The most watched TV channel in Russia shows mostly comedy programs and heated discussions about smothering mothers of middle-aged people. I patiently sat through several of these shows because I wanted to see how politics is discussed on this state-sponsored channel. There are many fascinating things happening in the country politically and I can’t help being curious.
After Putin got elected, he started introducing the kind of legislation that would prevent people from opposing him the way they did last winter. Public protests have been rendered next to impossible through stringent legislation. Internet censorship has been introduced. The political talk show I saw on Russia’s First channel addressed these legislative measures.
The entire point of this show was to convince the viewers that the people of Russia have no interest in the political process, the rigged elections, or censorship. This was done in such a heavy-handed way that I felt vicarious shame for the Russian viewers who were expected to take this crap seriously. For instance, people were stopped in the streets and asked to name the events in their personal lives that mattered to them. People talked of weddings, retirements, births of children and grandchildren.
“You see?” the show’s host asked triumphantly. “Nobody cares about whether the elections were falsified. ”
To make the show more convincing, representatives of “opposition” parties were invited to participate in the discussion. Of course, they weren’t the actual opposition but, rather, leaders of fake parties sponsored by the Kremlin to pretend like there is genuine political dissent in the country. The only actual representative of the opposition was a guy from the Communist party. He, at least, sounded marginally lucid and even pointed out that credit and debit are two different things that should not be confused. Other “politicians” shrugged him off by saying that such minor details were irrelevant.
I have to say that when Communists are the only people who don’t see the difference between credit and debit as insignificant, you are in deep shit.
Clarissa's Blog 
// asked to name the events in their personal lives that mattered to them. People talked of weddings, retirements, births of children and grandchildren.
You too think it doesn’t reflect bad on them, right? For 2 reasons:
1- the question is about personal life, not politics, so it’s natural not to think in the political direction
2 – as one person commented on asking-people-about-Stalin article, many answers there were very political, iow careful & neutral. Many people don’t want to say something even remotely controversial to press, with their photograph put out for all country to see OR on the most famous channel. I wouldn’t risk it either in their place. Not worth it.
Now for the most recent news. ~ 1 hour ago:
On TV currently is said about 5 killed and 18 injured. New people are still arriving to hospital. Not yet known whether it was an explosive or a suicide terrorist. Don’t know which Arab terrorist organization did it either.
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Also on TV was said about mainly young people, even teens, being there.
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Many Israelis started visiting Bulgaria after relationship with Turkey went sour.
Now 7 killed are reported.
Nobody took responsibility yet. If it’s connected to Iran, I don’t think it will.
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Since it happened in Bulgaria, it must have been done by people who find it easier to strike in Bulgaria.
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//Since it happened in Bulgaria, it must have been done by people who find it easier to strike in Bulgaria.
I understood from the program that for pretty much everybody, including Iran, to strike in Bulgaria is easier than in Israel or US or Russia. Because Bulgaria isn’t at war and doesn’t need as developed security organs as the 3 above-mentioned countries.
One person on TV wondered what it’s supposed to achieve and another answered: “To show Israelis they can’t travel like other peoples”. Psychological warfare.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “Iran is responsible for the terror attack in Bulgaria, we will have a strong response against Iranian terror.”
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Why Iran? I’ve never heard of any connection between Iran and Bulgaria.
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This is horrible! I’m not very aware of what’s happening in Bulgaria these days, so this is unexpected to me.
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I already dislike man-in-the-street interviews because (a) I feel that they are designed to give the viewing public the false impression that television is an interactive medium (rather than what it really is: a bunch of well-paid heads talking at you), and (b) the average man-in-the-street is not an expert on any given subject. In this case at least, they also seem to be using them to drum-up a sort of false hegemony: if anyone actually have something political to say, I doubt that the broadcaster would have put it to air.
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//heated discussions about smothering mothers of middle-aged people
What it that “Let Them Talk” talk show program about a mother suing her son or something else (in addition)?
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There is at least one program like that every single day! This is truly a national phenomenon. People suffer from it, yet everybody seems to believe that a 45 yo woman is a monster for not quitting her job and losing her boyfriend to stay with her daughter’s children.
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