@"F2d5thCav" -
You are quite correct in not putting much faith in Putin's words. He is, after all, a politician, and it's never safe to put any faith in ANY words of a politician. I do realize, however, that politicians are playing to an audience, an audience of constituents. They tend, therefore, to say what they think that audience wants to hear, whether they believe it themselves or not.
As far as it being propaganda, there is no doubt in my mind that it is. Just about every political speech I've ever heard was propaganda. The very best propaganda is always built on a grain of truth, and targeted to a particular audience. The only thing really in question is just which audience any given speech is targeted at.
Not all propaganda is objectively or totally untruthful (for example, where Putin says Russia has already tried the communism the West is flirting with, and it didn't work, he is being truthful yet still propagandistic), but it IS all lopsided, heavily weighted towards a particular viewpoint, usually one they want their audience to adopt as their own. So we need to carefully assess just who that intended audience is.
ETA: Personally, I am of the opinion that the Russian failure of Communism is why Western "Progressives" have been aiming their red-ass at Russia for so long now, and Putin in particular. I recall when Hillary threatened to push "the big red button" on Russia if she were elected. and of course Russia was made to be the boogey man all through the Trump years by the Progressives, used as a means to scare the children of big bad Trump being in cahoots with "evil". They are angry and embarrassed by Putin because he represents, to them, the objective failure on a large scale of everything they are still pushing for, to bring to America.
They can't have people being constantly reminded of their failures. It's bad for their business model.
I think you are old enough to recall when "blue" represented Republicans in America, and "red" represented Democrats, because red was the color of the Left worldwide - RED China, the RED guards, and red flags for communist nations, etc. Suddenly, in the 2000 election, those colors suddenly and mysteriously flip-flopped in their meanings in America. I think that was indicative of a sea change the Progressives wanted to make to make their philosophy more palatable, distance it from the Communism it represented to the rest of the world.
Propaganda takes many different forms, but it is all aimed at the minds of the audience. Now there are fewer in the audience that recall those colors were ever otherwisely assigned.
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You are quite correct in not putting much faith in Putin's words. He is, after all, a politician, and it's never safe to put any faith in ANY words of a politician. I do realize, however, that politicians are playing to an audience, an audience of constituents. They tend, therefore, to say what they think that audience wants to hear, whether they believe it themselves or not.
As far as it being propaganda, there is no doubt in my mind that it is. Just about every political speech I've ever heard was propaganda. The very best propaganda is always built on a grain of truth, and targeted to a particular audience. The only thing really in question is just which audience any given speech is targeted at.
Not all propaganda is objectively or totally untruthful (for example, where Putin says Russia has already tried the communism the West is flirting with, and it didn't work, he is being truthful yet still propagandistic), but it IS all lopsided, heavily weighted towards a particular viewpoint, usually one they want their audience to adopt as their own. So we need to carefully assess just who that intended audience is.
ETA: Personally, I am of the opinion that the Russian failure of Communism is why Western "Progressives" have been aiming their red-ass at Russia for so long now, and Putin in particular. I recall when Hillary threatened to push "the big red button" on Russia if she were elected. and of course Russia was made to be the boogey man all through the Trump years by the Progressives, used as a means to scare the children of big bad Trump being in cahoots with "evil". They are angry and embarrassed by Putin because he represents, to them, the objective failure on a large scale of everything they are still pushing for, to bring to America.
They can't have people being constantly reminded of their failures. It's bad for their business model.
I think you are old enough to recall when "blue" represented Republicans in America, and "red" represented Democrats, because red was the color of the Left worldwide - RED China, the RED guards, and red flags for communist nations, etc. Suddenly, in the 2000 election, those colors suddenly and mysteriously flip-flopped in their meanings in America. I think that was indicative of a sea change the Progressives wanted to make to make their philosophy more palatable, distance it from the Communism it represented to the rest of the world.
Propaganda takes many different forms, but it is all aimed at the minds of the audience. Now there are fewer in the audience that recall those colors were ever otherwisely assigned.
.
Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king.
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’