Putin ain't no Superman

[fridi]

A recent exchange around here made me thinking. Apparently, there's this impression that in the West (particularly among some segments of the US public), Putin is being viewed as "The Man", a powerful man who could "kick your elephant's ass in a fight" kind of badass boss.

Well, that "The Man" thing is a result of his personality cult-building effort, no doubt. Curiously, it seems to be having an effect even on the presumably critically-thinking, free Western public. Or at least on that segment thereof, whose narrative so desperately needs a foreign strongman to juxtapose the "lame" Obama against.

Btw, Putin's KGB past was anything but glorious...

Comments

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

Ah, the miracles of our modern corporate media. The Professional Right around here have been touting Putin as a foil to our current president, whom they are trying to taint as weak and ineffectual. Putin has what they want, Reagan re-embodied.

Also, painting him as a strong man makes the Russians Evil again, which is nice for the military industrial complex around here. The blowback from Ferguson and a backlash against the militarization of local police is going to have some long-term negative impacts on the Bottom Line; justifying another build-up militarily will staunch the flow of profits nicely.

Really, in order to appreciate the audacity of our Western Propaganda Machine, you have to be steeped in it!