I’m all for having sympathy for Russian civilians and even soldiers in some cases. I get that overt opposition to the war (and even calling at a war) is a very dangerous opinion to have out loud in Russia. I’m very sympathetic to those citizens that oppose the war and the administration, but keep quiet about it. I wish they’d do more, but I don’t expect most Russian citizens to stick their neck out like Navalny did.
All that said, Russian propaganda isn’t magic brainwashing that entirely prevents rational thought. It’s just propaganda, and many (possibly most) Russians know that it is propaganda. Unlike North Korea they’ve still had access to alternative news sources (all maybe not for much longer). They have had plenty of time to smell the bullshit and look for less biased news.
The propaganda does make it harder for the average Russian citizens to recognize this war for the atrocity it is (or even a war), but they’re not brainwashed zombies, and they’re also not morons, so they’re still responsible for their choices. If they choose to actively support this war, or if they choose to actively support this regime, that puts some blood on their hands - even if it’s mostly because they chose to continue to live in ignorance despite all the signs.
All that said, Russian propaganda isn’t magic brainwashing that entirely prevents rational thought.
You could say that about fundamentalist religion too, and yet there are a whole lot of extremists out there of various religions and a big part of it is that they were indoctrinated from birth.
I could and I do. Being born into religious fundamentalism is no more a moral get out of jail free card than being born on Russian soil. In both cases you got dealt a rough hand, but you’re still responsible for your actions. Supporting atrocities isn’t ok, no matter what your upbringing was.
I’m all for having sympathy for Russian civilians and even soldiers in some cases. I get that overt opposition to the war (and even calling at a war) is a very dangerous opinion to have out loud in Russia. I’m very sympathetic to those citizens that oppose the war and the administration, but keep quiet about it. I wish they’d do more, but I don’t expect most Russian citizens to stick their neck out like Navalny did.
All that said, Russian propaganda isn’t magic brainwashing that entirely prevents rational thought. It’s just propaganda, and many (possibly most) Russians know that it is propaganda. Unlike North Korea they’ve still had access to alternative news sources (all maybe not for much longer). They have had plenty of time to smell the bullshit and look for less biased news.
The propaganda does make it harder for the average Russian citizens to recognize this war for the atrocity it is (or even a war), but they’re not brainwashed zombies, and they’re also not morons, so they’re still responsible for their choices. If they choose to actively support this war, or if they choose to actively support this regime, that puts some blood on their hands - even if it’s mostly because they chose to continue to live in ignorance despite all the signs.
You could say that about fundamentalist religion too, and yet there are a whole lot of extremists out there of various religions and a big part of it is that they were indoctrinated from birth.
I could and I do. Being born into religious fundamentalism is no more a moral get out of jail free card than being born on Russian soil. In both cases you got dealt a rough hand, but you’re still responsible for your actions. Supporting atrocities isn’t ok, no matter what your upbringing was.