Yes, I understand your confusion. See, I find this confusing: in the earlier comment you proclaimed

I’ve never been shy about where I stand politically. I’m a green progressive social democrat

Which suggests you have an understanding of political terms or at least the reality of the politics you identify with. But that just might be partially my fault, as in your profile you’re also sharing coordinates of a political compass. From that I conclude that you did their questionnaire and went “ah, so that’s where I’m at”.

The political compass is unscientific and trash in general. It’s trying to squeeze their limited understanding of society into these neat and simple axis. I strongly suggest not to rely on this stuff, especially not to proclaim political affiliation or base voting decisions on what it says.

But that’s just regarding the test. The main issue is, that this political identity does not overlap very much with how parties, generally described as Social Democrats or Greens, act in real world politics. It’s an idealistic, moralistic approach, where one relies not on what actually happens in the real world and through that align their political identity accordingly, but based on an idea, of what these parties supposedly stand for.

That’s why I listed all these things, because these are the kind of politics SPD and Grüne are facilitating and implement in reality. They practically do far right Realpolitik. Baerbock (Grüne) said that hospitals can lose their protected status (in reference to Gaza), the Grüne supports xenophobic policies and also the largest rearmament of the German state since WWII. SPD just helped to deconstruct the 8 hour workday (which workers bloodily have fought for against the capitalist class) and facilitates the destruction of the social welfare and safety net, while also planning for war (SPD chancellor Scholz announced the Zeitenwende) and supplying Israel with weaponry and supports US wars by allowing the use of US bases on German territory. Both of these parties help implement European anti-migrant and surveillance policies. Just a few examples. This things aren’t green or social and a lot of these things are not supported by their voters, so it’s questionable to even call it democratic, solely based on the option to vote for or against their flavor of capitalist management every couple of years.

These parties act not in the interest of the people and according to their own advertised ideals, but as nuances of the capitalist class. Any concessions granted to the working class only happen through immense pressure or to pacify the upset masses. Anytime they can get away with working against the common people, they will. They protect the status quo of a society based on class, there’s nothing progressive about it.

Well. ya, also what the other people in this thread said, especially RiverRock’s longer remarks on Idealism and Materialism.

So, is the source shit or not?

Is this butthurt you’re exhibiting part of these democratic ideals you were yapping about?

Projection, alrighty then. Interesting then, how you thought it was important to enter this thread to point out something I did not do for a country I’m not even living in, nor am ideologically aligned with.

I’m not fine with people saying anything critical of Russia is only critical of Russia because it’s western propaganda.

Dunno, doesn’t sound like anything I’ve said or done. So why are you “not fine” with me?

If you can defend these groups, but you don’t see how Ukraine defending itself is right, then you’ve got something fucked up going on with you.

I’m sure we have different understandings of what imperialism actually is. You think Ukraine is defending itself against the imperialist Russia, governed by “a modern emperor fighting an endless war because admitting defeat would look bad”, alright. End of story, end of discussion, nothing more to it? World politics explained? Because, I don’t understand, how you’re trying to make this point, since I’ve certainly never said, that the Ukrainian state is not defending itself. You’re moralizing against a strawman. However, which role, if any, does US and EU imperialism play in Ukraine? Do you support it?

and not with Iran, but against what is being done to them.

Why tho? Why no critical support for Iran? After all, the country’s being attacked by an imperial superpower. Why do you differentiate here? Maybe we should send them Billions and all the weapons they need, what do you think? Maybe we should send all the other countries Billions and all the weapons they need, what do you think? Why do it for Ukraine but none of the others?

Absolutely unhinged, lol. Thanks for the entertainment.

Sure.

But what’s your opinion about the quality of the source?
And do you think it’s good to call out bad sources?

Your “article” is originally (as stated and linked) from Radio Free Europe, a US financed, CIA founded anti-Soviet media outlet with the sole purpose to spread propaganda. So, for one, you’re spreading US propaganda.

Anyway, the topic was about the systematic, forceful obduction of Ukrainian citizens by their own government, only to imprison them, torture them and then throw them into the meat grinder. So, your whataboutism is using US propaganda to distract away from that, which is shady as fuck, “comrade”.

Welcome to Russia Post, a digital platform for commentary and analysis of Russia-related issues, operated by The Russia Program at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Bro, wtf is this shit.

