Extreme Russia

Watched it last night.

I don't think a lot of supporters will have a pleasant time out there in 2018. Hopefully the majority of the country isn't as backward as the people in that programme.

Fair play to Reggie Yates for listening to some of them without snapping.
 
Took some cojones for RY to go some of the places he went.

Interesting that this is the Russia that has it's RT watching drones believing that Ukranian nationalism is somehow distinctively 'nazi'.

A sad reminder that communism and nazism differ mainly in their scapegoats - the mix of soviet nostalgia and nazi stylings (which is almost as insane in a Russian as it would be in a Jew) are, when put together, reminiscent of pre-night of the long knives nazism. That and a long russian tradition of despotism, nationalism, and anti semitism, and an increasing belligerence from the people actually running the country make for a disquieting situation.

The world is getting much more dangerous again, but I'm sure it's nothing the west can't put right with a hashtag campaign or two.
 
I'll try and watch it later tonight and let you know my thoughts

It's not just about extremism with regards to immigrants and immigration but also with regards to Putin and the wider picture re the reunification of the Soviet Union. So Ukraine figures a lot in all of this...
 
I can't see this on my phone but it's probably a good reminder that program makers show what they want you to see.

I'll wager, if I wagered, a really dodgy documentary could be made about the UK, particularly with the Muslim and UKIP nutters seemingly in full flight these days. Some closer to us than others.
 
I can't see this on my phone but it's probably a good reminder that program makers show what they want you to see.

I'll wager, if I wagered, a really dodgy documentary could be made about the UK, particularly with the Muslim and UKIP nutters seemingly in full flight these days. Some closer to us than others.

You don't think we are capable of making that judgement ourselves? :wink:

Ironically, the programme clearly shows Reggie Yates being used by those in Russia who are on the extremes of politics as part of their propaganda machine to prove they "were not racist"...they were parading him to prove a point. He didn't know it at the time, though suspected it, because there was no independent interpreter with him - all Russian was being translated by one of the members of the political movement and it was only after the event did they have the snide racist comments being made in his presence (but being hushed up by the guy speaking English) translated.

Absolutely watch it with an open mind - pretty sure we all have - but watch it first. :thumbgrin
 
I can't see this on my phone but it's probably a good reminder that program makers show what they want you to see.

I'll wager, if I wagered, a really dodgy documentary could be made about the UK, particularly with the Muslim and UKIP nutters seemingly in full flight these days. Some closer to us than others.

Sorry it's a whole different level. I read about a book recently - can't mind what it's called, rather messing this up - about the Russian government and propaganda. They sponsor anti religious forces and extreme elements in the Russian church, the far right and the far left overseas, basically ying and yang everywhere. They have people in the west gobbling up RT while they sponsor the French FN and opposites elsehere - anything to destabilise.

And one thing they do big time is cultivate the type of goons in this programme. I watched a horrific documentary recently about 'gay hunters' in Russia, which I think reggie Yates next episode may touch on (it's about the plight of Russian gays at any rate); it's just mind boggling what people can do with pretty much free reign.

The western disease of relativism is like the biblical quote in reverse - we can't see the beams in other eyes for the specks in our own.
 
The cult (yes I did type cult) of Putin was the other aspect of this that shows how little some things have changed in Russia in terms of the role of their leaders in their culture. Some of the bizarre Putin sponsored Putin orientated Putin promoting outputs from the Putin School of Putin was very disturbing.

The wee Russian dolls of Putin seemed a surprise to Reggie but they have ever been sold on wee stalls in Moscow. When I was there during the Gorbachev administration you could buy the dolls in the form of all the powerful former leaders of the USSR - nothing has changed in that respect. Much of the art work and art forms continue to mimic those of the regimes gone by...in fact, what struck me is that many things may have changed in Moscow since I was there for a month in the Glasnost era but so much has stayed the same.
 
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