Alex Christoforou
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss a New York Times Op-Ed where author Franz J. Sedelmayer makes the claim that “corruption is in Russia’s DNA” and that “sharing’s not the Russian way.”
Russian racism however is not unique or confined only to the NYT, as MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow has been spewing her Russian bigotry for the last two years, culminating last week in a lunatic rant about how the ‘evil Russians’ may decide to hack America’s energy grid and force the people to freeze in the winter cold.
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NYT Pushes Racist Agenda Towards Russians, “Corruption Is In Russia’s DNA” by The Duran
The Duran Quick Take: Episode 78. The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss a New York Times Op-Ed where author Franz J. Sedelmayer makes the claim that “corruption is in Russia’s DNA” and that “sharing’s not the Russian way.”
The New York Times article: “The Putin I Knew; the Putin I Know”…
Via RT…
An unfortunate New York Times op-ed which argues that Russia has a genetic affinity for corruption has disgusted even the most vocal Kremlin critics – an impressive feat considering the US appetite for mindless Russia bashing.
Around-the-clock Russiagate hysteria has produced an impressive array of poorly conceived, xenophobic-laced Kremlinology – but the Times’ latest offering, ‘The Putin I Knew; the Putin I Know’, is a rare delicacy that not even the most accomplished truffle dog could dig up.
Penned by one Franz J. Sedelmayer, the piece uses anecdotes about Vladimir Putin when he was deputy mayor of St. Petersburg to argue that “Putin’s Russia” is hardwired to hate democracy. Sedelmayer, we’re told, ran a security company that received a contract in St. Petersburg – resulting in several run-ins with Putin in the 90s.
“Corruption is in Russia’s DNA, as it is in Mr. Putin’s,” the German author theorizes. Not satisfied with pontificating about Russia’s genetic defects, Sedelmayer later quips that “sharing’s not the Russian way.”
Some might applaud Sedelmayer for not trying to mask his expert analysis with flowery innuendo, but even the most hardened Russia critics found his casual generalizations too nauseating to stomach.
“‘Corruption is in Russia’s DNA.’ This is racism masquerading as analysis,” wrote NPR Moscow correspondent Lucian Kim.
Lucian Kim on Twitter: “”Corruption is in Russia’s DNA.” This is racism masquerading as analysis. It also undermines the author’s “argument,” because if true, who can blame “Volodya”? (Scary photo, btw.) https://t.co/XpSZb8I1a7 / Twitter”
“Corruption is in Russia’s DNA.” This is racism masquerading as analysis. It also undermines the author’s “argument,” because if true, who can blame “Volodya”? (Scary photo, btw.) https://t.co/XpSZb8I1a7
Maxim Edwards, a former editor at the profoundly anti-Putin Open Democracy, mocked the op-ed as a smorgasbord of clichés.
https://twitter.com/MaximEdwards/status/1092513878741843971
The article’s comment section was also peppered with messages expressing disbelief that the New York Times provided a platform for the German businessman’s fact-deficient rant.
“‘Corruption is in Russia’s DNA…’ Could you imagine a statement like that directed at any other ethnic group? Or did NYT conduct a pioneering DNA study, and discover that bigotry is ok, if it’s anti-russian?” one comment read.
https://twitter.com/DanBoeckner/status/1092623691987460096
Alas, the op-ed boasts more than just unapologetic prejudice. In an ill-fated attempt to demonstrate his deep understanding of Russia and its genetic aversion to democracy, Sedelmayer rolled out an italicized list of scary Russian words, proving once and for all that the Russian language has a word for “lies.”
“A former K.G.B. officer, he [Putin] understands how to use disinformation (deza), lies (vranyo), and compromise (kompromat) to create chaos in the West and at home,” Sedelmayer states matter-of-factly.
Actually, ‘vranyo’ is not some sort of sneaky KGB code word – it literally just means ‘lies’. And Sedelmayer might want to run ‘kompromat’ through Google Translate again. (Free Russian lesson: It means ‘compromising material’, not ‘compromise’.)
Sedelmayer’s impressive Russian language flexing did not go unappreciated on social media, with even the likes of Julia Ioffe expressing dismay at the New York Times’ subpar translation skills.
Julia Ioffe on Twitter: “Also, kompromat…doesn’t mean “compromise.” / Twitter”
Also, kompromat…doesn’t mean “compromise.”
