Oleg Smirnov
2016-04-10 14:03:09 UTC
<http://tinyurl.com/hb3ndo2> washingtonpost.com
The Dutch just showed the world how Russia influences Western European
elections
Anne Applebaum (OS: <http://tinyurl.com/zhuheuv>) | April 8
In a vague sort of way, many people are aware that the Russian government
provides material and moral support to extremist political groups in Europe.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has asked her security officials to look into Russian
influence in German online media. Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's
far-right National Front, has taken loans from a Russian bank to fund her
party, and is asking for more.
But until last week's Dutch referendum, we hadn't seen a good example of how
Russian influence actually works in a Western European election. ..
OS: 'Russia' is such a scarecrow, you know, children.
.. whatever it turns out to be, it's not as important as the lesson we've just
learned: Small minorities of angry people, when well organized, can out shout
the divided, fearful, apathetic centrist majority in Western Europe ..
OS: This is a nice example of the orwellian substitution of notions ('war
is peace' and 'ignorance is strength'). It's much more relevant to use the
'out-shout' metaphor when you're talking about the mainstream mass media.
It's namely the MSM that is able to 'out-shout' those who disagree with it.
In turn: the majority of the regular people is somewhat voiceless and
faceless, it's able to express its opinion only in the cases of public vote
like the public elections and referendums (and also through [credible]
surveys of public opinion). The writer dishonestly tries to misrepresent
such a rare case of the referendum in the Netherlands as if those 'small
minorities of angry people' 'out-shout' the MSM's wishful thinking about
(and / or deliberately false image of) the majority.
...
Actually, the anti-constitutional, unlawful and anti-democratic 'regime
change' in the Ukraine, in February 2014, may serve as a pretty clear example
of how the 'small minorities of angry people, when well organized, could out
shout' the 'apathetic centrist majority' - since about two weeks before the
coup, surveys of public opinion in the country clearly indicated the majority
of the Ukrainians supported the decision of their government to postpone the
EU association agreement.
For example, this (pro-EU) outlet <http://archive.is/Ed5X1> reported numbers
in February 7: 45% for the postponement, 42% against, and 13% are not sure.
45% vs. 42% was a small majority, but it would certainly be larger if the
people were not misled about what the agreement really promises to them (read
more here <http://archive.is/AzfoW>). Western public didn't know such numbers,
rather the Western mass media reported something like 60% pro-EU vs 40% pro-
Custom-Union in the Ukraine at the time. The latter figures were seen in the
surveys as well, but that were the answers about more abstract 'direction of
development' rather than about the very specific decision of the postponement.
This means, a noticeable part of the 'basically pro-EU' camp realistically
considered the postponement justified in the current (then) situation - mainly
due to economic reasons. Besides that, even lesser minority, according to then
surveys - about 25-30%, iirc - supported the 'Maidan' protest as such, and
even lesser part supported the violent militancy of the far right / neo-Nazi
groups (which in the end committed the coup d'etat by force).
You may notice, this picture of the public sentiment in the Ukraine at the
time shortly before the coup does not correspond to the primitive narrative
the (pro-)Atlanticist mass media promoted: those poor, oppressed Ukrainians
struggledly crave to stick to Europe but the evil tyrant does not allow them
to do it! In deed, the small angry minority really was able to outshout more
balanced but more apathetic centrist majority in the country, and the MSM in
the West (including namely Ms. Applebaum) greatly contributed to this outshout
as well as to maintenance of 'proper' anger and insanity. From this, the
Ukrainians might learn that the lawful democratic vote means a little against
loud shout / violence, and it greatly contributed to the desire of people in
Crimea and Donbas to separate themselves from 'the new' Kiev.
The Dutch just showed the world how Russia influences Western European
elections
Anne Applebaum (OS: <http://tinyurl.com/zhuheuv>) | April 8
In a vague sort of way, many people are aware that the Russian government
provides material and moral support to extremist political groups in Europe.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has asked her security officials to look into Russian
influence in German online media. Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's
far-right National Front, has taken loans from a Russian bank to fund her
party, and is asking for more.
But until last week's Dutch referendum, we hadn't seen a good example of how
Russian influence actually works in a Western European election. ..
OS: 'Russia' is such a scarecrow, you know, children.
.. whatever it turns out to be, it's not as important as the lesson we've just
learned: Small minorities of angry people, when well organized, can out shout
the divided, fearful, apathetic centrist majority in Western Europe ..
OS: This is a nice example of the orwellian substitution of notions ('war
is peace' and 'ignorance is strength'). It's much more relevant to use the
'out-shout' metaphor when you're talking about the mainstream mass media.
It's namely the MSM that is able to 'out-shout' those who disagree with it.
In turn: the majority of the regular people is somewhat voiceless and
faceless, it's able to express its opinion only in the cases of public vote
like the public elections and referendums (and also through [credible]
surveys of public opinion). The writer dishonestly tries to misrepresent
such a rare case of the referendum in the Netherlands as if those 'small
minorities of angry people' 'out-shout' the MSM's wishful thinking about
(and / or deliberately false image of) the majority.
...
Actually, the anti-constitutional, unlawful and anti-democratic 'regime
change' in the Ukraine, in February 2014, may serve as a pretty clear example
of how the 'small minorities of angry people, when well organized, could out
shout' the 'apathetic centrist majority' - since about two weeks before the
coup, surveys of public opinion in the country clearly indicated the majority
of the Ukrainians supported the decision of their government to postpone the
EU association agreement.
For example, this (pro-EU) outlet <http://archive.is/Ed5X1> reported numbers
in February 7: 45% for the postponement, 42% against, and 13% are not sure.
45% vs. 42% was a small majority, but it would certainly be larger if the
people were not misled about what the agreement really promises to them (read
more here <http://archive.is/AzfoW>). Western public didn't know such numbers,
rather the Western mass media reported something like 60% pro-EU vs 40% pro-
Custom-Union in the Ukraine at the time. The latter figures were seen in the
surveys as well, but that were the answers about more abstract 'direction of
development' rather than about the very specific decision of the postponement.
This means, a noticeable part of the 'basically pro-EU' camp realistically
considered the postponement justified in the current (then) situation - mainly
due to economic reasons. Besides that, even lesser minority, according to then
surveys - about 25-30%, iirc - supported the 'Maidan' protest as such, and
even lesser part supported the violent militancy of the far right / neo-Nazi
groups (which in the end committed the coup d'etat by force).
You may notice, this picture of the public sentiment in the Ukraine at the
time shortly before the coup does not correspond to the primitive narrative
the (pro-)Atlanticist mass media promoted: those poor, oppressed Ukrainians
struggledly crave to stick to Europe but the evil tyrant does not allow them
to do it! In deed, the small angry minority really was able to outshout more
balanced but more apathetic centrist majority in the country, and the MSM in
the West (including namely Ms. Applebaum) greatly contributed to this outshout
as well as to maintenance of 'proper' anger and insanity. From this, the
Ukrainians might learn that the lawful democratic vote means a little against
loud shout / violence, and it greatly contributed to the desire of people in
Crimea and Donbas to separate themselves from 'the new' Kiev.
<http://tinyurl.com/jbojryo>
A Media Unmoored from Facts
A Media Unmoored from Facts