So the draft is morally questionable and you’ve seen the footage provided and now you find excuses in Washington, D.C.? Cope harder, buddy.

Still, I haven’t defended Russia, that’s your own very ignorant misrepresentation based on your prejudices you yourself just listed. You just don’t like to hear dissenting opinions regarding this war and that fact alone should make you stop and wonder.

Also, may I suggest to focus on the substance of the commentary, and not on the messenger? And the substance is: this post’s source is a narrative shaping pro-war think tank and you people consume it like it’s ice cream.

When I come across communities like this (especially this one), the black and white thinking and rabid hate towards anything not riling in unison against this evil Pudding guy or Ruzzia is …it’s quite extreme. I like the term westremism, because that’s what it is, really.
People are not accepting anything, that discredits the holyness of the US-European mission to support and usurp Ukraine, while also falling over themselves to eat up every little news reinforcing the negative default towards the enemy, which sure, here now is Russia. But we can play the same game with Palestine, Libanon, Syria, Mali, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran or China … we could go on. Gobbling up all the hate towards other groups, solely because it’s what is being fed to them, or to feel better about the horrific geopolitical conduct of the US and Europe around the world, in case they actually got a faint idea. I implore you to get informed how the West is seen from outside. I’m pointing out this kind of hypocrisy in the hope that some people manage to stop hating, stop confidently trotting their government’s pushed narratives and start wondering, what’s actually going on.

But lemmy.world indeed is quite extreme in that regard. All you need to do is point out that the source of this post is a hawkish, neoconservative US based think tank, implying that they have a mission to paint a specific picture, and the crowd goes wild. It’s a ridiculous state of affairs.

I’ve seen that, but since I didn’t defend anyone and my own government is supporting the Ukrainian state, I thought it was a take too dumb to take seriously. Also, most western countries could be themselves labelled oligarchies, so there’s that.

But how come you think I’m defending Russia by highlighting the nature of the source? Are you not interested, where your Russophobic thoughts are produced? Do you think these are trustworthy institutions? If so, why do you think that? If not, is it not important to highlight that these are consent manufacturing sources?

That profile isn’t available on every client, btw.

Green progressive social democrat, so you are pro imperialist, pro NATO, pro rearmament, pro Israel, aka pro genocide, apartheid and settler colonialism, pro Ukraine war, pro Iran war, pro deportation, pro refugee camps on the borders of Europe, pro surveillance, pro destruction of the welfare state, pro destruction of worker rights, all mixed with a little bit of pro renewables and pro …ya, that’s it, what else, help me out here, I don’t see any other "pro"gressive things in current green or social democrat parties.

Okay? The source is still shit.
E: And do you think the US and EU are anti-war?
E2: What’s with the ZZ, your blind hate makes you act like a 12 year old.

No need to repeat, what I just said.

It‘s even more ironic, how fried some of your minds are, that your very first reflex is to discredit someone stating facts against false statements as „Russia shills“, followed by the most basic excuse of an argument about who started this mess we’re in, while also completely ignoring the roles of western interests. It‘s so overly simplistic and reductive, that it hurts.

Also, stating facts about a source and the nature of said source certainly is not in defense of anyone. Check your rabid impulses, my friend.

Hate on Russia all you want, if you think that‘s a good use of your rage. But the moment you start whining about opposition to the default western narrative, you‘ve become nothing other than complicit in their supression. Be proud!

The source is an US-American pro-war think tank.

Shit’s horrific. But sure, Europe and the US are propping up this totally democratic state for the Ukrainian people.

I find it quite incredible how people form their opinions on the wars their governments are involved in, by laying any trust in hawkish and neoconservative think tanks that are ideologically fully aligned with the most reactionary parts of said governments and financed by the military industrial complex and big corpos.

What does significant mean than, facetious good sir?
Around 20 % of state territory is not significant? At which point are you willing to call it significant? Please provide us with your arbitrary cope reasoning.

You’ve never been on the trail, my friend. Here’s a simple display of what Ukraine does to its own citizens

One of the guys on the car in the video (and others) were later arrested and filmed giving a forced excuse and announcing to join the military, sobbing and clearly frightened, mind you.

E: Lol, the cope votes. You:

Extremism is a matter of perspective and has no quality other than „far away from this arbitrary fix point“.

Why don’t you call all capitalists and their liberal enablers extremists for enslaving and annihilating the world and its inhabitants?