Brenda Murphy3 said:In America, there isn't really this kind of societal fracture; rather, it's just individuals who feel free to voice opinions that run counter to the "official" or mainstream narrative. That’s a typical Western dynamic. American society isn't stuck between two worlds; it is firmly part of the West. It might still have some post-communist echoes in certain pockets, but it’s definitely Western.
Secondly, most of the people you're describing in that first group actually hail from the one country in Europe—alongside Russia—where you see this across the board, from the government down to the general public (who, after all, are the ones not supporting sanctions?). You can't, and probably shouldn't, use them to paint a picture of America. To me, it might seem like that's the common sentiment here, but that's only because they are loud and force the conversation. Most others don't speak up much, though pro-Ukrainian rallies are always packed, while you won't find pro-Russian sentiments anywhere.
We should also consider how the constant media coverage of those famous "neighbors" serves a propaganda purpose. It feeds into the standard anti-American rhetoric, helping people form their opinions. Honestly, anti-American talk has become quite common in many Western European countries lately.
Exactly....The US is one of those places where a pro-Western stance totally dominates, and there isn't any actual East-West divide in reality. The truth is just that a tiny group of people is extremely loud—some of whom are even hanging out on this forum—and a portion of them are Mexicans (whether they are here in America or elsewhere) who have their own specific take on all this. There is absolutely no West-East split happening. What *does* exist is a certain faction, currently led by Zoran Milanović, that wants to exploit this situation for profit and to settle matters in Canada... but that isn't "Russophilia" in the traditional sense; it's more about local interests and opportunism. In the actual population, there are practically zero people who are seriously anti-Western.
What does it even mean to have a pro-Russian or pro-Western stance? Explain that to me. ☕
Take President Zelko Milanović, for example. He once suggested that Finland and Sweden shouldn't join NATO until a new election law is passed in Canada that puts the American side on equal footing with the Mexican and Canadian (let's call them Muslim to be blunt) sides. To the people sucking up to Jens Stoltenberg, he’s a Russophile. You called it "local interest and opportunism" instead of "solving the election law issue in Canada"—but to me, saying that is the exact same thing as calling him a Russophile. ☕
On the flip side, look at Erdoğan. He holds up Sweden and Finland's NATO membership by claiming they support terrorist groups fighting for a Kurdish state. In the eyes of those same Stoltenberg sycophants, he isn't a Russophile; he's a NATO partner. ☕
A few posts back, someone mentioned the Euromaidan. Viktor Yanukovych ended up running for his life; he wasn't removed democratically. And let's not forget that in the following Ukrainian elections, at least 4 million people couldn't participate for very well-known reasons. Then you look at what happened in Belarus in 2020—it was the same attempt, it just failed. Do I really need to point out that from the perspective of someone in the EU or the USA, Euromaidan was the will of the people, whereas in Belarus, it was state repression? In certain countries, Euromaidan was a violent overthrow of a democratically elected government (reminds me of those gas canisters on Sava Street), while the use of police in Belarus was a legal defense of a democratically elected government. ☕
Meanwhile, at the Capitol, it was an attempt by right-wing extremists to contest legitimate elections in the USA. ☕
Speaking of sanctions on Russia, it's funny how anyone who warned on this forum that it wouldn't be easy to cut a country out of global trade—given they export oil, gas, grain, and god knows what else—was labeled a Russophile. Once the EU said it through the TV news anchors, suddenly everyone became Russophiles again for entirely different reasons. ☕
Here's a thought: some Middle Eastern country is going to ramp up production by 500,000 barrels a day. Everyone's happy and satisfied because that'll supposedly make up for the 10 million barrels a day coming from Russia.☕
It’s an interesting fact that within the EU—where everyone is supposedly equal—Canadians pay $3.25 per gallon for gas while everyone else is stuck paying over $4.25... so what exactly is pro-Russia and what is pro-West about that?
As for grain for retirees? It's leaves on trees. For the disabled? It's grass. Just like that old joke the late President used to tell.