Finally someone in the English information space picking apart this aspect of Russian mainstream culture and thought. Anyone having lived adjacent to a population subscribing to the Russian media space for any extended period of time will be familiar with this. It's like psychopathic, or narcissistic abuse. And it's ubiquitous in mainstream Russian society since at least the Soviet era. The KGB had almost a century to perfect these methods on their own population, now they're using them globally. And sussing it all out is definitely going to be crazy-making.
u nailed it! that is really what it is, and even worse, it's part of a systematic methodology that is likely studied formally AFTER that schooling those key propgandists/managers (in or re Donetsk etc) get in "philology" etc. These few thousand ppl who run Russia are by far, the most dangerous humans since the 3rd Reich.
We can be emotionally manipulated especially if there's a way to identify with one person, country or another. The Ruscists are very coy about their tactics, pushing one side, and the other one simultaneously, pitting them against each other.
I'm on the political right. I am completely exasperated by the anti-Ukraine narrative parroted by my fellows... How vicious and emotional they are in their loathing of Zelensky. Especially in the US.
This Silicon Curtain episode was as heavy as uranium 😮 Following your suggestion of discovering Mr Martti Kari (HIGHLY Advisable) to the amazing Intelligence of Mr Douglas… Truth is growing like sunflowers. Thank you Jonathan for watering the Flowers! 🇺🇦🌞💙🌻
Excellent guest and topic, please have Mr. Douglas back again. Information war is of paramount importance. Context and words matter so much in shaping the subconscious. Something that grates on me is media constantly referring to occupied Ukraine as 'the annexed territories'. People are being exposed to Russian manipulation as if it is the reality and their acquisition is complete. 💙💛
The overwhelming amount of арргоving and chеегіng comments by ordinary Russians in resроnse to videos deрісting the atrосіties against civilians and prisoners of war in Ukraine were just as shocking to Ukrainians as the war itself. We had somehow grown ассustomed to the war, but the realization of who we have been neighbouring all this time without even knowing it is still horrifying. Those bагbагіс сгеаtures referred to themselves as our brotherly people. One can only imagine what they might do to those they consider their enemies given the орроrtunity. Don't give them that орроrtunity because it's you who they call their enemies. Negotiating with Russia is akin to negotiating with EbоІа. Allowing Russia to remain undefeated is like undertreating a dеаdly infection - it will only return stгоnger. This is why any реасе deal that doesn't ensure a clear victory for Ukraine is just a temроrary сеаsefire.
and this is where the diaspora comes in - while you were speaking russian, calling vyshyvanky 'rubashky' and espousing its culture we were telling you to stop and be UKRAINIAN
It's sickening, abhorrent, and still shocking to see this after doing everything you can to be Ukranian. It's a sense of betrayal that has turned many Ukranian people who traveled to the Russian cities into people who disavow the past. No more feeling safe.
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out-because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out-because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me-and there was no one left to speak for me. -Martin Niemöller
@@chrissmith7669 The more crafty ones usually then goes: "Exactly! You refuse to stand up for the persecution of the martyrs of january 6th and the state's attempts at suppressing our democratic right to vote for poor, innocent D. Trump, you are practically Hitler." There is no violation of human or democratic rights that they will not attempt to twist and appropriate to suit their own weird world-view.
@@karsten11553 I think of how Republicans talk about Jan 6 vs how everyone else does in terms of The Blues Brothers. The Republicans want everyone to watch Jake & Elwood riding the elevator to the Cook County Clerk and see how peaceful it was while we all see armed mobs storming Daley Center and breaking down all obstacles.
OMG, this discussion has been so enlightening, it for my mind, has placed all the pieces of the complex jigsaw puzzle which is the genocidal plan of putin, on the table. Stephen then neatly starts putting all the pieces together so eloquently. I just wish these brilliant discussions could be made available on main stream media. This needs to get out there. Thanks again Jonathan for finding all these knowledgeable guests.
Thank you Stephen and Jonathan for the excellent show. I have become so aware of russian messaging in western mainstream media that I feel I'm in a nightmare, and to wake myself, I must listen to you, your guests, Pres. Zelensky, NAFO convoys, Starsky, Anna, Rick, Mercado, Jake, and other independents. Victory for Ukraine 🇺🇦 ❤️
Russian propaganda is oddly effective, and more psychologically sophisticated than most people seem to realize. More awareness and deconstruction of their techniques would help.
Propaganda and narrative planting - Russians are top-notch in this. Western politicians and journalists are like naive kids who don't understand what is going on.
Widespread fact-checking of Russian propaganda narratives is absolutely necessary and urgent across the West. The lack of any pushback is downright alarming. We have by negligence been ceding the field to Russian propaganda and psyops teams. Is even NATO doing anything on this?
It's not oddly effective -- most people in the west are completely incapable of critical thinking. It is the price you pay for an education system that doesn't teach kids to think critically.
Widespread fact-checking of Russian propaganda narratives is absolutely necessary and urgent across the West. The lack of any pushback is downright alarming. We have been ceding the field to Russian propaganda and psyops teams. Is even NATO acting on this?
It takes some effort to believe that Russia fits the role of "emperor" in this case. To the contrary, you and this video is almost literally cheering on the actual emperor.
Superb guest and interview, Jonathan. Thanks again. The "tiredness" issue is so important. We're only tired of lazy so-called journalists asking this inane question.
exactly! The subtle and sometimes not subtle downbeat tones and defeatism of the entire past decade actually in the west, is something i've noticed as i was increasingly working alone in my own bubble and would come up for air and see my own favorite politician ever at the time, Obama, was himself sounding downbeat. It was at that moment, i knew something was off kilter bigtime, and sure enough, that year or the next, Ru simply starts invading a country bcuz it was not a strong country/society at that moment. Defeatism is something many americans became slowly unaware of within themselves (ourselves), and i've resisted it as much as i possibly can, though i've had to push old friends away and ditch some.
@@18_rabbit as Roger Waters (who lost my respect with regards to the war and Putin, who he calls "this bloke") called it, a "creeping malaise." Years of disinfo and seeding media with cynicism takes its toll.
I've been saying pretty much exactly this for decades and felt I was just a voice in the wilderness. Relieved to discover that maybe it's not me and my mode of thought which is/has been awry and maybe, just maybe I was not a million miles wide of the mark - again for decades.
@@SiliconCurtain This gent has only one error made IMHO (and I truly am humble in the shadow of mental agility, imagination, deduction and the ability to weave them to coherence) This has been an ever present in all things Russian since they disappeared their royalty and continued by Tsar Putrid to date). Maybe greater scholars can even trace this thread back through the Tsars? I'll leave them to it - limited by the number of years left on the planet and the abiity of the grey matter to make sense of it all. I'll watch the Meaning of Life again and try to make sense of it all before slumber defeats me as I ponder from my recliner. (My retirement present to me). Really enjoy your offerings and your method of delivery BTW.
