What’s up with this straight up pro-china and pro-russia stuff on Lemmy lately?

It’s not even praising the people of China and Russia, but rather their gov directly.

Obviously the states have problems, and the EU to a lesser degree, but they at least have some human rights.

Is this some kind of organized disinformation campaign?

  • Erika3sis [she/her, xe/xem]@hexbear.net
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    10 days ago

    Given the political leanings of Lemmy’s lead developers, and relatedly the whole reason why Lemmy started development in the first place, it should not be surprising to anyone that many Lemmy users have since the very beginning of Lemmy’s existence had stances that could be called, in a word, “pro-Russia” or “pro-China”.

    The problem arises when people who don’t hold these views look at them only through their own myopic biases, where, rather than genuinely interrogating why people might hold these attitudes, they instead more readily believe that a social media platform that most people have never even heard of is actually crawling with paid actors trying to influence public opinion.

    No, to understand my own views on Russia, you need to understand my views on Atlanticism; to understand my views on Atlanticism, you need to understand my views on class, among other things. None of that comes across clearly in a one-liner or a four-panel meme. I’m sure I could discuss it in a more fitting space provided I’m not too drained of energy from having stayed up until five in the morning for the umpteenth time.

        • ctrl_alt_esc@lemmy.mlBanned from community
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          9 days ago

          Thanks for correcting me on the spelling.

          Claiming Russia of all nations is anti-imperialist though is such a stupid take it’s not even ridiculous anymore.

          • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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            9 days ago

            Russia both doesn’t have the financial capital nor the available subjects to imperialize, the west has far more financial capital and already has nearly the entirety of the global south under its thumb. Because of this, Russia is incentivized, for its own survival, to oppose the global north and its imperialism.

            • ctrl_alt_esc@lemmy.mlBanned from community
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              9 days ago

              Russia is the most imperialist state currently in existence. No other nation has destroyed so many languages and cultures in its colonies. There is no other state that uses state run propaganda to extend its power in other nations to the extent that Russia does. No other state that uses its secret service to kill dissidents abroad. There is no other state that currently wages wars to extend its territory (apart from Israel, but it lacks other defining characteristics of an imperialist state). Obviously, the US is imperialist too and many European states used to be, but that in no way substantiates the claim that is Russia is anti-imperialist.

              • BrainInABox@lemmy.ml
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                9 days ago

                There is no other state that uses state run propaganda to extend its power in other nations to the extent that Russia does.

                Holy shit. Westerners really are the most propagandized people on earth.

              • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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                9 days ago

                The majority of what you said is just outright false, such as the claims of Russia destroying languages and cultures (unless you mean Tsarist Russia, but that would be making a highly racist argument that relies on the idea that no matter what economic system Russians are evil), but the biggest issue seems to be that you don’t understand what imperialism is, which is why I linked the definition.

                When leftists speak of imperialism, we mean the system by which the developed capitalist countries export capital to the global south, financially dominating them and using this to expropriate vast sums of wealth. This is why African countries tend to be under-developed, it’s intentionally so, and countries like France, Germany, the UK, and of course the US especially are evil for this. Russia doesn’t have the ability to do this because it lacks the financial capital to do so, and because the west already has everyone under their thumb. The west are like landlords and the global south their tenants.

                • ctrl_alt_esc@lemmy.mlBanned from community
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                  9 days ago

                  Oh cool, so you made your own definition of Imperialism to fit your world view. Hilarious.

                  the claims of Russia destroying languages and cultures

                  This is demonstratably true and I’m not talking about Tsarist Russia.

                  I’m not disagreeing with your critique of France and its treatment of its former colonies and the same goes for other European countries. None of that has anything to do with Russia being Imperialist though.

                  • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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                    9 days ago

                    I didn’t make up any definition of imperialism. John A. Hobson was the most significant theorist on imperialism pre-Lenin and Lenin’s work Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism. This is the most relevant definition of imperialism over the last century, and accurately explains the world position today where wealthy elites in the global north offshore production and utilize state power like the millitary, sanctions, and coups to keep a class of compradors in power in the global south. It’s super-exploitation for super-profits. Russia doesn’t do this.

                    What would be more legitimate is me saying that you have created your own definition. Everyone else that has mentioned imperialism thus far has been following somewhere around what I’ve described, yet you seem to be dramatically unclear, and moreover erasing this process of wealth expropriation so as to minimize the crimes of the west.

                    As for Russia destroying language and cultures, no, that’s silly. The USSR had no colonies, and neither does the Russian Federation. It would have to be Tsarist Russia to make any sense.

              • BelieveRevolt [he/him]@hexbear.net
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                9 days ago

                There is no other state that uses state run propaganda to extend its power in other nations to the extent that Russia does.

                What a joke of a statement. The US has far more powerful outlets like this, see the Voice of X channels or Freedom House as just a few examples of how the US essentially runs the narrative in Western media.

                Just using common sense you should be able to figure out that the country that runs the entire Western entertainment industry, which is exported worldwide and routinely submits to US government interests, has far more reach than Russia.

      • Erika3sis [she/her, xe/xem]@hexbear.net
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        9 days ago

        There once was a father who told his son, “All swans are white.” One day, he and his son went to Australia on vacation. While there, at a park with a large pond, his son pointed out, “Look, Dad, black swans!”

        “No, Son,” the father laughed, “all swans are white!

      • m532@lemmygrad.ml
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        9 days ago

        Russians have been framed millions of times in, for example, hollywood movies. I like justice, so I support the victims of framing and wish for the framers to get punished.

        • ctrl_alt_esc@lemmy.mlBanned from community
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          9 days ago

          If you like justice, I invite you to visit Russia and speak up publicly against its invasion of Ukraine to experience its marvelous justice system first hand.

          • ProfessorOwl_PhD [any]@hexbear.net
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            9 days ago

            One of my friends has spent a year in Wandsworth without trial for supporting Palestine so don’t fucking try to tell me about the evils of Russian justice

          • ZeroHora@lemmy.ml
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            9 days ago

            I invite you to visit Russia and speak up publicly against its invasion of Ukraine

            But why be against the invasion of Ukraine?