What is so bad about Putin?
The media portrays Putin as an evil dictator who colluded in the 2016 election. Trump is being criticized for siding with Putin that he did not collude in our elections. I'm not saying that Putin is an angel, but I don't understand what he has done that has been so evil. Even if Russia did collude in our elections, I don't believe it affected the outcome. People voted the way they voted because of who they felt would be better for the United States, not because another country told them how to vote.
Ask Georgians. Or Crimean Ukrainians.
Oh, but you mean the alleged messing with Trump elections? I guess it's more about pro-Trump and anti-Trump demagogy than about Putin himself.
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<not moderating PPR stuff concerning East Europe>
I actually agree that Hillary Clinton's dishonesty was a bigger factor than Russia. When people found out what Clinton has done to Sanders, many of them voted for Trump out of spite.
That being said, Putin is still a horrible person. He's a racist, a homophobe and a borderline fascist.
I'm of partial Tatar ancestry, and I consider Putin's racist attitude towards central Asians to be inexcusable.
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1. Started a war with Ukraine
2. Illegally annexed Crimea and tried to annex South Ossetia*
3. His opponents get poisoned or "disappear"
4. Oppresses Russia's LGBT community and other ethnic groups.
5. Manipulates national elections in Russia and abroad.
6. Pits ordinary people against each other (as we've seen in the US since the 2016 presidential campaign)
*While the South Ossetia conflict occurred during Dmitri Medvedev's presidency, I count it as being under Putin's tutelage.
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So, the OP info states he is 25 years old. That means he has no direct experience of the Soviet Union, the KGB, The Cold War, etc. Putin, he's just another guy....
If most of America has not lived through the time when the USSR/Russia and the USA were deadly enemies and with nuclear war impending...it is not all that surprising Americans think Putin and Russia are just another country. We have been so obsessed with the terrorist bad guys we have forgotten....For all the OPs life, Islamic terrorists have been the great fear.
I think the OP's question is genuine. And it is a pertinent one.
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techstepgenr8tion
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Anybody who was with the KGB were part of the Soviet secret police apparatus.
The Soviet Union's ideology was, basically, the proliferation of Communist ideas around the world through conquering the wold
Communist ideas, in practice, exacerbated the famines of the early 20th century because of the collectivization of farming. And....economically.....it just didn't work throughout its tenure.
The Soviet Union was the epitome of a totalitarian police state. They had the desire to spread that sort of government around the world, including the "Western" countries.
Putin is an ex KGB agent, and an authoritarian. He has the Russian nuclear power at his disposal. The Soviets wanted to conquer the world. Putin was part of the Soviet apparatus, and still probably believes in Soviet precepts.
It is a dangerous game to play nice with Russia.
It's like saying: "What's so bad about the Nazis" without knowing the extent of what the Nazis did.
Kraichgauer
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Posts: 49,751
Location: Spokane area, Washington state.
Putin wants to not only bring back the glory days of Soviet power, but he also wants to extend his power beyond, to include America and western Europe. And he'll do this at our expense, punishing us and our western European allies for bringing down Russian power in the first place. That was the whole idea of helping a low IQ strongman-in-waiting with Narcissistic Personality Disorder like Trump, as well as giving help to other divisive fringe politicians around the globe.
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This is the beauty and essence of 'gas-lighting', the fact that you can ask yourself this question in faith. Trump follows the textbook to a tee
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog ... aslighting
People who gaslight typically use the following techniques:
1. They tell blatant lies.
You know it's an outright lie. Yet they are telling you this lie with a straight face. Why are they so blatant? Because they're setting up a precedent. Once they tell you a huge lie, you're not sure if anything they say is true. Keeping you unsteady and off-kilter is the goal.
2. They deny they ever said something, even though you have proof.
You know they said they would do something; you know you heard it. But they out and out deny it. It makes you start questioning your reality—maybe they never said that thing. And the more they do this, the more you question your reality and start accepting theirs.
3. They use what is near and dear to you as ammunition.
They know how important your kids are to you, and they know how important your identity is to you. So those may be one of the first things they attack. If you have kids, they tell you that you should not have had those children. They will tell you'd be a worthy person if only you didn't have a long list of negative traits. They attack the foundation of your being.
4. They wear you down over time.
This is one of the insidious things about gaslighting—it is done gradually, over time. A lie here, a lie there, a snide comment every so often...and then it starts ramping up. Even the brightest, most self-aware people can be sucked into gaslighting—it is that effective. It's the "frog in the frying pan" analogy: The heat is turned up slowly, so the frog never realizes what's happening to it.