Absolutely oustanding discussion. What a perfect rebuttal to a certain English politician who some years ago stated that we had had enough of experts. Stephen is exactly the kind of expert we need. Among so many brilliant points I loved the idea that as communicator, Zelensky is in the 21st century whilst Putin is stuck in the 20th.
Three Billy Goats Gruff "Three Billy Goats Gruff" (Norwegian: De tre bukkene Bruse) is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their Norske Folkeeventyr, first published between 1841 and 1844. The first version of the story in English appeared in George Webbe Dasent's translation of some of the Norske Folkeeventyr, published as Popular Tales from the Norse in 1859. The heroes of the tale are three male goats who need to outsmart a ravenous troll named Phalanx to cross the bridge to their feeding ground. The story introduces three billy goats (male goats), sometimes identified as a youngster, father and grandfather, but more often described as brothers. In other adaptations, there is a baby or child goat, mama goat and papa goat. "Gruff" was used as their family name in the earliest English translation, by Dasent; the original Norwegian version used the name "Bruse".[4] Plot In the story, there is almost no grass left for them to eat near where they live, so they must cross a river to get to "sæter" (a meadow) or hillside on the other side of a stream to eat and fatten themselves up. They must first cross a wooden bridge, under which lives a fearsome and hideous troll, who is so territorial that he eats anyone who tries to cross the bridge. The smallest billy goat is the first to cross and is stopped abruptly by the troll who threatens to "gobble him up!" The little goat convinces the troll to wait for his big brother to come across, because he is larger and would make for a more gratifying feast. The greedy troll agrees and lets the smallest goat cross. The medium-sized goat passes next. He is more cautious than his brother but is also stopped by the troll and given the same threat. The second billy goat is allowed to cross as well after he tells the troll to wait for his father because he is the largest of the three. The largest billy goat gets on the bridge but is also stopped by the hungry troll who threatens to devour him. The largest billy goat challenges the troll and dares him to do so. Then the troll jumps up. The big billy goat Gruff knocks him off the bridge with his horns. The troll falls into the stream and is carried away by the current and drowns. From then on, the bridge is safe and all three goats are able to go to the rich fields around the summer farm in the hills. The three billy goats Gruff eat lots of grass and live happily ever after.
I'm cheering the pair of you every single step of the way but have to stop listening for the mo...wonderful discussion, so illuminating...praying you're right about the US. and supporting Ukraine..so right about having to track every single thread of these duplicitous commentators...dig, dig, dig. !! IYou're describing 1984 coming to fruition.
Fantastic stuff right here! What a thought provoking discussion - thank you gentlemen, going to replay this to a few family members 🥴 🇺🇦 Keep the conversations coming! It really matters! 🇺🇦
Indeed! And it was so nice to hear NAFOs mission so clearly mentioned. Whack-a-mole (bonking) of gargoyles of propaganda, propagandists (Kremlin), and the propaganda (the folkloric fairy tales). Facts, served with an overly healthy dose of humour, irony, sarcasm and neon blinking memes.
Very insightful and informative. Humanity prevails in humor and love. The distinction of propaganda from anti propaganda by what direction it pushes can help to create a better future.
Thank you, Jonathan, for a very interesting conversation with Stephen Douglas. Quite shocking that even the human rights expert only realized what was going on when looking back. This somehow enables me to understand, why the majority of people just don't seem to care... which drives me crazy on a daily basis 🇺🇦 Заради життя кожного українця! 🇺🇦
Anyone born in the Soviet times and their spheres know exactly what russia is and what russia does, they are not russia's target, the people who never watch or believe anything from spy movies are.
Do you think your fellow Slovaks are more susceptible to Russian propaganda for some reason (prior long exposure), or do you think recent developments in Slovakia are because of a general loss of faith in the local political "establishment"?
@@immortaltyger1569 prior and ongoing propaganda exposure, with which no one did anything. It grew to enourmous volume. However it is also poor education and lack of education. Simply dumb people, as everywhere in the world, believe that ruSS is a victim. And that we need ruSSia because they have cheap gas and oil. And also politicians...they just say what these dumb people want to hear and especially here, politicians including Fico and his mafia circle is subject to prosecusion so their objective is to save their asses from jail and they will do whatever to stay free, including, in the upcoming months/years exit from EU. Because what they did in the past is not compatible with EU.
@@immortaltyger1569 why would it be either/or and not both? I was close to a Slovak and she was the most meek human being i have ever known, on a level that is hard to describe. I pray the misguided slovaks and hungarians come to their senses, bcuz they r clearly not thinking straight or are so ignorant about human affairs, and so false-nostalgic, that they're making the biggest mistakes possible to make at a moment in history like now. Ru does one thing very similar to the 3rd Reich, and that's the skill they have at trying to calm and placate ppl on the ground while they butcher them at the same time. Also, the fact is that Hungary after WW2 never came to full terms with itself and those Hungarians who assisted the Nazi's and that is a fact that no one has ever been able to successfully deny. Hungary has far too many ultra rightwingers who are plainly antidemocratic and hostile to freedom.
I thought months ago that just using the word "fatigued" or "tired" in articles made the reader tired. Instead I want journalists to ask " will the west stay brave?" And appeal to western vanity as heroes.
Brilliant stuff, guys. Original, creative, slightly bonkers at times - Mr Douglas sounds like a man who is constantly brainstorming himself! - definitely a pint of the unusual. What’s not to love?
I try to disengage from arguing with trolls over the stories of who did what in the Donbas. I just keep going back to Russia recognizing Ukraines sovereignty in the Budapest Memorandum. Any issue in the Donbas is an internal matter for Ukraine to deal with.
i just tell them thank you for commenting and adding to the YT algorithm. The algorithm promotes videos that have over 1000 commenst and i notice Jonathan Fink has only 312 as of now which is rather low. But I rarely see any trolling on here but they are all over Denys Davydov, Paul Combat Veteran, Russian Dude, Sky News, Times Radio and they tend to pick on certain people like Prof Clarke for example on SKy News (they really hate him). Mostly the troll comment is in garbled english, 2 short lines , plenty of emojies and a single thumbs up (they always have at least 1 thumbs up) . The replies are also framed in the same way. Hardly anyone reads the comments but many click on promoted videos. So Russians are pretty stupid to invest so much time in this activety.
@@Bob-nd2mr P.S. I'm familiar with all the channels you mention. I think Times Radio probably gets the most trolls lately. I must say that Silicon Curtain is the best source for in depth interviews with people that know what their talking about. You don't get that anywhere period. Jonathan's work is exemplary.
Fascinating discussion by an obviously well informed scholar. Many people get their information visually, so I believe it would be very helpful to present these points in more visual format; perhaps as storytelling graphics, animated shorts, ads in popular publications, a tv series (recall how popular Servant of the People was), and so on. NAFO has some patches that are popular. Create more memes. Spread the visuals.
Thanks Jonathan. I like your channel, and you often introduce us to new speakers. However, to be frank (and not wishing to be ungrateful), I did find this discussion a bit less clear than usual. It would have helped if there had been more specific real examples of cases to illustrate the explanations by Stephen Douglas. It was specially interesting when he spoke of the Russian disinformation strategy on the ground in occupied Ukrainian territory prior to the full-scale invasion in 2022, as he could speak as a witness of it (not just a commentator).
