According to two Russian soldiers interviewed by a pro-invasion blogger, if you wear a Russian military uniform on the metro in Moscow people distance themselves and give you dirty looks.

    • @Etterra
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      469 months ago

      Don’t forget that they might be rapists and murderers.

    • @uis
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      9 months ago

      Mostly Wagner mercenaries

      For those who downvote: mostly doesn’t mean only, and Wagner mercs were criminals even before they became mercs

      • @severien
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        29 months ago

        You deserve a downvote, because that “mostly” is just baseless guess/assumption.

        • @uis
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          19 months ago

          Maybe it’s guessed because one returned merc killed old lady, other killed his wife and another two killed six people and burned their houses.

          Or maybe because drafted are not returning because Shoigu won’t let them go.

          • @severien
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            19 months ago

            Maybe it’s guessed because one returned merc killed old lady, other killed his wife and another two killed six people and burned their houses.

            So, that’s “most” based on what data?

            Or maybe because drafted are not returning because Shoigu won’t let them go.

            They’re not let go, but they are being rotated.

    • @Pretzilla
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      19 months ago

      Holy shiite. So fucked up.

  • be_excellent_to_each_other
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    9 months ago

    “You go on the metro, and people stare at you because you wear a uniform. Again, I didn’t go voluntarily, I received a summons and came to the military enlistment office.

    At this point I had some sympathy.

    I didn’t run away or hide like you. I acted like a law-abiding citizen. But when I come on holiday, they point fingers at me,” the soldier said.

    And then he lost my sympathy.

    It’s like certain problems we have in the US, just with different players.

    When “law abiding” is placed before basic ethics, problems like these arise. It’s also, sometimes (maybe not here) a smokescreen people use to justify their unethical behavior.

    • @Eheran
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      689 months ago

      People like to use things like “I didn’t make the rules” to justify bullshit - while actively enforcing them.

      • @ickplant
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        589 months ago

        “I was just obeying orders” - sounds familiar.

        • @[email protected]
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          19 months ago

          Sounds like the excuses of the weak willed. FFS Russia is massive I doubt itd be hard to draft dodge.

          • @[email protected]
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            9 months ago

            I am not in any way defending said people for being rapists, murderers and overall just nasty fellows. I would like to point out that Russia has been known to lash out on people’s loved ones to get them to fall in line, so running away may be just part of the equation. Now to what extent one’s attachment to one’s family forces them to do things is an interesting topic.

            Could a person that rapes and murders because they got a free pass be considered capable of genuine human affection towards their loved ones? Or are they using it as a generally accepted excuse ‘they were gonna harm my family if I didn’t amputate this poor fella’s arms in a dark dungeon!’?

            That being said, there were some recorded phone conversations circulating around a bit earlier in the conflict about some of them loved ones communicating to soldiers about ‘how many did you rape/kill?’ and ‘loot some shit and bring it home!’

            Obligatory not all people are the same and such.

    • @Deestan
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      489 months ago

      Yeah, draft dodging means maybe losing your freedom and the ability to provide for your children, which is a shit situation to be put in.

      But the choice is between poverty and fucking murder. Your choice sucks, but you choose to be a monster. I spare my sympathy for those who choose to be not-murderers.

      • @[email protected]
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        229 months ago

        But at the same time, they are absolutely being fed propaganda and don’t have an accurate view of what is going on in Ukraine.

        • @Deestan
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          59 months ago

          That is a valid point. I personally can’t accept it changing the situation, but I won’t hold it against anyone that do.

        • @uis
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          39 months ago

          I wanted to say they know how things are in reality, but suddenly remembered teacher in my school. Yep, some of them are completely brainwashed. Mostly those who will not be drafted. Either by being too old or having non-draftable sex(it would be funny if I’ll get banned for this).

          As Ekaterina Schulman says: this is unusual war. War is what Yong do, but this one is war of Old/Elders.

