Now there are some things i don’t agree with in what this author writes, in particular all the cringy right wing culture war stuff, but i agree with the main message:
“Legendary Russian fatalism may be alive and well, but it will be ashamed of its doubts in the end.”
It seems that Russians are more “doomer” about this conflict than non-Russian supporters of Russia are
Well we live here and experience the liberal rot firsthand. Without knowing what it’s like elsewhere (or only experiencing it through tourism or successful émigrés stories) it does create a sense of futility. The talks about nukes and Russian citizens getting attacked inside Russia with apparent impunity doesn’t help. If we are so mighty, why are people dying in Bryansk? Belgorod? Tula?
Replied to your comment up above, but I’ll weigh in one more time: while recognizing the rot in Russia – and you should recognize it – don’t underestimate the rot in the west, especially the US. In many areas, our standard of living is still much higher than in much of the world (though we also have the worst levels of poverty of any developed nation, such that UN officials travelling through rural Alabama have actually been shocked by it), but the decline over the past ten years has been really precipitous, and perhaps more importantly, the legitimacy of the state is unravelling. Pretty much everybody thinks the central government is corrupt on an institutional level, there’s no real way to fix it, and that we’re headed for disaster; all the online talk you see about “voting for change” is cope, and everyone knows it. The media also doesn’t have the unifying power it once had, largely because it’s now blatantly just virtue-signaling shit produced by and for elites. Abroad, you might see the glittering images of American life and know it can’t be reality, but in my experience, most non-Americans have no idea just how far from reality it really is. What we’re going through here is not just a “malaise” like the 1970s, or a “cynical period” like the late 80s. It really is the prelude to some kind of collapse – not particularly heartening if one lives here, but maybe a bit of cheer if you’re living in a country that’s fighting the good fight against America.
It seems that Russians are more “doomer” about this conflict than non-Russian supporters of Russia are.
Maybe you should read this: https://imetatronink.substack.com/p/ok-doomer
Now there are some things i don’t agree with in what this author writes, in particular all the cringy right wing culture war stuff, but i agree with the main message:
“Legendary Russian fatalism may be alive and well, but it will be ashamed of its doubts in the end.”
Well we live here and experience the liberal rot firsthand. Without knowing what it’s like elsewhere (or only experiencing it through tourism or successful émigrés stories) it does create a sense of futility. The talks about nukes and Russian citizens getting attacked inside Russia with apparent impunity doesn’t help. If we are so mighty, why are people dying in Bryansk? Belgorod? Tula?
Replied to your comment up above, but I’ll weigh in one more time: while recognizing the rot in Russia – and you should recognize it – don’t underestimate the rot in the west, especially the US. In many areas, our standard of living is still much higher than in much of the world (though we also have the worst levels of poverty of any developed nation, such that UN officials travelling through rural Alabama have actually been shocked by it), but the decline over the past ten years has been really precipitous, and perhaps more importantly, the legitimacy of the state is unravelling. Pretty much everybody thinks the central government is corrupt on an institutional level, there’s no real way to fix it, and that we’re headed for disaster; all the online talk you see about “voting for change” is cope, and everyone knows it. The media also doesn’t have the unifying power it once had, largely because it’s now blatantly just virtue-signaling shit produced by and for elites. Abroad, you might see the glittering images of American life and know it can’t be reality, but in my experience, most non-Americans have no idea just how far from reality it really is. What we’re going through here is not just a “malaise” like the 1970s, or a “cynical period” like the late 80s. It really is the prelude to some kind of collapse – not particularly heartening if one lives here, but maybe a bit of cheer if you’re living in a country that’s fighting the good fight against America.