Here is a very basic analogy, russian goal is to create as many 'useful idiots' and pawns as possible to destabilize and dismantle the West so the russian steamroller can run right through and convert and absorb everything into to their Empire. If you watch Star Trek they are the Borg.
There's no need to invent a word ('disinfolklore') when one already exists. It's called a "narrative". Everybody has been using that word for this exact concept. It isn't a new idea, at all. Also, the relating of words with similar sounds strikes me as some really magical thinking from this character.
At this moment of history Ukraine is the true Russia, the true successor of the Slavic Kievan Rus, and the Russian federation has become a false Russia, a Neo-Chekist fascist state. A Mongol, Asian state, where slavery, fear and total submission is the law of the land.
I can't see how Pootin will be able to avoid raising the retirement age .The pension in the occupied area of Ukraine is equivalent to 100 pounds Men and women are needed badly int the workplace .There's not enough youngsters to replace them.
A great book on this topic is "Disinformation" by Mihai Pacepa. The author was one of the highest level defections to the USA during the Cold War. He was very high up in the Romanian Securitate (the Romanian arm of the KGB during communist times).
That's a very accurate description of what exactly kgb do. Their mission is to destroy people's will to do anything positive by either making them to constantly fight for survival or making them apathetic through alcohol or drugs. Alcoholics and drug addicts are the best type of citizens for the KGB
A perfect analysis of the linguistic weapons of Russian propaganda, the bear traps Russian propaganda and disinformation can set even for the most politically sophisticated and educated of us.
Not really, the russians have a habit of identifying themselves. A tiny bit of research and they are glaringly obvious. They love to sort everything. Another thing is, they can't keep up once the NATO troll patrollers jump on them. Too many comments and they lose track of who they are answering. My advice is once a troll is identified, ignore it. If you see someone identify , jump on with a comment.
Another brilliant interview... it's so painful that this is all taking place in slow time...much like the interviewe states...and exasperating that people complain that Ukraine isn't winning quickly enough, yet the West continues to piecemeal parcel out weapons... which in turn is used by conspiracy theorists who claim it's only about resources and that the West doesn't want Russia to fail only to weaken them... again Ukraine as the pawn of everyone else instead of focusing on the genocidal aggressor who always still manages to be a victim... quite odd
When I was in Kiev in December 2013 into January 2014 just before the coup it was like returning to Russia in 1992 - 1993. There were a few well off but the majority was hand to mouth. The best illustration of of the situation was a reporter who encountered two Russians from the Russian Far East who were visiting relatives in Ukraine for the first time. The encounter occurred in a railway station. The reporter said that the two Russians looked around at the non working escalators and other disorder and remarked, " What have these people been doing for twenty years?" At that time I used to try to find a non working light bulb in a metro or rail station in Russia without success. The problem was that a group of five oligarchs who had access to foreign money that were dominating the economy and gaining control of industrial facilities, but instead of operating these industrial facilities they were breaking them up and selling the machinery as scrap for about twenty percent of their replacement value. This of course resulted in no place to work for the Ukrainian workers. The people of Crimea and Donbass refused to recognize the new 2014 government in Kiev. It is entirely reasonable that the people of Crimea would want to join the prosperous people of Russia.
@@bobjohnbowles russians are trying to engineer a civil war in the us for a good couple of decades now, the extent of theyr malicious intent is grossly understimated by westerners, westerners think that because they have good intentions, most have, no , there are countries and individuals that truly want to destroy western power and dominate western countries, because all they see is power, and power and dominance is the only way peoples in those societies interact with each other, i could go on and on and on, but kindly eat a dk stranger
Riveting! Everything he's explaining is how I read the Russo/sino/maga-ganda (⬅for example) as it comes in - but I could never put it into words, it's more instinct, and something I struggle to explain coherently to others..., at which point the trolls smell blood and leap in to spin my head and my words, to the point I lose all direction and confidence in my understanding. Imagine if we could all explain this as concisely as Stephen and Jonathan. Having said that, the confidence in knowing what is dis/mis-info most of the time, makes the choice to support Ukraine in all ways possible, ...... empowering. It doesn't matter if I can't relay this information to someone else, as much as it matters that I do my bit consistently to support Ukraine. ...... which includes recommending SiliconCurtain to every man, woman and troll I come across! Thank you so much for these interviews. #ImNotTiredOfSupportingUkraine
Russia is running out of men to send to Ukraine to fight. The country is struggling to find workers for factories. Wages are rising and even then immigrants are not finding that the exchange rates makes it worth them being in Russia.They are also at risk of being sent to fight.
I watched a clip of russians in Omsk complaining that they were not allowed to work on the oil fields as Chinese were getting these jobs. Russians are becoming angrier every day.
Depending on the comment you do not need to do anything. Sometimes the troll comments are so laughable I feel it is best to leave them be for the entertainment value. If the comments are obnoxious or actively promoting hatred my go-to tactic is to click on the three dots and report them.
I met a girl from Luhansk yesterday I will call her Anna, her mother who is still in Luhansk has been forced to take a Russian passport. She wants her daughter to return to Luhansk and says that it isn't too bad now. Anna says that she doesn't want to return as she would probably be unable to leave again if she wanted to. She has a baby son and doesn't want him to be brought up under that regime. Bribery is in all layers of society in Russia. It just isn't a way of life that is functioning well.
💛💙💜💙💛 a little later than usual. My doggy is sick. But she's safe, warm, red, loved and comfortable so no worries 🤗 people are what matter, especially those being sadistically oppressed by genocidal madmen. 🇺🇦 🌏 🇺🇸
Pas tous conservateurs sont contre les droites de femmes je suis conservatrice et je suis féministe et je soutiens LGBTQ 🏳️🌈 et Ukraine 🇺🇦. Je pense les oligarchs sont extrêmes et sont concernés avec puissance et contrôle
With the fractionalization and factional politics in the U.S., both by the politic class and the press, making sense of the landscape and understanding the wider picture becomes difficult at best. As I have seen this play out, journalism seems to have been captured by an unconscious nihilism with a fixed frame of reference. And because there is no breakout from this frame, it is impossible for observers to tactically respond. It falls to those capable of discernment to make the case broadly and crafting a case which can be described in summary and in detail. I see that as a forward task yet to be exercised wide enough to make a difference.
Regular news only knows how to ask open questions hoping the public can disseminate the truth from the rest of the noise. They are not equipped to push back when being used as full on bull horn for unsupported lies.