Maria Antonova on Twitter: “This is not the first article to claim that vranyo is some subversive term invented by the KGB. It literally just means “lies”. As in “the dog ate my homework.” Do any transliterations from Russian not sound somehow meaningfully ominous to non-speakers? https://t.co/2q9i0PbL7s pic.twitter.com/IHtpdgS1Cm / Twitter”
This is not the first article to claim that vranyo is some subversive term invented by the KGB. It literally just means “lies”. As in “the dog ate my homework.” Do any transliterations from Russian not sound somehow meaningfully ominous to non-speakers? https://t.co/2q9i0PbL7s pic.twitter.com/IHtpdgS1Cm
Summing up the overarching problem with Sedelmayer’s salty word salad, Soviet-American journalist Yasha Levine posited an uncomfortable hypothetical scenario:
“Imagine a NYT op-ed casually stating: ‘corruption is in the Jewish DNA.’ But as long as we’re talking about Russians, this kind of gross xenophobia is totally fine.”
Yasha Levine on Twitter: “Imagine a NYT op-ed casually stating: “corruption is in the Jewish DNA.” But as long as we’re talking about Russians, this kind of gross xenophobia is totally fine. https://t.co/loIJQow3fZ / Twitter”
Imagine a NYT op-ed casually stating: “corruption is in the Jewish DNA.” But as long as we’re talking about Russians, this kind of gross xenophobia is totally fine. https://t.co/loIJQow3fZ
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
And what is in America’s DNA??? Why do we keep giving so much attention to what the NYT says? I wouldn’t even use this paper to line my bird’s cage.
Ah, yes, we need to hate someone … using national or ethnic or nominal derogatory epithets is something that has many standards, usually by those who are so intellectually bereft that they attempt to bring their targets down to their levels. As we know, Rachel is a person who belongs to many “clubs,” one of which is the Rhodesian, started by a fellow who thought that subjugating the “lower” strata of humanity was a noble cause. Bill-Jeff was another one. The Bs became aligned with the same group of people through different means, yet, nevertheless, one of them got his… Read more »
Fränzchen Sedeldingsbums wrote a character assassination piece. He probably never got over it that he lost his “business” in Russia.
If readers want to get to know President Putin, they better watch Oliver Stone’s four-hour interview with him in which he is revealed as an intelligent and reasonable leader with a good sense of humor.
Racism is so entrenched in US culture it’s used as a weapon every day as casually and often as putting change in a parking meter.
Hats off to you :-))
Two thumbs up.
Racism in the United States is very minor compared to stupidity. You could hardly judge the New York Times as racist when it is overwhelmingly stupid.
that is something that blaresout at you. The United States government spends a lot of money to conduct subversive propaganda in Russia and then the New York Times cancels it all out. Bravo.
An ‘F’ for this work of ‘F’iction – The Putin I Knew. (‘F’ also stands for fake-jews like those at the NYT, the author and Rachel Madcow.) It is also interesting that those who would have known Putin during the Yeltsin years would have been scumbag vulture capitalists like Bill Browder, and whoever the informant is for the NYT. Putin must have had a metanoia (change of heart/mind) while they stayed the same or got worse. All the more reason for them to hate him. Perjurers, slanderers and spies are so ‘Uge’ in America now that if they could be… Read more »
Wow, this is quite a comment :-))
NYT = NY Trash.
Lugenpresse caca :-))
Two thumbs up!
The U.S media have lost their minds, if they are softening the public up for an assault on Russia, to think of that is even absurd.
It is always comforting to see that the foreign carpet-baggers who come to loot and rape a country, first get to know it, at least well enough to get everything about it totally wrong. It is a miracle of sorts that Russia not only survived the likes of Bill Browder and this fellow-traveler of his, Sedelmayer, (of whom there were thousands) but bounced back and is thriving, in spite of all the sanctions the deep-state, which sent these looters there in the first place, can now throw at it. The real, unspoken reason they hate Putin is that he stopped… Read more »
I didn’t know this, but now I DO. Thank you for the info.
Two thumbs up!
Has German author Sedelmayer read the booklet published by Heinrich Himmler, “The Subhuman”, in 1942?
When the Nazi Wehrmacht invaded the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941, SS-Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler published a booklet entitled “Der Untermensch” (The Subhuman). The booklet was intended to incite the German population to hatred against the Russians and other peoples of the Soviet Union, to strengthen the morale of the Nazi troops.
The booklet reinforced primitive racial prejudices against Russians. The vast majority consisted of photographs that showed Russian prisoners of war with grotesque faces in disfigured forms.
The type of racism in the US towards Russians is absolutely unacceptable. If projected against another nationality or race, it would be career ending. This coming from people who promote rainbow coalition nonsense and minority rights. They have no foundation to stand on. They are only dividing people to create conflict amongst their own people to divert attention from their own extensive corruption.
The New York Times claims that Putin hates democracy after they have turned the United States democracy into a cesspool.