occasional reflections on culture & politics
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
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
Under the guise of celebrating the 77th year of victory over Nazi Germany, Russia has continued to deny its own home-grown brand of totalitarianism and to sanitize the savage brutality of the Soviet Union. Before Hitler attacked the Soviet Union, the Soviets were allied with him and happy to wage war on Poland, Finland, Latvia,… Continue reading #163: Putin’s Russia Celebrates Its Own Fascism
I. During the recent weeks, we have heard demands for uttering shibboleths from athletes or artists at two crucial occasions: During the Beijing Winter Olympics – held in a totalitarian state – and during the genocidal war waged by Russia against innocent Ukraine. What do athletes, what do artists, what do performers think about gruesome… Continue reading #156: Politics, Arts and Sports: Some Erratic Reflections
A monster is something at which you point because it stands out. It is different, deviant, grotesque; you cannot stop being fascinated by it. It is negatively attractive, holds our attention, draws us in, mesmerizes, makes us trying to understand it – a task at which we typically fail. When speaking about human beings as… Continue reading #153: The Monstrosity of Vladimir Putin: We Have Learned Nothing From History
Now we know Putin was lying all along. I must admit, I am surprised, I would not have thought this was coming, not like that. The pattern is clear now: Putin has for planned this for many years. He has rebuilt Russia into a fascist state – centered on military, mafia, state-controlled business, using the… Continue reading #144: Putin’s War Against Ukraine Is a War Against All of Us
Is Putin the Aggressor? Yes. He has already stolen Crimea, and forces probably aligned with him have occupied Luhansk, Donetsk, and Transnistria. It does not take the additional troops surrounding Ukraine to understand that there is already a war going on. Any action by Ukraine to retake its territory would be justified – though at… Continue reading #136: Is Putin the Aggressor?
Recently, I conducted a little teaching experiment in several of my classes. I simply pulled up a map of the world and asked my students which countries were part of the West. In almost all cases, we found out that many more countries are actually culturally “Western” – whatever that means – than typically thought.… Continue reading #128: Russia Is Part of the West
We are hearing all kinds of complaints by the Russian leadership in recent weeks, accompanied by a troop buildup near Ukraine. Allegedly, NATO has been threatening Russia, and that somehow justifies whatever Putin may deem justified. Let’s clarify some points, and hint at solutions. NATO is not threatening Russia. It is a defense organization. Even… Continue reading #126: NATO Is Not Threatening Russia, and Putin Knows It. Some Thoughts on Solutions.
In the darkest hour, the savior will appear. He alone will bring us out from the darkness into the light, from despair into hope, from misery into triumph. He knows what to say, what to do, we can trust him explicitly. If we follow his lead, redemption, salvation, and the future await. If only we… Continue reading #76: We Need No Saviors
I. Game of Thrones has been a mainstay of recent television mania. Each year, the excitement built up more and more, and for the very last season, expectations were high, and, as it goes with genre shows, fans had their very concrete ideas about how things should develop. This now is a very belated, spoiler-filled… Continue reading #54: The Dictator as False Messiah: A Belated Review of Game Of Thrones Season 8
Erratic Attempts 