There's a phenomena of the modern (late 20th & early 21st century) information landscape, there's so much media and info, often we are given analysis and advice on what it means, there's just too much too sort. Your channel, SC, is built around this and does exclusively this (and to good effect, I might add), for example. The openness to analysis and expert advocacy Westerners have become accustomed to also creates space for what I term, "authoritative lying" - wherein individuals exploit their perceived authority, often gained through achievements, position, or former official positions, to present misleading information with a commanding demeanor or posture. Take, as an extreme example, the Chechen Army saluting, "peacenik" Scott Ritter, and how frequently he cites his bona fides and how frequently he is wrong, pushing obvious, laughable falsehoods. He doesn't appear the least bit humbled by the growing catalogue of his past misattributions, and if one considers his his body language and listens to his cadence of speech, one can only observe that he hasn't wavered in the slightest from his assuredness and aggressive demeanour. I think this behaviour is quite common practice in states and organizations with large, sclerotic bureaucracies and especially in those with large degrees of nepotism, as people within these outfits will lie regularly to higher ups to hide graft and incompetence, and it becomes the way in which much in the interfacing society around those organizations begins to function, an empire of "authoritative lies" of sorts. Ritter perhaps honed his deceptive acumen in the military. lying authoritatively to higher ups to cover his tail and get promotions, and then found a way to profit using his bona fides to spread anti-Western/anti-American lies once given a microphone. In this same manner, Russia may currently find it difficult to properly resurrect its former physical empire, but it certainly has managed to resurrect the deviously misspoken one. It not only promulgates authoritative lies as a matter of foreign policy but it also renders them to be consumed in the halls and homes of Moscow, St Petersburg, Volgograd, etc as it would Russia's daily bread. Russia can't even be honest with itself about waging war, the war in Ukraine (with Russia's crimes, death, and all of the injustice) is still only a, "special operation", and every visible breakdown in life in the Russian Federation is the fault of NATO/the West/the Anglosphere (in another lifetime it was Jews and the Jewish World Conspiracy, or Western Imperialism/Colonialism, etc), even labeled as such by figures like Putin. We have open dialogue in the West, we open our discourse to all sorts of ideas, be they true, partly true, or entirely false. The fact that we seem overrun with Russian state backed disinformation is proof that Russian lies authoritatively as an official practice to not only to its citizenry, but also to the West, and excessively so.
This discussion was really great, and has really made me think more about the feeling/energy aspect. And what sources of information/disinformation are trying to do to our minds, beyond the words written
All Americans must read Sinclair Lewis' book "It can't happen here" from 1936. We should also discuss the REASON why manipulation of the sphere happens so easily - doesn't this only happen because there is a need?
The first sentence is already wrong! Lugansk was not occupied by Russia but declared itself independent in 2014. Annexation, or in Kiev lingo: occupation, only occurred in februari. What is disisinfo? What are trolls? People disagreeing with British propaganda- axioms? Or is independent thinking also Russian disinfo?
This interview reminds me of Leni Riefenstahl and Albert Speer. Both pivotal to the rise of "The third Reich" later apologetic and sorry for their involvement, Leni in Africa Albert in his garden I Spandau and in the interviews with Gitta Sereny. I wonder what they might have said if Hitler had "won" the war... at the same time it is a very human thing - regret and atonement. So, how will the Russians see them self after this horrendous war, how will we see them?
A topic this channel could cover is the lustration efforts post Cold War. Have more than a feeling this issue and its lack of pursuit has a great deal to do with the ongoing staus quo.
Very interesting conversation! I do have a question, though. Would it be possible to somehow convince governments of the West to treat foreign propaganda & disinformation as "weapons of war" instead of "protected free speech", and make it punishable? It seems very clear that, for example, the massive rejection of science during the Covid pandemic was nothing more than the product of a social media campaign to raise tension, confusion, anger & frustration which ultimately destroyed millions of lives across the globe. Elections interferences in many countries where social media campaigns support a particular presidential candidate who's in favor of a notorious blood-thirsty tyrant is also another example. There should be some kind of independent regulatory body governing foreign propaganda through social media, but I'm not expecting legislators to act before we all end up in a global clusterfukk. NAFO is a good start but we're only using their ToS as a weapons, but even that isn't very effective.
You know, this is a totally different type of discussion that I would normally listen to. It was absolutely fascinating, and provides great insights into how we are sometimes hamsters in the wheel, which is spinning, but the hamster is dead!!!
Finally someone in the English information space picking apart this aspect of Russian mainstream culture and thought. Anyone having lived adjacent to a population subscribing to the Russian media space for any extended period of time will be familiar with this.
It's like psychopathic, or narcissistic abuse. And it's ubiquitous in mainstream Russian society since at least the Soviet era.
The KGB had almost a century to perfect these methods on their own population, now they're using them globally. And sussing it all out is definitely going to be crazy-making.
u nailed it! that is really what it is, and even worse, it's part of a systematic methodology that is likely studied formally AFTER that schooling those key propgandists/managers (in or re Donetsk etc) get in "philology" etc. These few thousand ppl who run Russia are by far, the most dangerous humans since the 3rd Reich.
We can be emotionally manipulated especially if there's a way to identify with one person, country or another.
The Ruscists are very coy about their tactics, pushing one side, and the other one simultaneously, pitting them against each other.
Longer than that, mon frere. Russian disinformation tactics aren’t all that different under Putin than they were under Catherine.
Dude is doing excactly that🥳
I'm on the political right.
I am completely exasperated by the anti-Ukraine narrative parroted by my fellows...
How vicious and emotional they are in their loathing of Zelensky.
Especially in the US.
@sillygoose9070 it didn’t happen by chance.
It’s shocking how these false narratives get through…
@SiliconCurtain...receptive people like to see and hear it in that particular echo chamber...me..just another argumentative Irishman...😅😅😅
Agree. Have told local GOP that I will jump ship and contribute to Dems if they run Trump.
"Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives" John Stuart Mill 1865
Great talk. Thank YOU for supporting truth and Ukraine!
Always!
++ This has to be the most insightful thing I've come across in months.
Ditto well said
This Silicon Curtain episode was as heavy as uranium 😮
Following your suggestion of discovering Mr Martti Kari (HIGHLY Advisable) to the amazing Intelligence of Mr Douglas… Truth is growing like sunflowers. Thank you Jonathan for watering the Flowers! 🇺🇦🌞💙🌻
👍👍👍💛💙💛💙💛💙
Excellent guest and topic, please have Mr. Douglas back again. Information war is of paramount importance. Context and words matter so much in shaping the subconscious. Something that grates on me is media constantly referring to occupied Ukraine as 'the annexed territories'. People are being exposed to Russian manipulation as if it is the reality and their acquisition is complete. 💙💛
👍👍👍 so much more to pick from the carcass of this topic!
Wow, so true! There is so much covert manipulation in just the linguistic choices.
The overwhelming amount of арргоving and chеегіng comments by ordinary Russians in resроnse to videos deрісting the atrосіties against civilians and prisoners of war in Ukraine were just as shocking to Ukrainians as the war itself. We had somehow grown ассustomed to the war, but the realization of who we have been neighbouring all this time without even knowing it is still horrifying.
Those bагbагіс сгеаtures referred to themselves as our brotherly people. One can only imagine what they might do to those they consider their enemies given the орроrtunity. Don't give them that орроrtunity because it's you who they call their enemies.
