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Vladimir Putin is not omnipotent (newrepublic.com)

12 points by memracom ↗ HN
Finally, an American journalist who has a grasp of what really goes on in Russia. For that matter she seems to have a clearer understanding of Washington than most media people. In this piece she takes some potshots at Lawrence O'Donnell because she was invited on his show as a Russia expert, and then he basically didn't let her explain her views. Why has so much of the American media become a circus of repetition, mirroring the "official" views of some Washington power broker.

It's almost as if they want us all to believe that everything happening in the world today is the result of somebody, who is in total control, pulling strings behind the scenes. Who, then, is pulling the strings on global warming?

9 comments

[ 2.1 ms ] story [ 27.8 ms ] thread
thufry
What is the purpose of the word "mansplaining" in the opening paragraph? It sounds like the author is claiming sexist dismissiveness while offering no evidence of such.
akuchling
She quotes the host of the show as saying "Julia, Julia, Julia. You aren't seriously suggesting that Vladimir Putin and the Russian government did not have complete, total, absolute control over the outcome of Edward Snowden entering that airport in Moscow?" That certainly sounds dismissive and infantilizing.
81289h1221dj0
Maybe. But I can't see how this is related to her being a woman.
thufry
Sure, but I see people going at each other like this all the time on TV, regardless of gender - we no longer have the mutual respect of the Edward R. Murrow days. I think this is actually how Bill O Reilly speaks to every single one of his (predominantly male) guests.
81289h1221dj0
Thank you. I just came here to complain about this as well. I've heard the term 'mansplaining' before. In fact I even read a comment where someone was attacked ("You're mansplaining 'mansplaining' to me.") because he commented on the term. The very _concept_ of explaining is now suspect. God help us.
IvyMike
Obviously we can't know O'Donnell's motives for being condescending and dismissive.

But that's just another reason that's a bad idea to be a jerk--people might misattribute the motivations behind your dickishness.

thufry
This is why I personally refuse to engage in any discussions about race or gender issues except online. Low reward, with a high risk of a career-ending brand as a sexist or racist asshole.
osmsiberiano
As a Russian citizen I can only add that in the same days Putin accepted the new digital copyright law, more severe than SOPA, lobbied by media corporations, allowing domains seisure (like the 3-letter agencies do in the US), and other ridiculous measures. All in the name of movie and music corporations.

This means Putin is totally loyal to the US.

What also fascinates me is that CNN/FOX/3 other letters TV anchors speak EXACTLY like Soviet TV in '70s and '80s, making statements in place of questions:

"Julia, to start [the White House statement canceling the summit] with the Snowden factor, for the Russian statement to say, 'this is a situation which we did not create,' is of course a lie.

Welcome to the USSR :)

On the situation: punishing Snowden does not make any difference: he is already punished, and others won't dare whistleblowing. On our side, the government is involved in anti-American campaign, so they can't afford sending Snowden to the "enemy" after Manning has been sentenced that severely.

(sarcasm on) Why bother insisting on extradition? I think to an average American who saw Russia in Hollywood movies, Snowden is like in hell already.

I think our state diplomacy and propaganda could have negotiated the Russian SOPA with the US & corporations better, they should have demanded making more noise and scandal, accept Assange and somebody else. (sarcasm off)

x0x0
I think americans and russians both generally think the other country is more homogenous and more in control of their government than they are. To cite examples from US politics (because I'm American), we have many problems with the classic setup for democracy to fail: a few parties with concentrated benefits or costs and on the other side many parties with diffuse costs or benefits. Plus we have private financing of elections, and thus, as the joke goes, corporations have the best government money can buy.

Hopefully Snowden will be allow to stay in Russia; he'll have fun learning Russian though; it's a difficult language (source: I spent 4+mos at mgu studying russian full time.)