          • @[email protected]
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            59 months ago

            I read an interview of locals from an Ukrainian village that got invaded - the Russians rolled in and asked the locals “where are the Nazis? Lead us to them!”, and were surprised that the locals just asked them to leave, instead of cheering for their "liberation ".

            So the propaganda certainly reached the military, at least.

            • @uis
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              9 months ago

              You mean in early days? Haven’t served myself(and hopefully won’t), but what I know is in Russian army your only sources of information are your commander and your peers whoose only sources of information is same commander and you. This sounds like an excellent ground for propaganda.

              But:

              1. Different audience

              A lot of people were from poor regions.

              1. Different context

              They are in the middle of nowhere.

        • @themajesticdodo
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          09 months ago

          So Russians are dumb and their phones don’t get internet? Nah. Bullshit. Russians are fucking cowards. The whole world knows it. It’s been on display for over a year.

          The dumb die. So it is and always has been.

          • @Aux
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            29 months ago

            According to Wiki only 3.5% of Russians have good English proficiency. I also saw numbers between 5% and 10%. Even if it’s 10% of Russian population, 90% can only read and understand Russian. They go to the internet and what do they see? Russian fucking propaganda! Now imagine yourself in their shoes.

            • @jarfil
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              9 months ago

              They go to the internet and what do they see? Russian fucking propaganda!

              And whose fault it is? You go on the internet speaking English, and what do you see? Russian fucking propaganda! Where is the Russian-speaking Western propaganda machine when you need it?

              • @Aux
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                29 months ago

                When you understand English at a good level you’re able to find multitude of opinions and make up your own mind. If you fail for Kremlin propaganda at this point - it’s on you. But if you don’t know English, you don’t have access to alternative opinions at all. That’s a VERY BIG difference.

                • @jarfil
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                  09 months ago

                  Duh, that’s my point! Why isn’t there Western propaganda in Russian?

                  How is it the Kremlin can pay a bunch of people to write fake news in English and turn Western social media to shit, but the White House can’t do the same to write fake news in Russian? So much CIA, MI6, all the EU agencies… what, you telling me they don’t have the money, or what?

                • @jarfil
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                  -19 months ago

                  Right, porn… that’s why all the Russian horny bastards can write in English!

                  I know, we need to turn PornHub to Russian only! Force the kids to learn by searching for some hot бабушка porn, then they’ll know something more than typing “CYKA BLYAT” in CSGO chat. The counter information task force of tomorrow is just a few faps away!

          • @SCB
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            29 months ago

            Bro half of the fediverse is loaded up with communists and fascists, respectively.

            Kind of weird to pretend Russians have a monopoly on being dumb.

            • @okamiueru
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              19 months ago

              You sure showed’em

              • @SCB
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                19 months ago

                Tell me I’m wrong

                • @okamiueru
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                  09 months ago

                  From what I can tell, around 99% of the time people use the word communism, they don’t really know what it means. You seem to know there is a difference between communism and fascism, so, maybe you do.

                  But, to suggest half is communist, and the other fascist. Is kinda silly. Silly to such an extent that “proving you wrong” is likely to be a futile and unpleasant endeavour. You do you.

      • @jarfil
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        09 months ago

        Would you rather kill your own children, or kill someone else’s children? At least they aren’t shooting refugees for refusing to rape each other, that’s the Saudis…

        Ain’t the world a nice place?

        • @Deestan
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          19 months ago
          1. That’s nowhere near the dillemma they are facing.

          2. Russians are already torturing, kidnapping and executing civilians so not even a valid whataboutism.

          • @jarfil
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            9 months ago

            Having your children or parents/grandparents, starve or freeze to death, can easily kill them. Maybe it’s not 100% certain like shooting someone to death, but still, most people value their own people’s lives more than someone else’s.

            And it’s not whataboutism, just a qualification on a scale: I haven’t heard (yet) of Russians forcing civilians to torture each other, so they’re like a step less depraved than the Saudis.