5. Their actions do not match their words.
When dealing with a person or entity that gaslights, look at what they are doing rather than what they are saying. What they are saying means nothing; it is just talk. What they are doing is the issue.
6. They throw in positive reinforcement to confuse you.
This person or entity that is cutting you down, telling you that you don't have value, is now praising you for something you did. This adds an additional sense of uneasiness. You think, "Well maybe they aren't so bad." Yes, they are. This is a calculated attempt to keep you off-kilter—and again, to question your reality. Also look at what you were praised for; it is probably something that served the gaslighter.
7. They know confusion weakens people.
Gaslighters know that people like having a sense of stability and normalcy. Their goal is to uproot this and make you constantly question everything. And humans' natural tendency is to look to the person or entity that will help you feel more stable—and that happens to be the gaslighter.
8. They project.
They are a drug user or a cheater, yet they are constantly accusing you of that. This is done so often that you start trying to defend yourself, and are distracted from the gaslighter's own behavior.
9. They try to align people against you.
Gaslighters are masters at manipulating and finding the people they know will stand by them no matter what—and they use these people against you. They will make comments such as, "This person knows that you're not right," or "This person knows you're useless too." Keep in mind it does not mean that these people actually said these things. A gaslighter is a constant liar. When the gaslighter uses this tactic it makes you feel like you don't know who to trust or turn to—and that leads you right back to the gaslighter. And that's exactly what they want: Isolation gives them more control.
10. They tell you or others that you are crazy.
This is one of the most effective tools of the gaslighter, because it's dismissive. The gaslighter knows if they question your sanity, people will not believe you when you tell them the gaslighter is abusive or out-of-control. It's a master technique.
11. They tell you everyone else is a liar.
By telling you that everyone else (your family, the media) is a liar, it again makes you question your reality. You've never known someone with the audacity to do this, so they must be telling the truth, right? No. It's a manipulation technique. It makes people turn to the gaslighter for the "correct" information—which isn't correct information at all.
The more you are aware of these techniques, the quicker you can identify them and avoid falling into the gaslighter's trap.
This 1000 times over, reclaim your mind while you've still got a chance
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Following my footsteps
Kraichgauer
Veteran
Joined: 12 Apr 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 49,751
Location: Spokane area, Washington state.

This is the beauty and essence of 'gas-lighting', the fact that you can ask yourself this question in faith. Trump follows the textbook to a tee
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog ... aslighting
People who gaslight typically use the following techniques:
1. They tell blatant lies.
You know it's an outright lie. Yet they are telling you this lie with a straight face. Why are they so blatant? Because they're setting up a precedent. Once they tell you a huge lie, you're not sure if anything they say is true. Keeping you unsteady and off-kilter is the goal.
2. They deny they ever said something, even though you have proof.
You know they said they would do something; you know you heard it. But they out and out deny it. It makes you start questioning your reality—maybe they never said that thing. And the more they do this, the more you question your reality and start accepting theirs.
3. They use what is near and dear to you as ammunition.
They know how important your kids are to you, and they know how important your identity is to you. So those may be one of the first things they attack. If you have kids, they tell you that you should not have had those children. They will tell you'd be a worthy person if only you didn't have a long list of negative traits. They attack the foundation of your being.
4. They wear you down over time.
This is one of the insidious things about gaslighting—it is done gradually, over time. A lie here, a lie there, a snide comment every so often...and then it starts ramping up. Even the brightest, most self-aware people can be sucked into gaslighting—it is that effective. It's the "frog in the frying pan" analogy: The heat is turned up slowly, so the frog never realizes what's happening to it.
5. Their actions do not match their words.
When dealing with a person or entity that gaslights, look at what they are doing rather than what they are saying. What they are saying means nothing; it is just talk. What they are doing is the issue.
6. They throw in positive reinforcement to confuse you.
This person or entity that is cutting you down, telling you that you don't have value, is now praising you for something you did. This adds an additional sense of uneasiness. You think, "Well maybe they aren't so bad." Yes, they are. This is a calculated attempt to keep you off-kilter—and again, to question your reality. Also look at what you were praised for; it is probably something that served the gaslighter.
7. They know confusion weakens people.
Gaslighters know that people like having a sense of stability and normalcy. Their goal is to uproot this and make you constantly question everything. And humans' natural tendency is to look to the person or entity that will help you feel more stable—and that happens to be the gaslighter.
