Kudos to Pravda for allowing us this great insight into Estophobia as practiced by pundits in Moscow. Here are some basic ways that Pravda shows us how it's possible to hate Estonians:Lesson #1: Mart Laar isn't an award-winning Estonian leader that put his country back on the map, he's the equivalent of Salman Rushdie, preaching divisiveness:
It is understood that the former Estonian prime minister Mart Laar, an author of scandalous history books, voted the bill into law.
Lesson #2: Estonians really just have issues with their fathers, that whole occupation thing is just cover for unresolved issues at home:
Mikhail Lotman, a son of the renowned philologist Yuri Lotman, voted for the bill too. Well, it stands to reason since Mikhail Lotman reportedly sold his father’s archives along with all the books of a library for $80,000 two years ago.
Incidentally, Yuri Lotman served as a gunner in the Soviet Army during the WWII. The media reported that Mikhail had literally cleared out the contents of his father’s study. He sold everything including diplomas and personal correspondence. He even took away an old draft board card of his father…
Lesson #3: Estonian politicians aren't real Estonians, anyway:
No wonder Trivimi Velliste was one the deputies who had supported the new law. Velliste has always been known for his extremely radical views. However, everyone in Estonia is aware of the deputy’s true name, which is Trofim Velichkin. The deputy strongly denies all allegations as to his real name (in fact, he prefers to use English while speaking with Russians – ed. note).
Lesson #4: Estonia's Russians that aren't on Moscow's side are pussies:
Deputy Tatyana Muravyeva was reportedly present in Parliament during the vote but never pressed the button to register her vote. Deputy Sergei Ivanov was missing during the vote. Rumor has it that Ivanov had gone to a cafeteria shortly before the vote took place.
Lesson #5: Estonians are unworthy of being properly referenced in Pravda:
Some time ago Estonian Prime Minister Abdrus Ansip slapped a ban on the erection of a monument to Peter the Great in the city of Narva.
11 kommentaari:
I cannot wait to see the discussions on this on the pravda English forum. What's more depressing than this kind of masterpiece, for me, is seeing how widly it catches on among certain people.
unfortunately there is no room for any kind of intelligent debate. if one says anything about estonia being occupied then he is a faschist. no point in speaking to faschists as all they want is to destroy everything changed by the sacred war. no matter what is said the "activists" will keep stating that the war is sacred and ignore the arguments based on facts.
And Laar's real name is Matryn Lavrov. I need more vodka.
Pravda is so called because of lack of truth in it. By contraty Izvestia is called by that name because it contains no information. Soviet joke.
Can one of you people hook me up with one of Yuri Lottman's diplomas? How much do you think it would go for? Boy would that look great on my wall. I would be the coolest semiotician in my neighborhood.
Yeah, the official Russian interpretation of history, is, hmm, slightly on the primitive side... Also the media, as commanded by the (security) elite is constantly on the hunt for outside hatefigures (I believe Orwell had interesting points on that). This week Estonia, next week something else. I think it is easy exaggerate the influence of this barbaric hate speech.
I would think that the question for the Estonian authorities is how best to neutralize the effects of this screeching. I would actually go for sweet friendliness and gentle (infuriating) patronising politeness - certainly would not participate in these shouting matches. Perhaps one also shouldn't pick highly symbolical, highly visible controversies. Why not erect fairly close to the Bronze Soldier a plaque in memory of Estonian victims of the occupation, in Estonian and Russian with a brief factual description of the tragedy attached? Surely no-one could protest actual historical facts.
the Museum of Occupations IS fairly close to the Bronze Soldier.
There is a German book on the murdered journalist Politovskaya. Because of that they broadcast a report on a German radio station yesterday.
1. She said in an interview, that Moskva is following closely the reaction in Western media.
2. Her experience with German members of parliament: She suggested meetings with NGOs like the mothers of soldiers etc.. The reaction of the Germans was not like: yes, well, we will see, maybe. Instead it was blank refusal, that is what Politovskaya said.
That is scary.
Why not erect fairly close to the Bronze Soldier a plaque in memory of Estonian victims of the occupation.
The occupation museum is probably a stone's throw away from bronzeman, I think they should put a big, permanent ad next to the bronzeman for the museum so once everyone is done looking at it they can go over and get educated.
Surely no-one could protest actual historical facts.
Actually what is going on, is quite ambitious re-writing of history by Kremlin. It is in part restoration of the historical concepts and propagandist clichés of the Soviet time combined with old slavophile ideas about specific mission of Russian nation and spiced with the nostalgy for the good old days of Russian Empire.
You will find these strange, quite elaborated narrations in many internet fora.
The suspicion,I wrote about yesterday, that there are tens of people messing with history and posting comments any hour of the day, was today confirmed by La Russophobe: http://russophobe.blogspot.com/, stating that The Brigade in fact stands guard day and night on all meaningful forums, periodically wandering from forum to forum with the same set of materials and advertisements.
Well, I think this is a relatively meaningless sideshow of the real issue, namely the disappearance of the most semblances of democratic governance in Russia. Sure, if there will be an anti-enlightenment government there, it will also be anti-facts, that comes with the package. But the West will not follow, so the effect of this garbage will surely be negliceable in the longer run, here where it matters. Unless of course, the Russian governance would spread to West which it has currently a snowball's chance in hell of doing. We should not exaggarate the importance of this shrill, stupid and counterproductive propaganda.
We should not exaggarate the importance of this shrill, stupid and counterproductive propaganda.
I, for one, believe it is our sacred duty as Westerners to make fun of it to the fullest extent. ;-)
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