    • FuglyDuck
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      259 months ago

      I mean, I can have sympathy for any soldier that’s being forced to be a soldier. But the reality is, that sympathy dries up pretty quickly when it comes out that while being a soldier they’re rapists and war criminals. At certain point ‘just following orders’ is no longer a valid excuse… and you reach that point long before raping civilian women or PoWs. or… you know… you’re own troops while in a combat situation…

      • @schroedingershat
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        69 months ago

        If a fascist hands you a gun and tells you to murder a bunch of people so that he can get wealthier and more powerful, you shoot him and ask those people for asylum. Anything else makes you a fascist too.

    • @SCB
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      149 months ago

      Counterpoint: fuck going to a Russian prison.

      • @uis
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        69 months ago

        I think there is 1:1 model of Russian prison cell somewhere in Netherlands. At least the type of cell where Navalny is held.

        On the other there are rumors about people who commited crimes only to be found guilty and not being drafted as result, but they are rumors.

    • Echo Dot
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      119 months ago

      It’s also not a defence. They don’t have to follow orders.

      They can just turn up get recruited and then surrender to Ukraine at the earliest safe opportunity if they want to. Plenty others have.

      It is not patriotic to fight a unjust war, it is not patriotic to just do what you’re told without thinking.

      • @uis
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        29 months ago

        Ehh, fatality is high. It’s better to not be drafted in first place.

  • @ladicius
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    1509 months ago

    Killing and raping is frowned upon? Really?

      • IWantToFuckSpez
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        9 months ago

        I bet some people give dirty looks because they believe soldiers should die in the trenches protecting mother Russia and not ride the metro in Moscow with privileged Moscovites

      • @uis
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        19 months ago

        I won’t say he “was too dumb to dodge the draft” because men(and medics) can be brought by police. Well, procedure is more complex than just dradding people, but you think police state cares?

        But he went there himself?.. Complete idiot.

        And he expects to be seen not as criminal while wearing uniform? I think calling him having single braincell is an insult to neurons of all species.

  • Alien Nathan Edward
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    689 months ago

    The article below this is titled “Russian Soldier Proudly Admits to Killing POWs”

    You know, entirely unrelated…

  • @xc2215x
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    609 months ago

    Russian people are changing their minds it seems.

      • @severien
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        159 months ago

        On average, you need just 3.5% of the population to actively oppose the regime to achieve a successful revolution. People can change things, but it looks like a vast majority of Russians are just fine with killing Ukrainians. More expensive iPhones are a bigger issue.

        • @lapingvino
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          79 months ago

          and when you reach 10%, you basically toggle the general opinion massively.

        • @[email protected]
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          59 months ago

          I don’t think demonizing the Russian populace is really achieving anything, people aren’t their government. The US has done some abhorrent things, and I’m not an evil person, nor am I just fine with killing anyone.

          • @severien
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            29 months ago

            The other extreme is treating Russians as poor innocent fellows being oppressed by Putin.

        • @[email protected]
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          59 months ago

          On average sure, but putin probably has more than 3.5% subverting democracy for him, it’s not so simple for the people.

        • @Aux
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          29 months ago

          That’s just a bit more than 5m people. Russia has plenty of free space in GULAGs to house 5m people.

          • @severien
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            9 months ago

            Russia doesn’t have a GULAG system.

            If 5m is too little, make it a 10% (15m) then. Most of the army/security forces are currently engaged in Ukraine.

            • @Aux
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              19 months ago

              Not officially, but a lot of Soviet camps are still operational. Creating new ones won’t be a big issue. Russian government has plenty of experience.

              • @severien
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                09 months ago

                Well, that would be a good opportunity for Russians to revolt. But I think they’re just fine with the current system.

                • @Aux
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                  19 months ago

                  People don’t want to be sent to gulags.

