Comments on: Editorial: Deconstructing Russophobia http://www.sublimeoblivion.com/2008/08/12/editorial-deconstructing-russophobia/ Anatoly Karlin on Eurasia, geopolitics, and peak oil Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:07:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Da Russophile, A Year On | Sublime Oblivion http://www.sublimeoblivion.com/2008/08/12/editorial-deconstructing-russophobia/#comment-419 Da Russophile, A Year On | Sublime Oblivion Sat, 10 Jan 2009 02:43:52 +0000 http://www.sublimeoblivion.com/?p=73#comment-419 [...] and professionally damage those who seek to ‘justify’ Kremlin evil, and when a three-way discussion between Timothy Post, Craig Pirrong (Streetwise Professor) and myself identified religious zeal, [...] [...] and professionally damage those who seek to ‘justify’ Kremlin evil, and when a three-way discussion between Timothy Post, Craig Pirrong (Streetwise Professor) and myself identified religious zeal, [...]

]]> By: Editorial: More on Deconstructing Russophobia | Sublime Oblivion http://www.sublimeoblivion.com/2008/08/12/editorial-deconstructing-russophobia/#comment-338 Editorial: More on Deconstructing Russophobia | Sublime Oblivion Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:01:38 +0000 http://www.sublimeoblivion.com/?p=73#comment-338 [...] in August the Streetwise Professor, Timothy Post and yours truly had a trilateral discussion on the meaning of Russophobia. Unfortunately, I missed out on the [...] [...] in August the Streetwise Professor, Timothy Post and yours truly had a trilateral discussion on the meaning of Russophobia. Unfortunately, I missed out on the [...]

]]> By: Mark http://www.sublimeoblivion.com/2008/08/12/editorial-deconstructing-russophobia/#comment-296 Mark Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:00:00 +0000 http://www.sublimeoblivion.com/?p=73#comment-296 *Russophiles know they live in the matrix; Russophobes think they’re free and laugh at the poor Russians, not realizing that they’re laughing at their own ugly reflections.*<br/><br/>Never a better analogy. My Russian language teacher often told me how she never liked capitalism because she equated it with American militarism/imperialism (a too-close-too-home similarity to what made her leave Russia in the first place). I told her America would be great - if it were really a capitalist country.<br/><br/>In fact, no philosophical ideal as detailed in the text of a great thinker has ever really impressed itself onto a state that has actually existed on this Earth. They try, but it's always a bastardization, whether you're talking about Von Mises capitalism superimposed on the pork-barrel state of America or Marxist communism warped into Stalin's slave state.<br/><br/>The key is realizing that neither philosophers nor statesmen have yet figured out how to talk to each other - states are designed to impose a political order, not a philosophy, and philosophers are designed to develop ideology, not policy. *Russophiles know they live in the matrix; Russophobes think they’re free and laugh at the poor Russians, not realizing that they’re laughing at their own ugly reflections.*

Never a better analogy. My Russian language teacher often told me how she never liked capitalism because she equated it with American militarism/imperialism (a too-close-too-home similarity to what made her leave Russia in the first place). I told her America would be great – if it were really a capitalist country.

In fact, no philosophical ideal as detailed in the text of a great thinker has ever really impressed itself onto a state that has actually existed on this Earth. They try, but it’s always a bastardization, whether you’re talking about Von Mises capitalism superimposed on the pork-barrel state of America or Marxist communism warped into Stalin’s slave state.

The key is realizing that neither philosophers nor statesmen have yet figured out how to talk to each other – states are designed to impose a political order, not a philosophy, and philosophers are designed to develop ideology, not policy.

]]> By: Giuseppe Flavio http://www.sublimeoblivion.com/2008/08/12/editorial-deconstructing-russophobia/#comment-295 Giuseppe Flavio Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:13:00 +0000 http://www.sublimeoblivion.com/?p=73#comment-295 Hello Stalker,<br/>just a couple of ideas about deconstructing Russophobia, or more generally any something-phobia.<br/>As you wrote the X-phobic divides the world in black and white. But he concentrates on the black part, hardly speaking about the white part, because there is the risk to discover that white is not so white after all. Streetwise Professor says that he is for <i>equality before the law, free markets and contract, and limited government as the essential means for guaranteeing liberty</i> but fails to speak (in his entire blog, not only in the post you've reported) about the "Too big to fail" mantra that dominates the western world, which basically means to use state money to bail out big and near bankrupt financial enterprises. A clear violation of equality before the law, free market and limited government.<br/>As second I have noticed that X-phobics have something in common with conspiracy theorist, that is to say they use the same methods. Recently I have discovered the "Clinton body count" list, a conspiracy theory against Clinton that comes from mad US conservatives. It is built like the lists of "killed Russian journalists" and with the same aims. It is less "ennobled" (I doubt it has received so much funding) but really similar. If you google it, you'll also find its debunking on snopes.com. As another example, in these days I've read several russophobes arguing (both in forums and "respectable" media) that Russia organized and provoked the South Ossetia war, citing as a proof the swift response of the Russian army. Well, anyone reading the news knew that something bad could have happened there, so the Russian army prepared to move in.<br/><br/>Just my 2 cents (or kopeks) Hello Stalker,
just a couple of ideas about deconstructing Russophobia, or more generally any something-phobia.
As you wrote the X-phobic divides the world in black and white. But he concentrates on the black part, hardly speaking about the white part, because there is the risk to discover that white is not so white after all. Streetwise Professor says that he is for equality before the law, free markets and contract, and limited government as the essential means for guaranteeing liberty but fails to speak (in his entire blog, not only in the post you’ve reported) about the “Too big to fail” mantra that dominates the western world, which basically means to use state money to bail out big and near bankrupt financial enterprises. A clear violation of equality before the law, free market and limited government.
As second I have noticed that X-phobics have something in common with conspiracy theorist, that is to say they use the same methods. Recently I have discovered the “Clinton body count” list, a conspiracy theory against Clinton that comes from mad US conservatives. It is built like the lists of “killed Russian journalists” and with the same aims. It is less “ennobled” (I doubt it has received so much funding) but really similar. If you google it, you’ll also find its debunking on snopes.com. As another example, in these days I’ve read several russophobes arguing (both in forums and “respectable” media) that Russia organized and provoked the South Ossetia war, citing as a proof the swift response of the Russian army. Well, anyone reading the news knew that something bad could have happened there, so the Russian army prepared to move in.

Just my 2 cents (or kopeks)

]]>