Taking him at his word...about what? I don't know why these issues always have to be all or nothing with everyone. I neither have to 'take his word' for anything nor do I have to suggest that he 'needs to be stopped.
Then don't enter into evidence the idea that Putin "went on the record" saying he wanted to be friends.
If that's what was going on I'd be very supportive of it. I believe the media does have a good positioning to be critical of abuses of power, corruption, and inhumane behavior. It's too bad, then, that they're corporate shills instead who have no motive except the bottom line. If some hypothetical media was taking the piss out of dictators I'd be all for it. For this media that we have right now - no, it's disingenuous propaganda being put out to further someone else's agenda, as Jason points out. It's certainly not with any intent to reform Russia or help create bridges between the two countries, because, you know, that would be the actual way to help the situation. Neither the U.S. powers that be nor the media want any sort of rapprochement right now, and any move to 'help our Russian friends improve their standards' would just be labeled as being in Putin's pocket. I wish we had what you're suggesting, but it's utterly implausible to read virtuous motives into the stories that have been put out about Russia.
Hogwash - there are so many people willing to write such stories pretty much
pro bono if it will hurt a despot. It beggars belief that you think they are all just a bunch of shills. If I were a journalist, would you say that of me? You are hopelessly sweeping away all of journalism under the banner of being bought-and-sold. It's a position that is simultaneously indefensible (impeaching the moral character of everyone in mass media) and rhetorically indestructible from an argument standpoint, since there's literally no way to get inside the head of all employed journalists so that I can convince you that they are not all in the tank.
I leave you to this breathlessly cynical belief and hope you'll one day meet some journalists.
Having someone else shoot a gun instead of you doing it yourself isn't non-violence, it's just kicking the can.
If you witnessed a person being abused by their spouse, would you not counsel and encourage them to take action? Would you not provide them with support, both moral and even material? It is not 'handing them a gun' - it is to provide the support necessary for THEM to take the action in their own home. It does not mean you go over there and punch their spouse - it is about teaching the victim that they don't have to fight back alone.
If by "supporting a local rebellion" you mean to have supportive demonstrations, i.e. to give them our moral support, in that case I'm all for it. We should speak in favor of good changes. But actively participating in foreign rebellious activities to promote American interests is, afaik, illegal under international law, and immoral to boot. When Russia is even merely accused of releasing true data about the DNC they are "subverting democracy", but when the idea is brought up to literally overthrow foreign governments it's fine, because, as Arnie put it in True Lies, "Yeah, but they were all bad."
Again, I view supplying support, both moral AND material, for a battered spouse or citizen to take action as morally justified. You could scold me for saying "it's none of your business what goes on in someone else's house/country", but as I am interested in all human business, I see it as self-evidently justifiable.
The question (really the only point worth arguing) is what materially supporting activities are warranted, and what crosses the line. The line depends, I think, on the situation at hand.
I would like to see the promotion of non-violent methods of working with other countries to improve human rights there, and to work with their governments to try to reduce abuses of their people.
That last sentence may be one of the most naive things I've seen you put to the page. Work WITH despots to try to reduce abuses of their people... gee, what a great idea.
Why didn't I think of just asking Mr. Putin to stop murdering or imprisoning his political opponents?
Show Posts