      • nadram
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        59 months ago

        THAT is the truth. They can love or hate the situation but there’s nothing they can do about it. So, no point in generalising and hating on Russians. Save it for Putin, the Russian gov and there butt-licking oligarchs

      • @scarabic
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        49 months ago

        As are the soldiers

    • quadropiss
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      59 months ago

      Nope they aren’t. I can assure you

      • XIIIesq
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        39 months ago

        Source: Trust me bro

        • quadropiss
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          19 months ago

          My source is I’m a native Russian speaker and I have to literally manually scan Russian speaking communities for their political views before joining them to make sure I don’t join a fascist one🙂

    • @[email protected]
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      29 months ago

      The population in Moscow maybe doing that because of the bombing campaign being inflicted in that area. The outer cities are not seeing the consequences of war unless they loose someone.

      • @uis
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        19 months ago

        Except this started way before bombing. Police and rosgvardia are and were seen same way.

    • @themajesticdodo
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      -19 months ago

      Isn’t that the annoying, arrogant, abusive piece of shit?

      Great meme!

  • @uis
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    429 months ago

    Same applies to police for last ten years

    • @[email protected]
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      289 months ago

      Police choose to be police, aren’t many of the Russian soldiers drafted or forced to serve at this point?

      • @uis
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        9 months ago

        You are correct, many of them conscripted, and even those who was on contract before after mobilization started their contracts became perpetual.

        And police not only choose to be police, but also choose to beat students.

      • @severien
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        9 months ago

        You can still refuse to be drafted, you’ll likely go into prison, but that’s a better option than murdering people.

        • @Aux
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          69 months ago

          But prisoners get sent to war…

          • @severien
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            9 months ago

            Only volunteer prisoners.

            • @Aux
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              59 months ago

              For now…

              • @severien
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                09 months ago

                Until that changes, going to prison for dodging the draft remains to be one of the ways to avoid becoming a murder.

        • @[email protected]
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          19 months ago

          I don’t know much about Russian prisons, but I might take my chances on the battlefield and try escaping.

          That is, unless you have family, in which case I wouldn’t put it past them to force compliance by threatening your family. I would probably serve “loyally” if not doing so meant my family would be thrown in torture prison for life or killed.

          • @severien
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            19 months ago

            Not even Ukrainian sources mention anything about torture of relatives, so I’m pretty sure this is just your fantasy.

            • @[email protected]
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              19 months ago

              Even if it isn’t torture, just the idea of them being punished could easily be enough to convince people. I would honestly be surprised if there are no consequences to the families of Russian traitors

              • @severien
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                19 months ago

                You’re free to find sources confirming your guesses. Until then, they remain guesses only.

        • @[email protected]
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          19 months ago

          I’d consider the play to be get drafted, go AWOL, personally.

          Easier to say than do, of course.

    • quadropiss
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      109 months ago

      Nah, more than 10 for sure. There’s anti police slurs coming from as early as the 80-90s, like “Musora” which is a plural form of “trash”

      • @uis
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        29 months ago

        Musora date back to 1910. It was subdivision name and became great pun.

        • quadropiss
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          19 months ago

          Aaah, ok. I thought it came from the 80-90s because of gangs and shit

  • @Astroturfed
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    379 months ago

    There’s a reason they’ve been trying to avoid drafting soldiers from Moscow/major metro areas. They’re intentionally pulling more people from the ethnic minority rural regions. Problem is, they’re running out of soldiers…

    • @lemmyshmemmy
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      09 months ago

      They always send the poor and minorities to die while the Muscovites plunder

  • keeb420
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    139 months ago

    oh no russian solders get spat upon in their home land. anyway…

    • @Fades
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      209 months ago

      Even the Ukraine defenders?

      • @scarabic
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        129 months ago

        If it really is “we all” who come to this realization, there won’t be anything to defend Ukraine against.

    • @[email protected]
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      169 months ago

      War won’t ever stop. It’s part of the human condition. Some persons and groups of people will always feel entitled to what others have on the basis of relative standing as viewed from thier viewpoint.

