerges, that allows public to form a balanced and adequate opinion, some guides will need to brainwash the public.
But when the guides are themselves inadequate, troubles happen.
- aprilthird2021 2y agoWhat facts do you think people are ignoring? I think everyone knows Ukraine is at a disadvantage in this war in terms of manpower, ammo, money, resources, allies, etc. But what Zelensky said in the meeting is true. Ceasefires and agreements don't mean much to Putin. He has broken them in the past. He's not someone who can be defeated in diplomacy. It's a tough issue without an easy resolution. I don't think people here think otherwise?
- thrance 2y ago[flagged]
- avodonosov 2y agoSorry if my comment is pretentious. I can't go further into details about Ukraine, not today at least. One piece of information in my comment is that I suspect arguments and facts are likely to be ignored if people a-priory convinced what opinion makes them "good" and what opinion is shameful.
- avodonosov 2y agoStrange, why is the parent comment flagged now. Mildly critical of me, he just engaged in dialogue and asked for facts.
- linuxhansl 2y ago[flagged]
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- adamrezich 2y agoWhy would you expect nuance from a set of commenters that generally defer to their country's media class to do the thinking about any complex issues—so as to boil them down to a Star Wars-tier “good vs. evil” distillation—for them?
- 0x696C6961 2y ago[flagged]
- raziel2p 2y agoironically you are contributing to the poor discourse by vaguely pointing to a lack of fact based views, but without specifying which facts you think are wrong or missing in this discussion.
- srid 2y agoMy gut feeling is that HN comments on these political threads (which are almost always of sinistral statist ideology, à la anti-DOGE, pro-Ukraine, etc.) do not properly represent the whole HN demographics. It seems that only a small vocal group of participants tend to participate in these threads. Most techies just want to do tech stuff.
- theonething 2y agoMy take doesn't conform to HN leanings on this: Zelensky messed up here. He and his country are a position of need. Ukraine needs the US, not the other way around. In that position, you don't walk into the Oval Office arms crossed, eyes rolling, head shaking with your demands. You come in with the understanding the US has given you over $300 billion in aid, the US is offering a minerals rights deal that benefits your country economically and binds the US and Ukraine closer economically, politically and most likely militarily (the US protects its interests abroad). Given that, you come in with a thankful attitude seeing that this deal is the beginning, not the end of the solution to your problems. It's a very good beginning. You'll have disagreements with the President for sure. You air those out behind close doors, not in the house of your guests/benefactors for all the world to see. This is basic diplomacy. This deal is very good for Ukraine. It's in Zelensky's court to salvage the damage he's caused. The Ukrainian people depend on it.