Day 29, Phase 2
Invaders Must Die
I don’t want to write about the war this morning.
Chien-Chi is in town and we’ve decided to take a long walk.
Historical features of Russian colonialism and stable stereotypes of Russian consciousness are among factors influencing popular support in Russia for its war against Ukraine. That’s according to London-based practicing philosopher Vladimir Pastukhov, who sounds off from an undisclosed location in Italy.
Russian colonialism is patriarchal and domestic, he says, noting that this is a story about “domestic violence,” where acts of aggression are expressions of love, such as in a family, like brotherly affection. It’s the if-he-beats-you-it-means-he-loves-you kind of colonialism1.
Many [Russians] sincerely cannot understand what kind of Ukraine they are talking about. For them, Ukraine is nothing more than a figure of speech. But at the same time, they perceive the inhabitants of the lands conquered by the bayonet - and sometimes in a very cruel way - conquered by them not as conquered peoples, but as distant village relatives in need of guardianship, "our little brothers."
I enjoyed listening to Leonid Radzikhovsky talk for about an hour about the grizzly death of the Russian empire. He does a great job explaining Putin’s hard-to-fathom last ditch lunatic2 motives for the special operation in Ukraine.
'It’s Your Duty, My Beauty.’ (February 9, 2022)
There is a profound contradiction and contrast between the delivery of a punch and the aftermath. Swing for a ruble, blow for a penny, the saying goes. The outcome in this instance is ridiculous - a weak jab in the form of a pact between Russia and its two puppet people’s republics. Last Ditch Lunacy. (February 22, 2022)