Russophobia: Effective Propaganda, by Scipio

“Russophobia” is the West’s version of a “diplomatic race card”.

Attach the word “Russia” to any subject and just watch mothers snatch up their children and run for safety, “good ol boys” going for their ARs and NVGs, executives scanning for eavesdropping devices in their businesses and home, people looking suspiciously at their neighbors, Congressional investigations, Russian sanctions, Gen Xers rushing to re-dye their hair any color other than red, even Irishmen dyeing their hair brown, and the University of Nebraska considering dropping “red” from “Big Red” leaving just “Big”.  This all seems normal because we have been conditioned through decades of propaganda to think and act that way about Russia. It’s not normal.  It’s Pavlovian stimulation on a global scale, and both pollical paradigms fall for it.

Attach the word “Russia” to any scandal or conspiracy, real or imagined, and there is instant hysteria.  Terms like “Russiagate”, “Russian collusion”, “Russian aggression”, “Russian influence”, “Russian hacking”, strikes fear in one side of the paradigm or the other.  Personalized, it sounds like “Putin’s asset”, “Russian Dictator”, or something like that.

Just like the term “racism”, once that polemic Russian hand grenade is thrown, there is not critical thinking on the horizon. Neither is there any examination of the facts, indeed there is no interest in the facts at all.

What is a phobia?  A phobia is an intense, irrational, fear of a specific object, place, or situation.

Russophobia is also ingrained in our media entertainment; The Hunt for Red October, Red Dawn, John Wick fighting the Russian mafia, Top Gun: Maverick (vicariously), is to mention a few. Unfortunately, Russians are viewed by some as knuckle dragging orcs while Americans view themselves as protectors and saviors of the world.

The Russia of today is not the Russia of the old communist Soviet Union.  It is very much anti-communist.  Authoritarian, yes, but communist, no.  The two are not the same, if you use that standard to equate them, then the USA is a communist country. (Yes, I know there are plenty of Commies in America and US Government but it’s not the same).

“Russophobia” is just rebranding of the pre-WWII “Red Scare” and George F. Kennan’s old Cold War failed “Containment Policy” propaganda which was in response to the Communist/Soviet threat.  The bad guy, according to current propaganda, has remained the same regardless of the change in the bad guys’ politics and goals.  Shockingly, it appears the bad guys are increasingly looking like the good guys and the good guys are increasingly looking like the bad guys.

For over the last twenty years we have been told that Russia is planning on taking over Europe and Putin wants to reconstitute the old Soviet Union, even though Putin himself has expressly criticized the old Soviet Union’s aggression in post WWII.  Putin has ruled Russia for twenty-five years now, and until the start of the Russian (SMO) “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine February 20, 2014, no Russian troops have invaded any other country.  Boots on the ground, yes, but no invasion.  Does America have boots on the ground in other countries, yes?

Consider this; Russia has approximately 20 military bases outside the Russia, America has about 700 outside of the USA.  Unlike tanks that can be used both offensively and defensively, aircraft carriers have only one mission; projection of military power.  The US has 11 carriers, more than the rest of the world combined. Russia has one, and it is no match to any one of America’s. Who seems to be postering aggression?

In the meantime, since Putin came to power, the US invaded Iraq and Kuwait, and, when questioned, the then Secretary of State Madeline Albright said the killing of over 500,000 civilians was “worth it”.  In addition, we destabilized Egypt, Libya, and Syria in the so-called Arab Spring. We currently occupy approximately 20% of Syria conveniently atop of Syria’s best oil fields. We, by default, also support the Syrian regime whose leader is a designated terrorist and has a $10 million US bounty on his head from the FBI. Sleepy Joe said he was going to leave it for Trump to deal with. I thought we were a nation of laws Joe?  You going to let this slide? Why don’t you pardon him like the other criminals you have?

Considering all the above, this week, President-elect Donald Trump spoke of America taking over Greenland, the Panama Canal, annexing parts of Canada, and renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America”.  Where is the “Americaphobia” blow back form this?  Putin has never said anything as belligerent as that.  I personally believe Trump is playing a pollical game with his rhetoric here, but other than the knee jerk anti-Trumper’s muted reactions, there has been little concern from the conservative community.  Why?  Could it be because we have been programed with propaganda that always sees Russia as the “bad guy” and the US as the “good guys”?  Could it be we have been so under the spell of the propagandist we cannot see our own duplicity?

Anti-Russian propaganda, known as Russophobia, is so effective, it is the one thing that both liberals and conservatives agree on.  Unfortunately, its pure fiction, smoke and mirrors, specious arguments, a stinking canard, and downright lies.