occasional reflections on culture & politics
Whatever is happening in Gaza cannot make anyone happy. The situation is grim. People are suffering, starving, dying. This cannot continue. Saying this is easy, but thinking about how to solve the problem is less easy. The reason it is complicated lies, first of all, in the excessive brutality of Hamas’ attack on October 7,… Continue reading #252: Some Reflections on Israel, Gaza, and Protests
Now Putin has done it. He has finally murdered his main competitor. Last Friday, we received news of Navalny’s death. There is no doubt that Putin is responsible — he has done everything he can to set in motion a murderous machine, which finally achieved its result. Putin is and always has been a killer.… Continue reading #246: Navalny’s Killing Exposes Putin’s Weakness
Intentional or not, Tucker Carlson just did the world a strange favor: He showed how deluded and dangerous Putin really is. Typically, I do not agree with Tucker Carlson’s politics. This is immaterial – different people have different ideas. That’s the beauty of freedom of speech and freedom of expression, and it is what makes… Continue reading #245: Tucker Carlson Reveals Putin’s Fear and Delusion
We cannot afford to wait with supporting Ukraine. Our current hesitancy is not just endangering our friends and allies, but will work against us in the future as well. Aliens attack Earth. They land in the country of Somewhereistan and are starting to establish a stronghold in a part of the country. The country is… Continue reading #244: When Aliens Attack, What Will We Do? Reflections on Western Hesitancy in the Face of Russian Aggression
We are living in a world similar to that of Babylon 5, Season 5. Does this sound weird? You don’t know what Babylon 5 is? What does this have to do with politics and society? Let me explain, and I hope this will make sense. https://youtu.be/uToMlVTY7Jw I. Babylon 5 is a science fiction show that… Continue reading #243: Living in a Time of Frustration: Are We Living in Babylon 5, Season 5?
https://youtu.be/eFScWB54X4Q (This is a bit different in style – it is an unscripted video transcript, so it reflects oral more than written speech.) What is the use of history when you want to solve a big problem? There are all kinds of big conflicts on the planet. Right now, what's top of our minds probably… Continue reading #239: Is History Helpful for Solving Conflicts?
Again, we hear the words. “The Jews.” Again, we see “them” being made responsible for all the evils of the world. Israel was attacked by violent deranged anti-human terrorists, and it continues to be attacked, and the attacker hides behind children and women and institutions of human decency. The attacker, Hamas, has been calling for… Continue reading #238: Kristallnacht, 85 Years Later
We are hearing the slogan that Israel would be committing Genocide in Gaza. Just because you hear it so frequently doesn’t make it right. At no point has Israel, as a state, ever wanted to eradicate Palestinians or Palestine. Since its inception, and before, it wanted to work with the Arab population. It invited Arabs… Continue reading #237: No, Israel is Not Committing Genocide in Gaza
We are hearing terms like “Colonizer” or “Apartheid State” used to describe Israel. They are used for two reasons: Some are legitimately frustrated with the status of Palestine and Palestinians, especially those living in the West Bank and Gaza. They do not have their own state yet, and their political rights are not protected in… Continue reading #234: Israel is Neither Colonizer Nor Apartheid State
https://youtu.be/AasjWiIFu_g If you see yourself as a believer in justice, as dedicated to the fight against oppression and exploitation, ask yourself: What is the biggest justice? What is the purpose of the fight against oppression and exploitation? The answer can probably only be as follows: The preservation of human life, ideally of all life, in… Continue reading #229: Fighting for Love in Times of War
https://youtu.be/gLMeuYn0IQM Hamas has brutally attacked Israel. They've killed civilians indiscriminately, abducted people, all on a flimsy excuse that this had something to do with Jews on or near the Al-Aqsa Mosque. We know that that's not the reason. Israel had ended the occupation of Gaza in 2005, and as a result, Gaza has been dominated… Continue reading #228: Hamas Attacked Israel
We are living at a time where democracy is challenged on a variety of levels, domestically and internationally. There exist several attempts to actively discourage people from seeking democracy, to use internal contradictions within democratic countries in order to legitimatize democracy itself, or to even undermine and destroy democracy where it exists. We cannot be… Continue reading #226: We Must Not Give Up on Global Democracy
Frequently, we can read that Ukraine “demands” something, and some criticize the country and its representatives as not being thankful and diplomatic enough. Some Ukrainian officials have indeed be a bit pushy, a bit forceful in their asks, and their tone has been a bit demanding. But – can you blame them? Ukraine is fighting… Continue reading #223: Should Ukraine Be More Thankful and Less Demanding?
Occasionally, we read news headlines like “Putin offers to negotiate” etc. Is that true? Could it possibly be that he has changed his mind, realized he made a mistake in wanting to either capture or destroy Ukraine? No. Putin may say he wants to “negotiate”, but at the same time, he has always made clear… Continue reading #221: Does Putin Want to Negotiate?
It has become clear by now that Russia cannot win any of the aims of their “Special Military Operation.” They cannot “denazify” Ukraine, simply because Ukraine is not run by Nazis, they cannot “demilitarize” it, because Ukraine is not just supported by its allies but also determined to produce weapons itself. They protect the separatist… Continue reading #220: Russia’s Only Interests Are Terror and Destruction. It Must Be Defeated
There is an occasional tendency to view the past with a certain sense of nostalgia and even benevolence. “Things couldn’t possibly have been as bad, certainly, now things are worse than ever before.” Etc. Unfortunately, this has recently also affected the GDR, the so-called German Democratic Republic (former Socialist/Communist East Germany) – especially when it… Continue reading #217: Thoughts on June 17: The GDR Was an Inhumane Dictatorship
Just now, I am listening to Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony, named after the iconic moment in time that Leningrad survived German aggression. Germany, in its quest to eradicate what was considered “unworthy life” inside and outside its borders, pushing an aggressive nationalist agenda, determined to gain “living space” for its “ethnically cleansed” “purely German” population, set… Continue reading #208: The Perversion of Everything Russian: From Leningrad to Mariupol
I believe in peace. Nothing violates the dignity and existence of life like war. This is certainly clear, and there is not much controversial in such a statement. And yet, not everyone agrees. There are those who believe that war steels character, that it is a necessary cataclysm to bring about a clarifying and cleansing… Continue reading #205: If You Want Peace: Why We Must Help Ukraine
ПУТИН, ИДИОТ(PUTIN, YOU IDIOT) Путин, идиот,когда сам идёт,когда прочь идёш? тыпреступники надзиратель за преступниками:твои приказы - твои дела:убийца, насильник, поджигатель, мучитель,мелкий воришка и только бандит,убийца Чечни, Сирии, Грузии, Украины,угнетатель русских, белорусов и других народов,реабилитолог Сталина,головорез КГБ,воскреситель темницы народов,воскреситель гулага,воскреситель стукачества,воскреситель фашизма,разрушитель гласности,разрушитель перестройки,разрушитель демократии,разрушитель справедливостиразрушитель мира,уличный хулиган,лжец и детоубийца,тебе не стыдно? ты похититель фьючерсовразвратитель людейкак… Continue reading #204: Poem: Путин, идиот (Putin, You Idiot)
In these depressing times, we seem to always be on the brink of the end of the world, the end of democracy, the end of a livable climate, the end of free speech, sanity, respect, fairness, justice, nuance, context, humanity, whatever – you name it. There is either too much or too little of wokeness… Continue reading #197: We Have Good Reasons for Hope
Erratic Attempts 