This is sad.
I studied Russian in high school for four years and became very attached to its culture. I subscribed to Komosomolskaya Pravda and then to Pravda and also to Krokodil. I sent letters to the editor to Pravda and actually got replies (and notes from my own government telling me that they were watching all of this). At Easter (that is, Orthodox Easter), I used to go to various Russian Orthodox churches to attend services and I got to know them fairly well. I have studied Russian (especially Soviet) history at an advanced level and I have a number of graduate level courses on Marxism under my belt.
I admire Russians very much. (The ones I’ve known, and I have known many at this point) were crazy, but in a good way. When communism fell I was very optimistic about Russia. My Russian was still good enough for reading and the stuff coming out of Russia was as original and interesting as what came out of Russia in the 1920’s.
But in the midst of the massive theft of state property there had to emerge shitheads who tried to put the toothpaste back into the tube by repressing (and killing) those of democratic inclinations who could have made Russia as great as it deserves to be. They are a great, dynamic, original people. The fact they are crushed under a narcissistist dictator is, hopefully, beside the point. I have been studying them now for over fifty years and I can honestly say that I love them. And it breaks my heart that the shitheads are once again in charge.
So if anyone thinks I’m a Russophobe, they are wrong. It’s just that I hate, really hate, what the oligarchs have done to them.
Also, for Silky and the bots, fuck you.
