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So many of the news stories about Russia recently have been fraudulent. Like the uproar about the child protection law that is called an "anti-gay" law, but nob

So many of the news stories about Russia recently have been fraudulent. Like the uproar about the child protection law that is called an "anti-gay" law, but nobody has found any evidence of the law being enforced. How many silly laws get passed in the USA that never get enforced? That's what democracy is all about. There is no wise all-knowing king who can rule by proclamation; instead we muddle through with a crowd of flawed human beings who got themselves elected by a bigger crowd of citizens who are at least as flawed as the legislators. And how come the haters of that Russian law, never target any of their venom at the Russian legislators who wrote and passed that law with a large majority? Investigative journalism is dead. Journalists are now bought and paid for by rich patrons. If you want to find a source of reliable news that you can trust, then sorry, you are out of luck. That era has long since passed.

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
wavefunction 13y ago
Selective enforcement of laws on the books is one of the worst corruptions of the modern era. If its never going to be enforced, surely the legislation can be struck from law.
mistakoala 13y ago
Journalists are now bought and paid for by rich patrons. That's one way of looking at it. Another way is that activists use it as an instrument of storytelling their agenda. It's even worse when it masquerades as 'quality' journalism, dressed up in broadsheet (or more to the point, Berliner format) and verbiage. I feel that there is just too much of the wrong motivation behind 'journalism'.
tinbad 13y ago
Because they are afraid. Also, the majority you are talking about is non existent. It is entrenched in the Russian culture to feel hopeless about legislature because everybody knows (or thinks) that nothing can be done and that the elite will do whatever they wish. You know that Stalin killed tens of millions just because they had a foreign sounding last name, right? If you say that western media is corrupt, than the Russian is absolutely corrupt. I don't believe you though, why would the west 'pick' on Russia? Just because? No, I'm russian and most things are true. Russia is one fucked up place for most people who live there. In most western counties it's luckily the other way around, the majority can live prosperous lives and pursue their dreams and wishes. I'm really tired of people defending Russia, it's people and our politics. I do agree that we get what we deserve. It will take decades or probably centuries before we even get to the level of kindness, sophistication and self respect you have in the west.
mladenkovacevic 13y ago
I suspect you won't see this on NBC... or if you do it'll be spun into how a state department official used a bad word. http://youtu.be/MSxaa-67yGM http://youtu.be/MSxaa-67yGM
smsm42 13y ago
Democracy is not about passing idiotic laws, enforced or not, if somebody told you so he lied. But Russian lawmaking process right now has as much common with democracy as North Korean courts have with justice. There is a king - his name is Vladimir Putin - whose word is law, and nobody is allowed to muddle anywhere without his knowledge or initiative. The flurry of insane laws from the Duma - the possessed printer, as it is called in Russia - is not some random mistake, it is a reflection of insanity setting in in Russian politics, unfortunately. To be sure, American politics has its own share of insanity, but of a completely different kind. >>> Investigative journalism is dead. Journalists are now bought and paid for by rich patrons. It must be very bleak in the world you live in. Knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing, indeed.
voyou 13y ago
> nobody has found any evidence of the law being enforced And yet: "A Russian court has fined a newspaper editor for publishing an interview with a gay school teacher who was quoted as saying 'homosexuality is normal.'" http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/feb/01/russia-gay-rights http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/feb/01/russ...
- arethuza 13y ago
  That reminds me of the daft "Section 28" law that the Conservatives introduced in the UK (excluding NI) in the late 80s (now repealed): The amendment stated that a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_28 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_28
guard-of-terra 13y ago
"Like the uproar about the child protection law that is called an "anti-gay" law, but nobody has found any evidence of the law being enforced" Right now it's like massively enforced, even so far as going after a schoolgirl who claimed she was a lesbian (later dropping charges but only after effectively ruining child's life)

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

wavefunction 13y ago

Selective enforcement of laws on the books is one of the worst corruptions of the modern era. If its never going to be enforced, surely the legislation can be struck from law.

mistakoala 13y ago

Journalists are now bought and paid for by rich patrons. That's one way of looking at it. Another way is that activists use it as an instrument of storytelling their agenda. It's even worse when it masquerades as 'quality' journalism, dressed up in broadsheet (or more to the point, Berliner format) and verbiage. I feel that there is just too much of the wrong motivation behind 'journalism'.

tinbad 13y ago

Because they are afraid. Also, the majority you are talking about is non existent. It is entrenched in the Russian culture to feel hopeless about legislature because everybody knows (or thinks) that nothing can be done and that the elite will do whatever they wish. You know that Stalin killed tens of millions just because they had a foreign sounding last name, right? If you say that western media is corrupt, than the Russian is absolutely corrupt. I don't believe you though, why would the west 'pick' on Russia? Just because? No, I'm russian and most things are true. Russia is one fucked up place for most people who live there. In most western counties it's luckily the other way around, the majority can live prosperous lives and pursue their dreams and wishes. I'm really tired of people defending Russia, it's people and our politics. I do agree that we get what we deserve. It will take decades or probably centuries before we even get to the level of kindness, sophistication and self respect you have in the west.

mladenkovacevic 13y ago

I suspect you won't see this on NBC... or if you do it'll be spun into how a state department official used a bad word. http://youtu.be/MSxaa-67yGM http://youtu.be/MSxaa-67yGM

smsm42 13y ago

Democracy is not about passing idiotic laws, enforced or not, if somebody told you so he lied. But Russian lawmaking process right now has as much common with democracy as North Korean courts have with justice. There is a king - his name is Vladimir Putin - whose word is law, and nobody is allowed to muddle anywhere without his knowledge or initiative. The flurry of insane laws from the Duma - the possessed printer, as it is called in Russia - is not some random mistake, it is a reflection of insanity setting in in Russian politics, unfortunately. To be sure, American politics has its own share of insanity, but of a completely different kind. >>> Investigative journalism is dead. Journalists are now bought and paid for by rich patrons. It must be very bleak in the world you live in. Knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing, indeed.

voyou 13y ago

> nobody has found any evidence of the law being enforced And yet: "A Russian court has fined a newspaper editor for publishing an interview with a gay school teacher who was quoted as saying 'homosexuality is normal.'" http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/feb/01/russia-gay-rights http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/feb/01/russ...

arethuza 13y ago
That reminds me of the daft "Section 28" law that the Conservatives introduced in the UK (excluding NI) in the late 80s (now repealed): The amendment stated that a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_28 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_28

guard-of-terra 13y ago

"Like the uproar about the child protection law that is called an "anti-gay" law, but nobody has found any evidence of the law being enforced" Right now it's like massively enforced, even so far as going after a schoolgirl who claimed she was a lesbian (later dropping charges but only after effectively ruining child's life)