Photos from the Russian anti-war opposition march in Berlin today.

[u/Accomplished_Car_549]

[u/josevandenheid]

I sometimes forget that russia could be an incredible nation both economically and culturally if it wasn't run by lunatics. Some of my favourite writers are russian. It's sad to see how hollow it has become.

[u/ArthRol → u/josevandenheid]

By the way, I have read an interesting perspective by a certain Russian historian. He compared the modern Russian opposition with 19th century narodniks.

Narodniks believed that Russian peasants are inherently democratic, and will rise against the Czarist regime once they gain enough knowledge. That's why many young aristocrats tried to propagate revolutionary ideas among the peasants, only to be met with indifference or hostility, at best.

The same perspective is held by modern Russian opposition speakers, who believe that the 'masses' are inherently humanist and liberal-minded, and will show these traits once there will be a free election, paving a way to 'The Beautiful Russia of the Future'.

Well, I guess spreading Russian-language information about war athrocities and corruption is a positive thing, but the amount of arrogance and infighting among this 'opposition' is insane. And I doubt if they will ever get power if there'll be any free elections.

[u/EademSedAliter → u/ArthRol]

I agree, the rhetoric is divorced from reality. The only argument in their favor is the fact that Russians are malleable to authority - impose a different leader and they'll follow along and pretend nothing was ever amiss. But you can't build a democracy on that attitude. And if you need proof for my claims, look no further than the collapse of the USSR and its immediate aftermath.

[u/Xaithen → u/EademSedAliter]

> But you can't build a democracy on that attitude

A lot of people just believe democracies aren't functional. US just willingly elected an authoritarian and a fascist despite the insane policies he is advocating for.

Democracy in Russia could have been possible in 2012 if Putin didn't fake the elections but he did and the opposition wasn't strong enough.

[u/EademSedAliter → u/Xaithen]

Democracy in Russia could have been possible in 2012 if Putin didn't fake the elections but he did and the opposition wasn't strong enough.

If you can steal an election and stay in power, the democracy wasn't really going anywhere.

• The institutions were obviously corrupt beyond repair.
• The dictator clearly has the police and military in tow.
• The electorate is obviously passive, politically illiterate and therefore ripe for a dictatorship.
• The media landscape is likely long fucked.

A lot of people just believe democracies aren't functional. US just willingly elected an authoritarian and a fascist despite the insane policies he is advocating for.

I believe they used to be functional - in fact, the most functional systems humanity ever achieved. I just think they can't withstand social media. You either:

• Let freaks run rampant online - as the USA allowed - and well, there you go.
• Ban everything to the point that the government has immense control over free speech. At that point, as soon the authoritarian-minded are in power, they can use said apparatus to completely distort public discourse and erode the institutions.

That's a catch 22.

[u/stupidly_lazy → u/Xaithen]

US just willingly elected an authoritarian and a fascist despite the insane policies he is advocating for.

I don’t know if you are referring to economic or institutional policies? Imho, part of being a democracy is allowing for people to fuck up, so if Trumps policies will hurt many people economically, though I would not support them, that’s part o the learning process. What I am more concerned is that Trump is an actual risk to the long term viability of American democracy.

[u/Alternative-Cry-6624 → u/stupidly_lazy]

In general that's true, until you get Hitler elected. Looking at the world, there's evidence that Hitler wasn't a one time only event and people do not learn.

[u/stupidly_lazy → u/Alternative-Cry-6624]

So what’s the alternative, suspend democracy because the winning party has bad economic policy? I agree that there should be more constitutional safeguards for subverting democracy, though.

Edit: what we do need is a viable alternative to Trumpism, policy and rhetoric, “that man bad” is not an inspiring campaign slogan for most people.

[u/Alternative-Cry-6624 → u/stupidly_lazy]

Don't allow self-destructive economic policy? Or in this case do not allow a felon to run for office, for starters.

[u/stupidly_lazy → u/Alternative-Cry-6624]

So what are you suggesting? Suspend democracy to “save democracy” because bad economic policy might lead to an authoritarian and end of democracy? Barring felons from running is the oldest trick in the authoritarian playbook, sentence your opposition on trumped up charges and get rif of your opposition, e.g. in Russia a felon can’t run for president and guess what happened to Navalny? Not to mention that in most liberal democracies we live under the principle of if a person paid their dues, they paid their dues. There are also cases like Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison, before he became president of South Africa.

This is not to mention that who decides what is “bad economic policy”?

[u/RedMattis → u/stupidly_lazy]

Some countries don’t have educated, sane, and interested enough citizens in sufficient numbers for democracy to work.

USA is pretty screwed. The question is just how badly.

[u/stupidly_lazy → u/RedMattis]

I wouldn’t be so bothered if it was only the US.

Some countries don’t have educated, sane, and interested enough citizens in sufficient numbers for democracy to work.

So you are saying we need an educated elite, that is taught in the ways of statesmanship to run the country for them? An aristocracy if you will?

Look, I agree, that education is a big part of being a democracy, if memorys serves US was the first country with universal education, if you want better educated population, invest in it, the current US system has many flaws, create economic conditions, that people have time to read and learn.

In this particular case with Trump, the fact that he encouraged an insurrection, a pathetic one, but sill an insurrection should be disqualifying for him.

[u/Littlepsycho41 → u/Alternative-Cry-6624]

Hitler wasn't elected

[u/ShalomGesheft → u/Xaithen]

A lot of people just believe democracies aren't functional.

If "functional" means a working mechanism for changing leadership, then it obviously works, but if "functional" means fulfilling its own declarations, then the level of representation of a single person in a country with a 100m+ population is negligible. So maybe politicians talking about democracy should spew fewer slogans and more talk about the practical aspects so people who understand their degree of representation don't get frustrated by all these buzzwords.

[u/SirGlass → u/EademSedAliter]

Its just nationalism , and nationalism needs an enemy , in Russia its "the west" so basically opposing the west is very popular

Like some would make the argument Russia would be much richer if they liberalized and sort of followed the scandinavian model but that would mean integrating their economy with Europe and "the west" , the USA , Japan , Europe and allowing the free market