Negotiating with Russia is akin to negotiating with EbоІа. Allowing Russia to remain undefeated is like undertreating a dеаdly infection - it will only return stгоnger. This is why any реасе deal that doesn't ensure a clear victory for Ukraine is just a temроrary сеаsefire.
Hear hear 👏👏
and this is where the diaspora comes in - while you were speaking russian, calling vyshyvanky 'rubashky' and espousing its culture we were telling you to stop and be UKRAINIAN
It's sickening, abhorrent, and still shocking to see this after doing everything you can to be Ukranian.
It's a sense of betrayal that has turned many Ukranian people who traveled to the Russian cities into people who disavow the past. No more feeling safe.
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out-because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out-because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me-and there was no one left to speak for me.
-Martin Niemöller
Russian serfs have been manipulated for centuries. They are souless, willingly blind. The FSB isn't so good--they need compliance.
I‘ve gotten some far right U.S. types upset by quoting that
@@chrissmith7669 The more crafty ones usually then goes: "Exactly! You refuse to stand up for the persecution of the martyrs of january 6th and the state's attempts at suppressing our democratic right to vote for poor, innocent D. Trump, you are practically Hitler." There is no violation of human or democratic rights that they will not attempt to twist and appropriate to suit their own weird world-view.
@@karsten11553 I see red when they try to justify or downplay the events of Jan 6.
@@karsten11553 I think of how Republicans talk about Jan 6 vs how everyone else does in terms of The Blues Brothers. The Republicans want everyone to watch Jake & Elwood riding the elevator to the Cook County Clerk and see how peaceful it was while we all see armed mobs storming Daley Center and breaking down all obstacles.
Great interview. I wish most of Western journalists and politicians had a same understanding of reality
OMG, this discussion has been so enlightening, it for my mind, has placed all the pieces of the complex jigsaw puzzle which is the genocidal plan of putin, on the table. Stephen then neatly starts putting all the pieces together so eloquently. I just wish these brilliant discussions could be made available on main stream media. This needs to get out there. Thanks again Jonathan for finding all these knowledgeable guests.
Thank you Stephen and Jonathan for the excellent show. I have become so aware of russian messaging in western mainstream media that I feel I'm in a nightmare, and to wake myself, I must listen to you, your guests, Pres. Zelensky, NAFO convoys, Starsky, Anna, Rick, Mercado, Jake, and other independents. Victory for Ukraine 🇺🇦 ❤️
Russian propaganda is oddly effective, and more psychologically sophisticated than most people seem to realize.
More awareness and deconstruction of their techniques would help.
Yes!
Yes. And just block them from internet. Google, FB and Twitter are all just complicit on spreading these lies. They even refuse to react to reports.
Propaganda and narrative planting - Russians are top-notch in this. Western politicians and journalists are like naive kids who don't understand what is going on.
Widespread fact-checking of Russian propaganda narratives is absolutely necessary and urgent across the West. The lack of any pushback is downright alarming. We have by negligence been ceding the field to Russian propaganda and psyops teams. Is even NATO doing anything on this?
It's not oddly effective -- most people in the west are completely incapable of critical thinking. It is the price you pay for an education system that doesn't teach kids to think critically.
Thank you, both - another fascinating listen!✌️
Widespread fact-checking of Russian propaganda narratives is absolutely necessary and urgent across the West. The lack of any pushback is downright alarming. We have been ceding the field to Russian propaganda and psyops teams. Is even NATO acting on this?
I am. Along with many others.
The Russian Emperor has no clothes...😅😅😅😅
Not much hair or chin either.
It takes some effort to believe that Russia fits the role of "emperor" in this case. To the contrary, you and this video is almost literally cheering on the actual emperor.
Superb guest and interview, Jonathan. Thanks again. The "tiredness" issue is so important. We're only tired of lazy so-called journalists asking this inane question.
🙌 well expressed 👍
exactly! The subtle and sometimes not subtle downbeat tones and defeatism of the entire past decade actually in the west, is something i've noticed as i was increasingly working alone in my own bubble and would come up for air and see my own favorite politician ever at the time, Obama, was himself sounding downbeat. It was at that moment, i knew something was off kilter bigtime, and sure enough, that year or the next, Ru simply starts invading a country bcuz it was not a strong country/society at that moment. Defeatism is something many americans became slowly unaware of within themselves (ourselves), and i've resisted it as much as i possibly can, though i've had to push old friends away and ditch some.
@@18_rabbit as Roger Waters (who lost my respect with regards to the war and Putin, who he calls "this bloke") called it, a "creeping malaise." Years of disinfo and seeding media with cynicism takes its toll.
Extremely intriguing and fascinating topic ! 👏👏
👍👍👍 this was a really different episode!
@@SiliconCurtain.....for sure...
I've been saying pretty much exactly this for decades and felt I was just a voice in the wilderness. Relieved to discover that maybe it's not me and my mode of thought which is/has been awry and maybe, just maybe I was not a million miles wide of the mark - again for decades.
👍👍👍 this conversation crystallised a lot of half-formed ideas in my mind.
@@SiliconCurtain This gent has only one error made IMHO (and I truly am humble in the shadow of mental agility, imagination, deduction and the ability to weave them to coherence) This has been an ever present in all things Russian since they disappeared their royalty and continued by Tsar Putrid to date).
Maybe greater scholars can even trace this thread back through the Tsars? I'll leave them to it - limited by the number of years left on the planet and the abiity of the grey matter to make sense of it all. I'll watch the Meaning of Life again and try to make sense of it all before slumber defeats me as I ponder from my recliner. (My retirement present to me). Really enjoy your offerings and your method of delivery BTW.
Absolutely oustanding discussion. What a perfect rebuttal to a certain English politician who some years ago stated that we had had enough of experts. Stephen is exactly the kind of expert we need. Among so many brilliant points I loved the idea that as communicator, Zelensky is in the 21st century whilst Putin is stuck in the 20th.
Stephen is so painfully bright and insightful - I really enjoyed this episode. Thank you 👍
Brilliant!!! Great guest! Johnathan- thank you👍 перемога Україні 🇺🇦❤️2024
Three Billy Goats Gruff
"Three Billy Goats Gruff" (Norwegian: De tre bukkene Bruse) is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their Norske Folkeeventyr, first published between 1841 and 1844.
The first version of the story in English appeared in George Webbe Dasent's translation of some of the Norske Folkeeventyr, published as Popular Tales from the Norse in 1859.
The heroes of the tale are three male goats who need to outsmart a ravenous troll named Phalanx to cross the bridge to their feeding ground.
The story introduces three billy goats (male goats), sometimes identified as a youngster, father and grandfather, but more often described as brothers. In other adaptations, there is a baby or child goat, mama goat and papa goat. "Gruff" was used as their family name in the earliest English translation, by Dasent; the original Norwegian version used the name "Bruse".[4]
Plot
In the story, there is almost no grass left for them to eat near where they live, so they must cross a river to get to "sæter" (a meadow) or hillside on the other side of a stream to eat and fatten themselves up. They must first cross a wooden bridge, under which lives a fearsome and hideous troll, who is so territorial that he eats anyone who tries to cross the bridge.
