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Appeal to Ruby Community from Kharkiv Rubyist

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71–80 of 107 posts

Re: Appeal to Ruby Community from Kharkiv Rubyist

#71
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you’re against the Monroe doctrine? Thoughts on the Cuban Missile crisis? Did you see the clip of Biden in the 80s saying the only thing that would turn Russia hostile would be the Baltic states joining NATO? Finally, are you familiar with what happened in 08, 14, and 19, and the clear Russian warnings after each?

Russia is no longer a super power the faster they come too terms with it the better it will be for everyone.

Might makes right!

Re: Appeal to Ruby Community from Kharkiv Rubyist

#72
post #32

@TProphet and his company, AwardCat, has offered to link up your airline miles and credit card rewards points with Ukrainian refugees who need flights out of Europe. https://twitter.com/sep332/status/1500563022842114066

I there a way to contact the offer author without twitter? I don't have a twitter account.

Re: Appeal to Ruby Community from Kharkiv Rubyist

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gas is the harder one to move off for both sides, since Germany needs it for heating and it'll take a while for them to move to selling it to China (which will turn them into China's economic colony). Not sure which one they officially make more from selling though.

Spring is coming. How much longer will Germany need gas for heat? When I've been there in April it's very mild, much more mild than here in the midwest/northeast that time of year

My understanding is that Germany buys natural gas regularly throughout the year, and stores it. During the winter the stored gas is rapidly used up, much faster than can be replenished.

It is not like the gas flows directly from Russia to people's homes.

Re: Appeal to Ruby Community from Kharkiv Rubyist

#74
post #7

There are plenty of Russians on Youtube commenting under pleas posted by Ukrainians asking them to help stop the war. And there are plenty of videos taken by people on the ground in Ukraine that show what's going on. Lots of Russians actually believe that the strikes are precision and only aimed at the military targets. There's a video recorded by a woman in Mykolaiv walking among the rubble and cursing at her Russia…

Good point about public perception. But there's a deeper problem with this: people _want_ to believe it is a justified and necessary act of violence. And this is really hard to change now. Too many years many of us/them were passively silent and now it is almost too late to take an action.

Re: Appeal to Ruby Community from Kharkiv Rubyist

#75

I've been thinking about how to get through to more Russian people, and its something I've had a lot of success doing with many people that live in an alternate reality, where we cannot even agree on perception. Censorship and speech restrictions aside, many Russians really think this is a peacekeeping mission that has no bloodshed. Adding to frustration of Ukrainian residents calling their own family members in Russ…

Power of propaganda is truly terrifying. Many, if not majority, of my American and Israeli acquaintances of Russian origin think that Putin is heroically liberating Ukraine from Nazis. They watch Russian TV channels.

Re: Appeal to Ruby Community from Kharkiv Rubyist

#76

I've been thinking about how to get through to more Russian people, and its something I've had a lot of success doing with many people that live in an alternate reality, where we cannot even agree on perception. Censorship and speech restrictions aside, many Russians really think this is a peacekeeping mission that has no bloodshed. Adding to frustration of Ukrainian residents calling their own family members in Russ…

It wouldn't work. Firstly if brainwashed Russian feels his faith in propagada is shaking he takes a double dose of propagada to feel better. To wake up from propagada is a extremly painful experience, because you are no more a good guy. I went through this eight years ago, I know. Skinner called this 'conditioning': if you felt better from propaganda then you would seek propaganda again. They were conditioned for 10+ years.

I saw it recently twice with two different people. I managed to make them to stop arguing and to think. I saw them thinking. But the next day they were even more partisan pro-war jerks than before.

And second. "If not Putin then who?" Putin got rid of anyone who might be his successor. And then propaganda used the slogan to consolidate everyone around Putin.

So "dismantle your leadership" wouldn't work. The last possible successor (as propaganda painted him) was Navalny. He is in a prison and propaganda did everything it could to drown him in a shit. People believe that if not Putin then Navalny, and they do not like Navalny.

The first necessary step to deal with an addiction is to stop abusing drugs or whatever causes it. Reportedly a few weeks without propaganda undo the worst of the brainwashing, and it becomes possible to talk with him/her rationally. Eight years ago I spent a month reading Ukrainian media 20 min per day (while continuing to consume Russian propaganda) to undo the worst, and half a year more to become mostly sane. But I sought truth and consciously pushed myself to an emotional pain, because truth is sacred. Most people do not feel that they are morally obliged to seek truth.

While Putin brainwashes Russians they will remain brainwashed. They use propaganda as an antidote to truth, because truth is painful.

People are afraid, they would believe anything to be less afraid.

I asked my mother what might be so bad if NATO conquered us. It would be no more Putin, wouldn't it be nice? She said that they would kill all Russians. ...

Re: Appeal to Ruby Community from Kharkiv Rubyist

#77
post #12
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh?

I think he's referring to the Maidan revolution pushed in the region back in 2014. They led them with promises of NATO/EU membership, and then left them hanging when war finally broke out. You can reasonably conclude they had no intention to actually fight it out. https://mate.substack.com/p/by-using-ukraine-to-fight-russia...

War didn't "break out". It wasn't some natural disaster that just happened with no fault of anybody. Putin waged the war, because he felt he could take Ukraine for himself and nobody would stop him. The evil will of Russian government, determined to deny Ukrainian people the rights to freedom and self-determination, combined with weakness of the West, and continued strategy of appeasement (has it ever worked?), led to it. It's as much "broke out" as you'd say "she left her home without a gun, and a rape broke out".

Re: Appeal to Ruby Community from Kharkiv Rubyist

#78

I've been thinking about how to get through to more Russian people, and its something I've had a lot of success doing with many people that live in an alternate reality, where we cannot even agree on perception. Censorship and speech restrictions aside, many Russians really think this is a peacekeeping mission that has no bloodshed. Adding to frustration of Ukrainian residents calling their own family members in Russ…

Power of propaganda is truly terrifying. Many, if not majority, of my American and Israeli acquaintances of Russian origin think that Putin is heroically liberating Ukraine from Nazis. They watch Russian TV channels.

Interesting. Nobody of Russian origin i know supports Putin/Russia on that. I wonder if it is age - my circle is mid-age and older (many experienced 198x in USSR), mostly tech workers, and i don't remember any mentioning the Russian TV.

Re: Appeal to Ruby Community from Kharkiv Rubyist

#79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It also goes off the assumption that the nations bordering Russia aren’t rational actors or independent polities capable of choosing their own path (or, apparently, being allowed to,)

So you’re against the Monroe doctrine? Thoughts on the Cuban Missile crisis? Did you see the clip of Biden in the 80s saying the only thing that would turn Russia hostile would be the Baltic states joining NATO? Finally, are you familiar with what happened in 08, 14, and 19, and the clear Russian warnings after each?

Whataboutism is the tool of useful idiots. I also don’t give two fucks what Russia “warns” us or anyone about. That literally just proves my point that you and all these other apologists believe that Russia should be the decider of what sovereign nations near them can do. This is the exact reason all these nations beg to join NATO instead of having to be forced into it.

Re: Appeal to Ruby Community from Kharkiv Rubyist

#80
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spring is coming. How much longer will Germany need gas for heat? When I've been there in April it's very mild, much more mild than here in the midwest/northeast that time of year

My understanding is that Germany buys natural gas regularly throughout the year, and stores it. During the winter the stored gas is rapidly used up, much faster than can be replenished. It is not like the gas flows directly from Russia to people's homes.

And this previous year, Gazprom didn't fill the tanks.
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