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  • I watched it a few times and I think I broke the code. She's talking like the issue is that she's suffering all this anti-Russian-person racism everywhere she goes, but it's pretty unlikely that anything like that is happening. But something made her upset.

    I think she wants to come into the US, and US immigration doesn't want her to, and she identifies that as "hatred" for the Russians because she's supposed to be able to do whatever she wants because she's Russian, not have to do some kind of dodge through Mexico and not like these Mexicans and Brazilians that she mentions. She feels humiliated that she has to ask permission, and maybe the answer will be no fuck off get lost.

    Honestly, I will be the last person to say that US immigration is always decent and fair. But someone not being nice to you or treating you special is not the same as them hating you. If you want to say US immigration is being a pain in the ass and it's unfair that it's gonna fuck up your life, then fine. But saying you need to be exempt from it because you're Russian specifically, makes you into a special specific kind of person.

    • Granted last time I crossed the border was in 2000, but I think your right and this is basic Karen behavior. She probably expected to cross without even identifying herself. I was allowed to cross with one question, but as I said that was awhile ago.

      • Hm, I interpreted it a little differently -- that she was talking about coming into the US to stay and live here ("we lived in Brazil for half a year" "we need to get to the US" "I want a calmer environment"), and that's a whooole different story.

        This is pure guesswork, but it sounds like maybe she knew it would be a problem so she asked the immigration guy to just write her down as British to solve the problem, and he wasn't friendly about that suggestion and long story short no she can't come in the country, stay in Mexico, good luck, next in line please. And she interpreted it within this sort of framework appropriate to traveling around in places where she was used to, like a more smekalka system and being able to travel around like she wanted, and thought he was just being a dick about it and about the way he dealt with her in general, because of some personal racism towards her or something.

        That would actually be a lot more charitable interpretation towards her than what I originally said "I'm Russian so I should get to do what I want." It might just be a genuine cultural thing that she ran into that she really doesn't understand. IDK though; I mean the truth is I'm purely just guessing.

        But overall, I definitely think she was trying to come into the US to stay and live here, and having trouble with it (because it's real real difficult for anyone from almost any country, generally speaking), and that's why she's so upset.

    • Yeah, I get some similar feeling when she goes into the expected strength of her passport and nation. “Because I’m Russian these things should not be a problem because Russia is strong.” While basically implying that people should ignore all the negatives of carrying a Russian passport.

      I’ll offer the caveat that US citizens can face the same issues for the same reasons because we do dumb invasion shit, but there are debatable differences. I’ve been to a couple countries where Russia has moved in and pulled a “West” and built their hotels and resorts, but my experience is while the locals weren’t going to be happy about either west/russia doing it, when the Russians move in you get local corruption coupled with Russian corruption and mafia-like behavior. The US businesses make attempts at appeasing and working with locals, even if it’s mostly lip service. Russians just say fuck you, this is ours now.

  • but we never do aggressive things

    Holy snapping duckshit you’re so far removed from reality that you’re in your own separate omniverse and that’s absolutely impossible

    • Eh.... I mean, she's talking about Russians, not Russia. Like, how individuals act. I think that there's probably a case that judging national character based on country policy is kinda frustrating. You go back a couple hundred years, and it was pretty common for Empire A to go take over nearby Country B if it could. I think most people had a national leader somewhere back in time who probably did some fairly unpleasant stuff.

      Like, Putin's running Russia. And Putin's Russian. And Putin affects a lot of Russians, and has a lot of ability to direct the actions of a lot of Russians. But Putin also isn't what it means to be Russian.

      Like, say you're German, and Hitler is in power, right? I mean, I'm not saying that there weren't Germans who didn't do some pretty unpleasant stuff during that period. Or that people weren't pretty pissed at Germans at that point. But, like...Hitler also isn't what it means to be German.

      Here are a bunch of Russians that came over to the US or their kids.

      Isaac Asimov, Michael Bay, Bernie Sanders. I think that most people aren't gonna say "Ah, Russia is doing X, so they are bad people". She didn't make the call to attack Ukraine. She's not killing people in Ukraine. She's not even in Russia...in fact, it sounds like she's in Mexico because she's trying to leave Russia, which I imagine isn't all that easy. Like, she's upset because she's being judged on her nationality. I mean, I get that.

      Taking out anger at Putin on her doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

      • Your Hitler example is perfect IMO. There were many beyond Hitler in Germany that deserved the hatred directed at them whether directly through horrific acts or indirectly due to their apathy or ignorance. The civilians in the towns directly adjacent to liberated concentration camps were forced by allied forces to aid in the cleanup and recovery of the camps and their victims. Many of these 'innocent Germans' expressed outrage at their 'undeserved' treatment like as seen in this video. They didn't deserve sympathy either.

        At a certain point 'I am just an innocent wittle civilian who has done nothing wrong' is a cop-out. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good [people] should do nothing" -Burke.

        To be clear this isn't to justify warcrimes on civilians. It is merely to say her crocodile tears fall on deaf ears.

      • @tal @don True, but there is also the argument (somewhat theoretical) that, if these people had stayed where they were, they might have changed the course of history. Maybe. Or not. We might also have completely lost them and their contributions to the world. Who's to say? And, no, leaving Russia is not easy right now. She's risking not just her life, but that of family left behind. It's brutal to live in Russia now.

  • Now why would the world hate russia, hmmm? Could it be the war and killing you do in Ukraine? The threats against other democracies? The bullying of other countries and persons? The megalomaniac tendencies of that monkey putin?

    No sympathy from me...

    • Here's a kind reminder that the Russian state is not the Russian people and there are plenty of examples throughout history of people being complacent. There are very few examples of a state so corrupt as Russia, where politicians, oligarchs and literal mafia have a hidden understanding and the system of law is just a dog and pony show.

      That being said, empower Russians in diaspora, here in Europe and in the US, that seek to depose Putin, that seek to inform the Russian people. I'm saying Russia needs it's own IRA and certain buildings need to go boom, not because Ukraine, but because of Russians.

      Be their ally, and for God's sake, don't use fucking Telegram to communicate with them.

  • I try to put myself in their situation. As much as I am against this stupid war and Putin, if I was born in a country under dictatorship, I'd probably be brainwashed or too afraid to speak my mind too.

109 comments