Russia Today's boss Margarita Simonyan gushes over censorship, confesses her love for big state

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We had two periods in our history with limited or no censorship. From 1905 to 1917, we remember how that ended. And during perestroika and the following 90's, we remember how that ended. It ended with the country's collapse! No big nation can exist without control over information. Those who made us add to our constitution that censorship is prohibited, they understood that very well. They who taught us for decades, "no no no! Society must be free! A developed economy cannot exist without a developed political system or a free political system"... all of that is total BS. Just look at China. Do you like China's economy? I like it. Do they have any freedom in the political life of their country? In the informational life of their country? No, they don't and never had it. Maybe that's not bad. Maybe that's a good thing.

This is the best time to raise the morale, the best of what there was in the USSR. I remember that even in 1989 I was full of pride for the red scarf, I became a pioneer drummer and I was proud to stand on May Day, with a red scarf with my drum to accept others into the Pioneers as a pioneer drummer. Turns out, we're all waiting for this. We need to change our info politics, our cultural politics have to change. This is the turning point to look at everything that is happening in our country in a different way, starting with the phrase in our constitution that says censorship is prohibited.

I've never seen such a passionate bootlicker. And listen to what she says about China. Just like I predicted, as Russia is failing to win Putin's war they turn more and more to China for safety. But people who will trade their freedom for safety deserve neither.

Anyway, discuss I guess. Do you think it's possible for Russia to exist without censorship? I think it's kind of a tragedy, they've been burned a couple times and now a lot of Russians really fear freedom. Of course there are some people like that in the West too, I will not deny it, and there's many Russians who try to fight back or have fled to the West or Eastern Europe or to countries like Georgia and Turkmenistan.

The greatest enemy of freedom is a satisfied slave, that's another saying.

a reply to: Cutepants

Interesting post! Like you, I am not surprised that the Russian propogandists are going down this path. What better way to control the population than to take away freedom of information and expression.

It truly is a tragedy as some of histories greatest artistic master pieces originate from the freedom or the yearning for freedom of self expression. Russia having a long and proud history of producing these masterworks....no more.

China should just annex Russia and get it over with.

a reply to: Cutepants

Also, one should reflect on these comments made by the head of RT.com next time they want to use the news network as a credible source.

I see the implementation of RuNet becoming reality more and more every day. Russians sites approved by Russian government on the Russian web. China is also vying for the same thing. There have been talks and test since at least 2010.

It’s sad for the citizens. To see them become North Korean citizens. Hermits with no world view and no outside information. Just state provided.

a reply to: Member3877

Yeah, I admire Russian art btw, I'm glad you brought it up. Dostoyevsky, who was a Christian and a traditionalist in many ways. And I really admire this guy called Mikhail Bakhtin. Not an artist but he wrote about Dostoyevsky, literature etc.

a reply to: PassiveSeeker

I'm worried about these things. I guess we made it through the last cold war too, but states have so many more tools at their disposal these days, it's concerning.

a reply to: Cutepants

Unfortunate. Looks like all the world's leaders are looking to China and liking what they see. A helpless and disarmed population controlled with an iron fist, we've been seeing it for years in the US. It's why all of our politicians and corporations are suspiciously sympathetic to China (can't talk about Hong Kong, Taiwan, Uighurs). It's because our elites want the control that the Chinese elites do. Looks like Russia is headed the same way, maybe with a more patriotic flavor, but all the same ends.

I wonder if freedom will exist for any country going forward after the next decade or two? Will my children know a world where "god-given rights" exist? Will the choice just be authoritarian communism-lite in big countries or half-lawless small countries going forward? (Assuming we're allowed to even leave big countries.)

originally posted by: Cutepants
twitter.com...

We had two periods in our history with limited or no censorship. From 1905 to 1917, we remember how that ended. And during perestroika and the following 90's, we remember how that ended. It ended with the country's collapse! No big nation can exist without control over information. Those who made us add to our constitution that censorship is prohibited, they understood that very well. They who taught us for decades, "no no no! Society must be free! A developed economy cannot exist without a developed political system or a free political system"... all of that is total BS. Just look at China. Do you like China's economy? I like it. Do they have any freedom in the political life of their country? In the informational life of their country? No, they don't and never had it. Maybe that's not bad. Maybe that's a good thing.

This is the best time to raise the morale, the best of what there was in the USSR. I remember that even in 1989 I was full of pride for the red scarf, I became a pioneer drummer and I was proud to stand on May Day, with a red scarf with my drum to accept others into the Pioneers as a pioneer drummer. Turns out, we're all waiting for this. We need to change our info politics, our cultural politics have to change. This is the turning point to look at everything that is happening in our country in a different way, starting with the phrase in our constitution that says censorship is prohibited.

The greatest enemy of freedom is a satisfied slave, that's another saying.

Which sums up the west completely except people in the west have no idea their slaves.

originally posted by: Cutepants
I've never seen such a passionate bootlicker.

Were you not on ATS for the past three years? We've had many.

The west is going to look increasingly foolish as they criticize the press, censorship, and state of freedom in these countries.

Years ago we had a leg to stand on. I don't see how our media, owned by a few entities and providing near uniform disinformation, is supposed to be held up as some shining example of a free press.

Satisfied slaves indeed. We were locked down. We were told what we can and can't say. The relative state of freedom shouldn't be compared to other countries, but measured against the freedoms we are born with and which were taken away from us during this pandemic.

I don't live in China or Russia, their citizens should fight for a more free press if that's what they desire. I do live in the US and I'm dissatisfied with our press, so that is the focus of my criticism. I believe our own leadership would be happy to lock us away forever and feed us lies through their press minions.

I don't believe, as things stand, the US could exist without the press being controlled and it's much more concerning to me than what Russians or Chinese citizens are dealing with.

a reply to: Ksihkehe

I have some (very limited tbh) medical training, and one thing I was taught is that when an injured person is moaning and complaining, that's a good sign. So I think when it comes to free speech, the West is like a patient who is bitching and moaning loudly, China has gone all quiet, and Russia is somewhere in between I guess.

a reply to: Cutepants

Part of this gets back to how much responsibility a society has for the behavior of its government.

The Russian people have (from what we're told) admired authoritarian leaders for centuries. That seems to be playing out again in the case of Putin.

Not sure how much of that is true and how much is just more propaganda. But it is true that nations have enduring agendas, and this one of Russia seems to be in full swing again.

Cheers

Pretty sure the west is already there with big tech censoring anything and everything that doesn’t go along with their agenda

a reply to: Cutepants

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

Yeah there's always the danger of oversimplifying, but I believe that Russia's history has shaped them to be authoritarian. And this characteristic has stuck even as they changed from absolute monarchism to communism to capitalism.

If you're into this stuff then maybe you'd enjoy a Finnish perspective from retired intelligence officer:



Definitely not a russophobe, he has a master's degree in Russian language and he has worked in the Soveit Union I think, or maybe it was Russia by then.