8. They project.
They are a drug user or a cheater, yet they are constantly accusing you of that. This is done so often that you start trying to defend yourself, and are distracted from the gaslighter's own behavior.
9. They try to align people against you.
Gaslighters are masters at manipulating and finding the people they know will stand by them no matter what—and they use these people against you. They will make comments such as, "This person knows that you're not right," or "This person knows you're useless too." Keep in mind it does not mean that these people actually said these things. A gaslighter is a constant liar. When the gaslighter uses this tactic it makes you feel like you don't know who to trust or turn to—and that leads you right back to the gaslighter. And that's exactly what they want: Isolation gives them more control.
10. They tell you or others that you are crazy.
This is one of the most effective tools of the gaslighter, because it's dismissive. The gaslighter knows if they question your sanity, people will not believe you when you tell them the gaslighter is abusive or out-of-control. It's a master technique.
11. They tell you everyone else is a liar.
By telling you that everyone else (your family, the media) is a liar, it again makes you question your reality. You've never known someone with the audacity to do this, so they must be telling the truth, right? No. It's a manipulation technique. It makes people turn to the gaslighter for the "correct" information—which isn't correct information at all.
The more you are aware of these techniques, the quicker you can identify them and avoid falling into the gaslighter's trap.
This 1000 times over, reclaim your mind while you've still got a chance
Sounds exactly like a psycho chick I used to be involved with before I met my wife.
_________________
-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer
techstepgenr8tion
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Joined: 6 Feb 2005
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Posts: 24,691
Location: 28th Path of Tzaddi
What people are call gas lighting here I call the ape-rape game, mainly because I don't think it's an orchestrated effort - rather this is just what we do to people we identify in the out-group and more than half of it is unconscious behavior (ie. treating other people like pathogens). People do it all the time and you probably had many tastes of it back in school when people deliberately misunderstood or twisted things you said to make fun of you or gather their group around you tighter. There's one set of rules you maybe follow when you like a person, a whole other when you don't. If this is what some people are calling patriarchy I'd have to call it atavism, and everyone has the propensity for it - just some outgrew it in childhood while many others found it more advantageous not to.
Trump doesn't like the media (debateably earned) so he's 'gas-lighting' them and on top of it, what I think is probably more pernicious, he's turning into a classic politician as well by saying things like our economy has never been greater.
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^^ Yes, and.
He is implicated in the murder of journalists and his own political opponents. Have you seen nothing about the Novichok poisonings, and one death, in the UK? Novichok isn't pyrethrin, you don't buy it at the local garden store to spray the aphids. It is hyperpotent nerve poison, developed specifically by the Russians, for antipersonnel use.
Then there was the polonium-in-the-tea, and the poisoned pellet umbrella jab. Look up Georgy Markov and Aleksandr Litvinenko. (you can check out any time you like but you can never leave).
You can also look up the mass gassing of hostages along with the hostage takers in a Moscow movie house in 2002. Eight times as many hostages as terrorists were killed - by a chemical agent pumped into the air. Some "rescue" operation that was.
Educate yourself, OP. Those of us who lived through these incidents know they happened, we saw the live coverage.
(Edit in: and since DT lived through all of them, he damn well knows they happened too.)
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"I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people," said the man. "You're wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides."
-- Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
Gorbachev was a Soviet...but he is a rational man.
He went through the Soviet system, had knowledge of the Soviet system. He saw the folly of it.
I feel like he would have been a good post-Soviet leader.
Putin has Stalinist tendencies.
I feel even Khrushchev would have been much preferable to Putin and that clown Yeltsin.
I actually agree that Hillary Clinton's dishonesty was a bigger factor than Russia. When people found out what Clinton has done to Sanders, many of them voted for Trump out of spite.
That being said, Putin is still a horrible person. He's a racist, a homophobe and a borderline fascist.
I'm of partial Tatar ancestry, and I consider Putin's racist attitude towards central Asians to be inexcusable.
Only the 23% of the US voted for Trump, half of the US didn't vote for either.
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Son: Diagnosed w/anxiety and ADHD. Also academic delayed and ASD lv 1.
Daughter: NT, no diagnoses. Possibly OCD. Is very private about herself.
Putin would look good in one of those old "Politburo" photos.
Soviet leaders used to stand on top of a podium. Whoever was nearest the leader was seen as the one having the most influence. This was how analysts used to determine who was running the Soviet apparatus, and who had the most influence with the "General Secretary of the Communist Party," which was what the leader was known as until Gorbachev became the "president" of Russia.
