The mouth of Sauron has spoken

[Fake Messiah]

I would never go to Russia anyway, especially after what they have done to Brittney Griner.

[Rev. Rye]

I would never go to Russia anyway, especially after what they have done to Brittney Griner.

Me too, not just out of principle, but because a medication I take just to be able to get through the day and only be sleepy for part of it is (according to the Russian legal system) on par with cocaine.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Perfect example of how US pop culture serves as indirect but effective propaganda against whomever the government wants you to hate at the moment.

Now Putin is not only New Modern Hitler but an evil wizard as well. It's cool that he's this all-powerful embodiment of evil in one sentence, and then an idiot doomed to fail in the next.

By identifying real-world politics with black-and-white fantasy fiction, we eliminate nuance, inconvenient facts, and the ability to think clearly.

Would it help if we did a painting of it?

Boru

[Angrboda]

Perfect example of how US pop culture serves as indirect but effective propaganda against whomever the government wants you to hate at the moment.

Now Putin is not only New Modern Hitler but an evil wizard as well. It's cool that he's this all-powerful embodiment of evil in one sentence, and then an idiot doomed to fail in the next.

By identifying real-world politics with black-and-white fantasy fiction, we eliminate nuance, inconvenient facts, and the ability to think clearly.

You could apply that to your own thinking. By suggesting he's either masterful or a failure but not both, you're employing black and white thinking in order to posit a false dichotomy.

[Belacqua]

The paradigm case is still Star Wars, as I think everyone already knows.

It's a huge corporate franchise dedicated to making Americans think they're the attractive rebels, when in fact their country is the Empire.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

The paradigm case is still Star Wars, as I think everyone already knows.

It's a huge corporate franchise dedicated to making Americans think they're the attractive rebels, when in fact their country is the Empire.

I think a better comparison might be ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. Atticus Finch/United States going to great lengths to rectify the unjust persecution of Tom Robinson/Ukraine.

Boru

[The Architect Of Fate]

The paradigm case is still Star Wars, as I think everyone already knows.

It's a huge corporate franchise dedicated to making Americans think they're the attractive rebels, when in fact their country is the Empire.

Wow, yet another fictional franchise you don't understand.


To start with you realize George Lucas based The Empire on the United States and based The Rebels on Viet Con and throughout the franchise that good and evil are a matter of perspective. Also in the Recent show, Andor and Rogue One and frankly going all the way back to the Dark Horse comics we see the Rebels aren't squeaky clean and are willing to use underhanded tactics to win.

 I don't even want to get into the Clone Wars Era where we have a group of well-meaning star systems trying to escape exploitation by a corrupt and uncaring Republic only to have their movement hijacked by a group of greedy corporate assholes and the Sith versus said corrupt uncaring Republic made of power-hungry senators who use essentially a slave army made up of child soldiers to execute their war lead by supposed guardians of peace.

[The Architect Of Fate]

Perfect example of how US pop culture serves as indirect but effective propaganda against whomever the government wants you to hate at the moment.

No, it's a perfect example of seeing real-life evil and comparing it to fictional evil because there are parallels. Fiction imitating real-life.

Now Putin is not only New Modern Hitler but an evil wizard as well. It's cool that he's this all-powerful embodiment of evil in one sentence, and then an idiot doomed to fail in the next.

Sauron wasn't all-powerful and throughout Tolkien lore, he does all sorts of stupid shit and is ignorant of all sorts of things, Angering Eru Ilúvata, Messing with Elves, Trying to backstab Ungoliant, He didn't know about the shire. He didn't know Gollum had the ring. Also, he wasn't a wizard he was a fallen Maia. So not only do you know nothing about the Russian/Ukraine conflict you know nothing about Lord Of The Ring Either.

By identifying real-world politics with black-and-white fantasy fiction, we eliminate nuance, inconvenient facts, and the ability to think clearly.

Again you know nothing about Tolkien lore none of the good races are perfectly good. Men are weak to power. Elves are often arrogant and short-sighted and Dwarves tend to be greedy and stubborn and impulsive and the history of all three races is filled with wicked deeds and flawed characters. However, they are contrasted with a much more overt evil as with this conflict. This doesn't kill nuance it puts it into perspective that as messed up as we are Putin and his cronies are much worst. You don't understand this conflict and you don't understand Tolkien's lore.

 A Lore correction. It was Melkor that aligned with Ungoliant, not Sauron. Sauron was aligned with Shelob her daughter but still, he made the stupid move of trying to betray her and making her his enemy. That mistake was bugging me.

[Leonardo17]

I would never go to Russia anyway, especially after what they have done to Brittney Griner.

This happening although the Biden Administration offered to release Victor Bout (a convinced arm trafficker) in return for Paul Whelan and Britney Grinder. Paul Whelan is a former Marine who was charged with espionage. So although the accusations against him seem to be possibly founded on some sort of suspicion by Russian authorities, I still don’t understand why a basketball player is being sent to a penal colony for a pot of medicinal Marijuana.


   Because of this last event, I believe that Paul Whelan is also most likely completely innocent.

   And I also doubt if the FSB has still the ability to detect spies in the same way the KGB did in the 80’s. Another of my guesses: The Arab intelligence of middle-eastern countries (like Egypt for instance) should have better standards than the Russian intelligence. That’s my guess that is based on the situation of their army and their political life.

[The Grand Nudger]

She isn't going to a penal colony for marijauna. She's a hostage. Cynically, it was one of the least productive heads you could hunt. Pot smoking black female lesbian basketball player? Yeah, half of the country isn't so sure she should even be a legal person. Should've grabbed somebody else if they wanted to better motivate us.