The smallest billy goat is the first to cross and is stopped abruptly by the troll who threatens to "gobble him up!" The little goat convinces the troll to wait for his big brother to come across, because he is larger and would make for a more gratifying feast. The greedy troll agrees and lets the smallest goat cross.
The medium-sized goat passes next. He is more cautious than his brother but is also stopped by the troll and given the same threat. The second billy goat is allowed to cross as well after he tells the troll to wait for his father because he is the largest of the three.
The largest billy goat gets on the bridge but is also stopped by the hungry troll who threatens to devour him. The largest billy goat challenges the troll and dares him to do so. Then the troll jumps up. The big billy goat Gruff knocks him off the bridge with his horns. The troll falls into the stream and is carried away by the current and drowns. From then on, the bridge is safe and all three goats are able to go to the rich fields around the summer farm in the hills. The three billy goats Gruff eat lots of grass and live happily ever after.
This is a piece of advice how to defeat putin!😜
I'm cheering the pair of you every single step of the way but have to stop listening for the mo...wonderful discussion, so illuminating...praying you're right about the US. and supporting Ukraine..so right about having to track every single thread of these duplicitous commentators...dig, dig, dig. !! IYou're describing 1984 coming to fruition.
👍👍👍 thanks for tuning in - you’re always welcome!
Fantastic stuff right here! What a thought provoking discussion - thank you gentlemen, going to replay this to a few family members 🥴
🇺🇦 Keep the conversations coming! It really matters! 🇺🇦
👍
Thank you for this important message. Need to share this episode with our NAFO teams.
Indeed! And it was so nice to hear NAFOs mission so clearly mentioned. Whack-a-mole (bonking) of gargoyles of propaganda, propagandists (Kremlin), and the propaganda (the folkloric fairy tales). Facts, served with an overly healthy dose of humour, irony, sarcasm and neon blinking memes.
Very insightful and informative. Humanity prevails in humor and love. The distinction of propaganda from anti propaganda by what direction it pushes can help to create a better future.
Whoa Decoding face! Nice to meet you 😁
Thank you, Jonathan, for a very interesting conversation with Stephen Douglas. Quite shocking that even the human rights expert only realized what was going on when looking back. This somehow enables me to understand, why the majority of people just don't seem to care... which drives me crazy on a daily basis
🇺🇦 Заради життя кожного українця! 🇺🇦
👍👍👍🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
Some so called experts don’t even understand it now! In the face of so much evidence.
Anyone born in the Soviet times and their spheres know exactly what russia is and what russia does, they are not russia's target, the people who never watch or believe anything from spy movies are.
Greetings from Slovakia. Fantastic interview, thanks! I pray, one day my fellow proruSSian citizens understand, how wrong they are (were) :(
Do you think your fellow Slovaks are more susceptible to Russian propaganda for some reason (prior long exposure), or do you think recent developments in Slovakia are because of a general loss of faith in the local political "establishment"?
@@immortaltyger1569 prior and ongoing propaganda exposure, with which no one did anything. It grew to enourmous volume. However it is also poor education and lack of education. Simply dumb people, as everywhere in the world, believe that ruSS is a victim. And that we need ruSSia because they have cheap gas and oil. And also politicians...they just say what these dumb people want to hear and especially here, politicians including Fico and his mafia circle is subject to prosecusion so their objective is to save their asses from jail and they will do whatever to stay free, including, in the upcoming months/years exit from EU. Because what they did in the past is not compatible with EU.
@@immortaltyger1569 why would it be either/or and not both? I was close to a Slovak and she was the most meek human being i have ever known, on a level that is hard to describe. I pray the misguided slovaks and hungarians come to their senses, bcuz they r clearly not thinking straight or are so ignorant about human affairs, and so false-nostalgic, that they're making the biggest mistakes possible to make at a moment in history like now. Ru does one thing very similar to the 3rd Reich, and that's the skill they have at trying to calm and placate ppl on the ground while they butcher them at the same time. Also, the fact is that Hungary after WW2 never came to full terms with itself and those Hungarians who assisted the Nazi's and that is a fact that no one has ever been able to successfully deny. Hungary has far too many ultra rightwingers who are plainly antidemocratic and hostile to freedom.
NAFO wields humor as a devastating weapon.
Best ever. I'll be passing this on to everyone I know. Many thanks.
- Почему Путин не хочет уходить?
- Потому что знает, что далеко ему не уйти.......
If after the election Russia calls for full mobilisation I wonder if Muscovites and men from St Petersburg will be sent'?
I thought months ago that just using the word "fatigued" or "tired" in articles made the reader tired. Instead I want journalists to ask " will the west stay brave?" And appeal to western vanity as heroes.
A very interesting, though concerning, topic. Many thanks to you both for raising awareness about it.
Brilliant stuff, guys. Original, creative, slightly bonkers at times - Mr Douglas sounds like a man who is constantly brainstorming himself! - definitely a pint of the unusual. What’s not to love?
💙💙💙
8:00 yes! He connects it to coercive control and domestic abuse! Same logic and mechanisms and tactics!
Very interesting!
..Thanks Johnathan for yet another great interview…💙💛💙
Very interesting. Thanks to you both
👍👍👍
I try to disengage from arguing with trolls over the stories of who did what in the Donbas.
I just keep going back to Russia recognizing Ukraines sovereignty in the Budapest Memorandum.
Any issue in the Donbas is an internal matter for Ukraine to deal with.
i just tell them thank you for commenting and adding to the YT algorithm.
The algorithm promotes videos that have over 1000 commenst and i notice Jonathan Fink has only 312 as of now which is rather low. But I rarely see any trolling on here but they are all over Denys Davydov, Paul Combat Veteran, Russian Dude, Sky News, Times Radio and they tend to pick on certain people like Prof Clarke for example on SKy News (they really hate him). Mostly the troll comment is in garbled english, 2 short lines , plenty of emojies and a single thumbs up (they always have at least 1 thumbs up) . The replies are also framed in the same way.
Hardly anyone reads the comments but many click on promoted videos. So Russians are pretty stupid to invest so much time in this activety.
@@Bob-nd2mr That's funny. I've done the same. When I get a really stubborn one I start thanking them for all the replies that push the algorithm. 🙂
@@Bob-nd2mr
P.S. I'm familiar with all the channels you mention. I think Times Radio probably gets the most trolls lately.
I must say that Silicon Curtain is the best source for in depth interviews with people that know what their talking about. You don't get that anywhere period.
Jonathan's work is exemplary.
Fascinating discussion by an obviously well informed scholar. Many people get their information visually, so I believe it would be very helpful to present these points in more visual format; perhaps as storytelling graphics, animated shorts, ads in popular publications, a tv series (recall how popular Servant of the People was), and so on. NAFO has some patches that are popular. Create more memes. Spread the visuals.
He was largely talking sense till about the hour mark, then the TDS kicked in.
