this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2024
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Political Memes

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (4 children)

Wow, that degree of blatant racism is a new low for this community.

So it's ok to be racist as long as it's against russians?

[–] [email protected] 21 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Racism or other forms of discrimination apply to a protected class of people; any group sharing attributes beyond their control (bearing dark skin, a particular place of birth, a religion, etc)

Russians are a protected class. Vladimir Putin, the evil individual who ordered an unprovoked war on Ukraine causing thousands of innocent deaths, is not a protected class.

While I have seen racist uses of monkey imagery towards black people, never have I seen it towards Russians. In conclusion, there is strong implication that this meme targets the latter, not the former.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

While I have seen racist uses of monkey imagery towards black people, never have I seen it towards Russians.

Ever since Putin's invasion of Ukraine, German discourse at least was full of racist remarks on how russians basically have no culture, aren't even European, etc.

I'd argue that comparing people to Apes should be judged just like depicting people like squids/kraken (which is an antisemitic caricature).

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

While I have seen racist uses of monkey imagery towards black people, never have I seen it towards Russians.

Welcome to Lemmy. Get ready to see more and more racism towards russians.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I’ll be alarmed when I see it happen, as someone who’s been here a year. Everything hateful I’ve seen has been directed at the warmongering effort and tyrant in charge, not the populace.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago (1 children)

How do you find it racist? How is this meme directed against Russians? Do you really not see the familiarities between Putin and Adolf Hitler? Are you okay, mate?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Putin's clearly supposed to look like a monkey in the picture (also: "Mein Banan"). I didn't even see the connection to Hitler.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Hitler is famous for his book "Mein Kampf" which translates to "My fight" the book cover is literally almost the same.

Still don't get how making fun of a warmonger using a history person makes me racist tho.

Is it that you look highly at Putin and have embraced his cult of personality?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Putin is a race now, apparently.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

And I can't be racist against muslims, because that's a religion, not a race, amiright? /s

=.=

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago (3 children)

OK, my bad. Putin is a religion.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I spilled my coffee laughing, LMAO xD

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

Haha so true!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You sure hide your views that russians are subhumans quite well.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Literally the only people in this thread I’ve seen saying Russians are subhuman, are the people clutching their pearls.

Do you feel the same way about ~~Winnie the Pooh~~ Xi Jinping?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Well he does act like a god

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Thanks, I know of Hitler and Mein Kampf. I even know German, wouldn't you believe it. 🙄 (Also: the better translation would be "My Struggle")

Can't you see that the image looks a lot like racist caricatures of when humans (usually plack people) where drawn like/compared to apes.

Is it that you look highly at Putin and have embraced his cult of personality?

WTF? Taking umbridge with racist imagery means that I'm a Putin simp now? Do you *reallyy think that racist caricatures are OK when it's directed at the "right" people? O.o

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I guess I can see the connection you're trying to make. But I can hardly still connect it to mindless rascism since there are quite a few reasons why monkey comparison is used.

There is a cult of personality around Putin, or any other dictator. Where making fun of him, lands you in jail. Public images like that are a fight against it. (Like Jinping drawn like winnie pooh).

Also I'm pretty sure that you're the one being racist. Since you saw the monkey and instantly came to the conclusion of racism (with the example of black people). For shame.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

But I can hardly still connect it to mindless rascism since there are quite a few reasons why monkey comparison is used.

Are the reasons because russians are sub-humans, maybe? /s

There is a cult of personality around Putin, or any other dictator. Where making fun of him, lands you in jail. Public images like that are a fight against it. (Like Jinping drawn like winnie pooh).

Again: how does this excuse racism? You're constantly dodging the issue.

Also I'm pretty sure that you're the one being racist.

Ah, the good old alt-right defense of "I can't be racist if I didn't think about it. In fact, if you think aboutit, you're the racist"-defense. 🙄

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I guess you see Putin and think all Russians. Sad. You should really try to meet some. Quite interesting people with their own culture and traditions.

Also I'm pretty sure quite a lot of them right now would feel quite attacked by you grouping them with the Ape that decides it's a good idea to casually launch ICBMs and risk preemptive response.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

"I'm not antisemitic. I really like the good Jews". /s

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

I'm sorry for the challenges you face in your daily life. I really thought you were smart enough to know the difference between Putin and general Russian populus. I wish you best of luck in your endeavours, friend.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

Made me think your point is that this picture is racism towards monkeys.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

How do you get from making him look like a monkey to racism?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Do you have any idea about the history of "caricature strangers to look like monkeys"?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (14 children)

Caricaturing people of other ethnicities look like monkeys to degrade them has a looong, racist tradition. About 100 years ago, russians were considered a backwards, horde of uncivilized asian/mongols in Europe.

I simply see these kinds of caricatures as racist. And I'm not alone in this.

It's about as cool as depicting him as a kraken (antisemitic), or as a drag queen, to "own" him.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (5 children)

People, not person. That's the obvious difference you seem to be consequently ignoring here to try to incite discussion.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It's really sad that you have to explain this.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You mad? You russian? If the answer is yes to either, thank you for making my day.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for proving my point that racism against russians is apparently ok to do now on lemmy.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Wait until you find out about the Xi Jinping Winnie the Pooh images. If you think this is what racism is, you need to go back to school.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Is there historical precedent of racist caricatures depicting a group of people as cute cartoon teddy bears?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

There is no historical precedent of racist depiction of russians as monkeys. there is however a history of racist depiction of russians as bears, including teddy bears.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

From Wikipedia:

However, Russians have also used it to represent their country, where it has been used as a "symbol of national pride"

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

It has also been used as a racist depiction by western media for a long time. These things are not mutually exclusive. In fact, using animals/animal symbols a cultural holds in high regard, as a racist caricature towards those cultures, is very common. But yes, the drunken, wild animal, bear depiction of russians has been used as a racist caricature for a long time. Bear toys are often used to emasculate a particular figure going with this theme.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

Yeah I'm with you. This is crossing a line for me too

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago (5 children)

it's called dehumanization and we know where that leads to.

other might nowadays create similar depictions of other government heads that can also be considered shit bags and are involved in a war making that obvious.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Oh no, sorry for dehumanizing a dude who actively wages war with human wave tactics. LMAO

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Chimping for dictators this morning?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

As long as it's not disparaging a group of people, I'm okay with a person being displayed as a funny monkey.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I'm not sure if this is what you meant, but I can see the argument that it's important to not dehumanise people like Putin, Hitler, and the rest, as these pure evil creatures. If we can't see them as nuanced people, with both wicked and decent sides to them, we'll lose the ability to recognise the next up and coming tyrant.

It's a difficult topic. Yes, there's harm in completely demonize a person or group of people, but at the same time, Putin is actively waging an unjust war murdering hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians and his own people. Hardly a time to bring up his love of... whatever non-polarizing topics he cares for.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

with both wicked and decent sides to them

that isn't my point, if one of them had a decent side, i'd give a f. but they are human beings like you and me. i can only reiterate, we've seen that often enough and where this leads to.

there’s harm in completely demonize a person or group of people

particularly that it makes it more difficult to find a stable political solution to the underlying conflicts.

murdering hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians and his own people.

luckily that's an exaggeration. it might apply to russian combatants though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine#Casualties

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Libs are going mask off today.

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