I totally agree with his point about how westerners see Stalin. That the west assumes the Soviet people would call a monster “father” does seem like orientalism. It’s important because here is something about the topic that goes way beyond facts, its about values as he says, and western values are oftentimes used as a weapon against the masses. There is no good faith approach, no worthwhile retort beyond a scolding for wrongthink and more dogwhistles.

What do these people have to lose by engaging critically with Stalin or Soviet history? Everything.