Thanks Jonathan. I like your channel, and you often introduce us to new speakers. However, to be frank (and not wishing to be ungrateful), I did find this discussion a bit less clear than usual. It would have helped if there had been more specific real examples of cases to illustrate the explanations by Stephen Douglas. It was specially interesting when he spoke of the Russian disinformation strategy on the ground in occupied Ukrainian territory prior to the full-scale invasion in 2022, as he could speak as a witness of it (not just a commentator).
Here is a very basic analogy, russian goal is to create as many 'useful idiots' and pawns as possible to destabilize and dismantle the West so the russian steamroller can run right through and convert and absorb everything into to their Empire. If you watch Star Trek they are the Borg.
There's no need to invent a word ('disinfolklore') when one already exists. It's called a "narrative". Everybody has been using that word for this exact concept. It isn't a new idea, at all. Also, the relating of words with similar sounds strikes me as some really magical thinking from this character.
you missed the point. "narrative" is a rational structure; folklore refers to myth and perception.
At this moment of history Ukraine is the true Russia, the true successor of the Slavic Kievan Rus, and the Russian federation has become a false Russia, a Neo-Chekist fascist state. A Mongol, Asian state, where slavery, fear and total submission is the law of the land.
True. Good point.
Great speaker, as always.
thank you
I can't see how Pootin will be able to avoid raising the retirement age .The pension in the occupied area of Ukraine is equivalent to 100 pounds Men and women are needed badly int the workplace .There's not enough youngsters to replace them.
A great book on this topic is "Disinformation" by Mihai Pacepa. The author was one of the highest level defections to the USA during the Cold War. He was very high up in the Romanian Securitate (the Romanian arm of the KGB during communist times).
That's a very accurate description of what exactly kgb do. Their mission is to destroy people's will to do anything positive by either making them to constantly fight for survival or making them apathetic through alcohol or drugs. Alcoholics and drug addicts are the best type of citizens for the KGB
A perfect analysis of the linguistic weapons of Russian propaganda, the bear traps Russian propaganda and disinformation can set even for the most politically sophisticated and educated of us.
Not really, the russians have a habit of identifying themselves. A tiny bit of research and they are glaringly obvious. They love to sort everything. Another thing is, they can't keep up once the NATO troll patrollers jump on them. Too many comments and they lose track of who they are answering. My advice is once a troll is identified, ignore it. If you see someone identify , jump on with a comment.
Thank you for the truth!
Another brilliant interview... it's so painful that this is all taking place in slow time...much like the interviewe states...and exasperating that people complain that Ukraine isn't winning quickly enough, yet the West continues to piecemeal parcel out weapons... which in turn is used by conspiracy theorists who claim it's only about resources and that the West doesn't want Russia to fail only to weaken them... again Ukraine as the pawn of everyone else instead of focusing on the genocidal aggressor who always still manages to be a victim... quite odd
Myth #6... Russia has only influenced the Republican Party; however the reality is that Russia has also influenced the Democratic party.
[citation needed]
NAFO 💙💛 Love the fellas!!! 🐶
P.S. ...donate to NAFO69th 👍
When I was in Kiev in December 2013 into January 2014 just before the coup it was like returning to Russia in 1992 - 1993. There were a few well off but the majority was hand to mouth. The best illustration of of the situation was a reporter who encountered two Russians from the Russian Far East who were visiting relatives in Ukraine for the first time. The encounter occurred in a railway station. The reporter said that the two Russians looked around at the non working escalators and other disorder and remarked, " What have these people been doing for twenty years?" At that time I used to try to find a non working light bulb in a metro or rail station in Russia without success. The problem was that a group of five oligarchs who had access to foreign money that were dominating the economy and gaining control of industrial facilities, but instead of operating these industrial facilities they were breaking them up and selling the machinery as scrap for about twenty percent of their replacement value. This of course resulted in no place to work for the Ukrainian workers. The people of Crimea and Donbass refused to recognize the new 2014 government in Kiev. It is entirely reasonable that the people of Crimea would want to join the prosperous people of Russia.
Were they fooled or are they complicit?
That was great cheers!
👍👍👍
So good….thank you!
Great talk, I'll be sharing this,
👍👍👍
you guys are barely scratching the surface of the iceberg
If you are so perspicacious why don't you enlighten us with your wisdom?
@@bobjohnbowles russians are trying to engineer a civil war in the us for a good couple of decades now, the extent of theyr malicious intent is grossly understimated by westerners, westerners think that because they have good intentions, most have, no , there are countries and individuals that truly want to destroy western power and dominate western countries, because all they see is power, and power and dominance is the only way peoples in those societies interact with each other, i could go on and on and on, but kindly eat a dk stranger
Riveting! Everything he's explaining is how I read the Russo/sino/maga-ganda (⬅for example) as it comes in - but I could never put it into words, it's more instinct, and something I struggle to explain coherently to others..., at which point the trolls smell blood and leap in to spin my head and my words, to the point I lose all direction and confidence in my understanding.
Imagine if we could all explain this as concisely as Stephen and Jonathan.
Having said that, the confidence in knowing what is dis/mis-info most of the time, makes the choice to support Ukraine in all ways possible, ...... empowering.
It doesn't matter if I can't relay this information to someone else, as much as it matters that I do my bit consistently to support Ukraine.
...... which includes recommending SiliconCurtain to every man, woman and troll I come across!
Thank you so much for these interviews.
#ImNotTiredOfSupportingUkraine
Russia is running out of men to send to Ukraine to fight. The country is struggling to find workers for factories. Wages are rising and even then immigrants are not finding that the exchange rates makes it worth them being in Russia.They are also at risk of being sent to fight.
I watched a clip of russians in Omsk complaining that they were not allowed to work on the oil fields as Chinese were getting these jobs. Russians are becoming angrier every day.
I’m so so very grateful for listening to this video!❤❤❤
La bataille est fascisme vs démocratie
This mans intelligence is far beyond the normal person. He is on another level
I see so many parallels between Russian propoganda and MAGA.
I find I am hit troll comments to my comments how best to counter this. I do not respond it is my reaction.
Depending on the comment you do not need to do anything. Sometimes the troll comments are so laughable I feel it is best to leave them be for the entertainment value. If the comments are obnoxious or actively promoting hatred my go-to tactic is to click on the three dots and report them.
I instigate further comments 😊
I met a girl from Luhansk yesterday I will call her Anna, her mother who is still in Luhansk has been forced to take a Russian passport. She wants her daughter to return to Luhansk and says that it isn't too bad now. Anna says that she doesn't want to return as she would probably be unable to leave again if she wanted to. She has a baby son and doesn't want him to be brought up under that regime. Bribery is in all layers of society in Russia. It just isn't a way of life that is functioning well.
Really veered off the road and into a ditch with the taek on US politics and Biden and Trump. A most unfortunate error of judgement.
Wanna buy some combat mosquitoes?
They can't help themselves. TDS is a real thing. Whether it be Trump DS or Tantrum DS.
@@thedeadmoneyallstars This may have made sense or sounded funny to you when the voice in your head said it but it does neither seeing it on the page.
