So many of what I like to call “powerful takes” in this thread.
On second thought, I should have saved my time and energy, and just replied with this:
Soviet Patriotism
This Post about *default,
tagged ,
was written by Anatoly Karlin for Russian Reaction on February 25, 2018
I wish I could add an LOL to the blog post, advancing another step toward the Twitterfication of Unz.
i used to read the saker a while back, but in the last couple of years he seems to have become a positively unhinged old boomer. Anybody have this impression, or was he always totally nuts?
Yes, full of powerful takes, most of them from the usual suspects.
I don’t much understand the picture, but it’s funny nevertheless.
The little pig is the ‘typical’ Russian immigrant leaving for pastures new and once arriving in his new home, becomes a classic Sovok patriot. Probably this is more classic for the children of Russian immigrants especially in Anglo-Saxon countries, seeking to find their identity in a civilisation which is openly disdainful and critical of their parents.
Isn’t AK very similar?
Just replace Soviet with (late) Imperial Russian.
I don’t think I particularly idolize the Russian Empire except insofar as pointing out that it was much better (adjusting for time period) than the USSR.
I don’t think he is so similar. When reading through his blog, it took me a while to get a feel for his philosophy and outlook – because it is obvious that Anatoly has a degree of respect/admiration for certain aspects of the ‘Western Way’ (institutions, attitudes etc.), from the traditional American approach to freedom of speech to the industrial/high-tech base of the German economy.
Of course, it is also evident that he has disdain for the more absurd parts of what it means to be a modern, ‘Atlantic’ country. Viewpoints which I myself agree whole-heartedly with – speaking as someone born and raised in the UK, one of the beating hearts of this system. So from where I’m sitting, AK’s criticisms are not predicated upon the fact that he is a Russian (after all, there are plenty of domestic critics as well) – it just so happens that he is from Russia. And in my opinion, this is why his viewpoints are interesting. Because he is not a domestic American/British critic of the system, he does not approach it from the tired old UK Tory or US Republican POV.
After all, those of us who consider ourselves to be ‘reactionary’ to some degree (though some may disagree with usage of the word) clearly present an alternative worldview and civilisational approach in place of the gruel that we’ve been served up. If you are Russian and of this bent, then naturally the Imperial period is going to serve as a base for some of your counter viewpoints.
A clear example of the Russoshoe Theory. According to émigré Neo-Stalinists, Russians hate democracy, private enterprise, and success – AND THAT’S AWESOME!
http://www.unz.com/akarlin/russoshoe-theory/
Right, I forgot what you really idolize is 1950s America.
That is only partly true. IIRC he grow up in Britain and America.
Does he? My sense from Mr. Karlin is that he most idolizes “biosingularity’ scenarios, while acknowledging that they are extremely fantastical and no reasonable path of development can take us there.
Maybe after he grow disillusioned with alt-right conservatism.
I think like a lot of commenters here, the disillusionment with the Alt-Right is not so much to with their actual ideas as most of their major figures are complete jokes, and the rank-and-file…leaves something to be desired.
The Saker seems to me like a 3rd-rate Dmitri Orlov.
Kuzma Minin of course was (initially) merchant, but in Russia remember Minin exclusively as statesman and warrior. As “heroes of business” can be called the dynasty of the Stroganovs and the Demidovs. Or let’s say Athanasius Nikitin
http://filmiki.arjlover.net/ap/hozhdenie.za.tri.morja.2.avi/hozhdenie.za.tri.morja.2.avi.image5.jpg