Putin thanked supporters at a victory rally in Moscow on Sunday. IVAN SEKRETAREV/AP
Samuel Bendett, The Compass: Why Russians Love Putin
Over the past decade and a half, Russian President Vladimir Putin has enjoyed consistently high rankings and the continued support of the majority of his country's population, as well as that of the country's military, political, and economic elites. There are straightforward explanations for such strong support. His government's control of practically all major media outlets; the crafting of an image that shows him as a virile and masculine figure; his success in silencing and marginalizing practically all opposition; and other factors like his successful exploitation of the patriotism rooted in the Russian psyche have helped sustain his success. But many in the West have struggled to comprehend why Russian people, whose lives and livelihoods seem to have taken a turn for the much worse since the imposition of Western sanctions in 2015, love their leader.
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WNU Editor: Being one who lived though of all of this .... there is a lot of truth in this analysis. But will this love affair last .... I am always saying no, but he has been riding this wave for a very long time.
3 comments:
The leader's control of all major media outlets, as is also the case in the U.S., is very important.
In the U.S. one would never read an article in the major media that is sympathetic in any way to a nation deemed to be a U.S. enemy, great or small. And this is reflected in people's opinions which tend to be all of one voice. "Iran has nuclear ambitions"...."Russian aggression in Europe"..."China is a bully"..."The Assad regime" ....etc. (The word regime is a giveaway.)
So I don't blame my fellow citizens for drinking the kool-aid. What choice do they have, if they can't spend the time on things that I can? They tend to believe the media, which is really believing the government -- usually a mistake. But it's a hidden mistake relating to patriotism which is also used by the government/media team.
In Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and other totalitarian countries media government kabal can hardly be compared to the modern western media environment. How could we honestly feel, President Obama gets a free pass by the media. I believe in the existence of 'booster press', and even agree to it in principal under certain conditions. It is not now however, a prolific force in America.
The Russian people have every reason to admire Putin .. just look at how he makes a fool out of every western leader that tries to outflank him .. lol
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