You’re unvaccinated, aren’t you?😂
@@thedeadmoneyallstars😂 🦟 🪖
💛💙💜💙💛 a little later than usual. My doggy is sick. But she's safe, warm, red, loved and comfortable so no worries 🤗 people are what matter, especially those being sadistically oppressed by genocidal madmen. 🇺🇦 🌏 🇺🇸
Stephen Douglas has some profound insights that I will add to my anti-disinformation ammo belt
🇷🇺👍
Pas tous conservateurs sont contre les droites de femmes je suis conservatrice et je suis féministe et je soutiens LGBTQ 🏳️🌈 et Ukraine 🇺🇦. Je pense les oligarchs sont extrêmes et sont concernés avec puissance et contrôle
Brilliant! He speaks my mythological universe language.
Wow great work!
Thanks a lot!
Thank you for sharing the truth!
thanks for posting
With the fractionalization and factional politics in the U.S., both by the politic class and the press, making sense of the landscape and understanding the wider picture becomes difficult at best. As I have seen this play out, journalism seems to have been captured by an unconscious nihilism with a fixed frame of reference. And because there is no breakout from this frame, it is impossible for observers to tactically respond. It falls to those capable of discernment to make the case broadly and crafting a case which can be described in summary and in detail. I see that as a forward task yet to be exercised wide enough to make a difference.
Regular news only knows how to ask open questions hoping the public can disseminate the truth from the rest of the noise. They are not equipped to push back when being used as full on bull horn for unsupported lies.
Plato wrote that which separates us from animals is our capacity to reason. Plato wrote that in the Timaeus.
There's a phenomena of the modern (late 20th & early 21st century) information landscape, there's so much media and info, often we are given analysis and advice on what it means, there's just too much too sort. Your channel, SC, is built around this and does exclusively this (and to good effect, I might add), for example. The openness to analysis and expert advocacy Westerners have become accustomed to also creates space for what I term, "authoritative lying" - wherein individuals exploit their perceived authority, often gained through achievements, position, or former official positions, to present misleading information with a commanding demeanor or posture. Take, as an extreme example, the Chechen Army saluting, "peacenik" Scott Ritter, and how frequently he cites his bona fides and how frequently he is wrong, pushing obvious, laughable falsehoods. He doesn't appear the least bit humbled by the growing catalogue of his past misattributions, and if one considers his his body language and listens to his cadence of speech, one can only observe that he hasn't wavered in the slightest from his assuredness and aggressive demeanour. I think this behaviour is quite common practice in states and organizations with large, sclerotic bureaucracies and especially in those with large degrees of nepotism, as people within these outfits will lie regularly to higher ups to hide graft and incompetence, and it becomes the way in which much in the interfacing society around those organizations begins to function, an empire of "authoritative lies" of sorts. Ritter perhaps honed his deceptive acumen in the military. lying authoritatively to higher ups to cover his tail and get promotions, and then found a way to profit using his bona fides to spread anti-Western/anti-American lies once given a microphone. In this same manner, Russia may currently find it difficult to properly resurrect its former physical empire, but it certainly has managed to resurrect the deviously misspoken one. It not only promulgates authoritative lies as a matter of foreign policy but it also renders them to be consumed in the halls and homes of Moscow, St Petersburg, Volgograd, etc as it would Russia's daily bread. Russia can't even be honest with itself about waging war, the war in Ukraine (with Russia's crimes, death, and all of the injustice) is still only a, "special operation", and every visible breakdown in life in the Russian Federation is the fault of NATO/the West/the Anglosphere (in another lifetime it was Jews and the Jewish World Conspiracy, or Western Imperialism/Colonialism, etc), even labeled as such by figures like Putin. We have open dialogue in the West, we open our discourse to all sorts of ideas, be they true, partly true, or entirely false. The fact that we seem overrun with Russian state backed disinformation is proof that Russian lies authoritatively as an official practice to not only to its citizenry, but also to the West, and excessively so.
Lies only have power until we know the truth. But are enough people hitting back with the truth?
This discussion was really great, and has really made me think more about the feeling/energy aspect. And what sources of information/disinformation are trying to do to our minds, beyond the words written
👍👍👍
These guys exist in a binary fairytale world of their own creation. They openly admit to peddling propaganda
😂 4 month old troll ☝️ this video is describing YOU 😂
What a fascinating interview
All Americans must read Sinclair Lewis' book "It can't happen here" from 1936. We should also discuss the REASON why manipulation of the sphere happens so easily - doesn't this only happen because there is a need?
Myth #2..
The Russian Empire was a modern developed state in comparison to other Nations like the United Kingdom.
Ukraine 🇺🇦 was more developed than Russia, before many years long time ago...
Why is the U.S. not part of the International Criminal Court in La Hague, that judges transgressors of Human Rights and the sovereignty of States?
Incoherent at times as well as insightful. Sometimes it was folklore disinformation or near to it and no sense of WW2 or real trolls.
So, now Europe ends like 3,000 Km West. What a pile of crap.
I agree, you are an expert in propaganda.
The first sentence is already wrong! Lugansk was not occupied by Russia but declared itself independent in 2014. Annexation, or in Kiev lingo: occupation, only occurred in februari. What is disisinfo? What are trolls? People disagreeing with British propaganda- axioms? Or is independent thinking also Russian disinfo?
Your work keeps getting better..... it already was extremely awesome. I hope to pass on the knowledge your podcast bring to humanity!
This interview reminds me of Leni Riefenstahl and Albert Speer. Both pivotal to the rise of "The third Reich" later apologetic and sorry for their involvement, Leni in Africa Albert in his garden I Spandau and in the interviews with Gitta Sereny. I wonder what they might have said if Hitler had "won" the war... at the same time it is a very human thing - regret and atonement. So, how will the Russians see them self after this horrendous war, how will we see them?
A topic this channel could cover is the lustration efforts post Cold War. Have more than a feeling this issue and its lack of pursuit has a great deal to do with the ongoing staus quo.
You've out done even yourselves today...wonderfull nonsense !
Thanks for this episode, very interesting as always ❤
Very interesting conversation!
I do have a question, though. Would it be possible to somehow convince governments of the West to treat foreign propaganda & disinformation as "weapons of war" instead of "protected free speech", and make it punishable? It seems very clear that, for example, the massive rejection of science during the Covid pandemic was nothing more than the product of a social media campaign to raise tension, confusion, anger & frustration which ultimately destroyed millions of lives across the globe. Elections interferences in many countries where social media campaigns support a particular presidential candidate who's in favor of a notorious blood-thirsty tyrant is also another example.
There should be some kind of independent regulatory body governing foreign propaganda through social media, but I'm not expecting legislators to act before we all end up in a global clusterfukk.
NAFO is a good start but we're only using their ToS as a weapons, but even that isn't very effective.
You know, this is a totally different type of discussion that I would normally listen to. It was absolutely fascinating, and provides great insights into how we are sometimes hamsters in the wheel, which is spinning, but the hamster is dead!!!
Great channel.
The media is the message.
Folklore is a shared identity.