      • @[email protected]
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        29 months ago

        War is fueled by a system that has nothing human about it. Just like dogs humans are not violent by nature, they become mad when they are put in a corner. These days the average person would never hurt someone else directly and that’s why governments spend billions on propaganda to turn everyone against each other

        • @Fades
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          Dogs most certainly are violent by nature. You are explicitly talking about DOMESTICATED dogs which are man made and not nature

          You can also upset a dog without putting it in a corner. Approach a dog and it’s pup or a dog approaching another dog that is eating, violence easily can erupt both with strange dogs and known ones.

          You’re projecting your perception of your own humanity onto all dogs and it’s not working for you or your point.

          I do agree that the people are purposefully pitted against each other but that is internal to nations and doesn’t explain international war. Do you think Ukraine and the Russians pitted their peoples against each other to start this war? Or did Russian invade and cause it all by themselves?

          • @[email protected]
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            -129 months ago

            Are they? I don’t recall teaching my dog not to bite people, they just were treated good and don’t do it

            • @[email protected]
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              29 months ago

              is this a dogwhistle (pun intended) for eugenics in the human race, the way that we have selectively bred dogs to meet compatibility criteria?

        • FuglyDuck
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          69 months ago

          so… just to clarify. you realize that violence is part of who we’ve always been? The reason our hands can make a decent fist at all is to be used as clubs.

          weapons are among the first, if not the first, forms of technology ever developed in prehistory. And probably not even by homo sapiens. We’ve never been not-violent. and you can see this in other primates like baboons and chimps and gorillas, which absolutely conduct their version of warfare.

          And like humans, dogs are also aggressive by nature. they are largely taught not to be as puppies. but left to their own understandings, they will be aggressive.

          • @[email protected]
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            -49 months ago

            Do you realize that a fist can be used to break a coconut and not smash someone head? Humans evolved to be smart not to be violent

            • FuglyDuck
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              59 months ago

              You…. Ever try to, uh, smash a coconut with your fist?

              Curious how that went.

              “We evolved to be smart!”

              And most of the first tools we created are absolutely classified as “weapons”

              • @SCB
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                9 months ago

                Literally the first widespread tool in human history was a fucking handaxe.

                Second was a spear.

                Dude is just talking pure nonsense.

              • @[email protected]
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                -49 months ago

                You should try to smash one with your head at last it would become useful for something

        • @SCB
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          29 months ago

          Humans are absolutely naturally violent. They’re naturally selfish, violent monsters. We teach our kids to not be that way from a very young age (prior to 1 years old, generally) and reinforce it constantly and yet it is still very common to see children/young adults acting out violently.

          It’s absurd to me that anyone could assume humans are not naturally violent.

            • ANGRY_MAPLE
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              9 months ago

              Seriously?

              Someone mentioned that humans have (historically) had a tendency towards violence, and your only take from that was to call them a monster? Are you just projecting, or what happened there?

              Gee, i guess we’d better tell all of the families of murdered people that their loved ones weren’t actually murdered. You know, since you seem to think that humans don’t have a natural capacity for violence, so there must have been some other reason (doubt it). We should also tell the starving people that it’s not greed keeping them hungry, it’s magic.

              It’s not like we’re mammals or anything. We’re TOTALLY immune to the same things that plague almost every species on this planet. Totally.

      • @uis
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        19 months ago

        I really don’t like “it’s part of the human condition”, “it is human’s nature” and other BS. I recommend you to go out and watch how kids play. Suddenly you will see opposite of fairy tale told by militant pensioners.

        • FuglyDuck
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          29 months ago

          yeah, so anyone whose ever watched a couple toddlers playing together knows they have to be taught to share. When they’re learning, they’re absolutely violent little monsters. if you google all the advice given for how to deal with aggressive toddlers in day care… you’ll see that your little angels… really aren’t.

          • @uis
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            9 months ago

            I said about kids that play outside, most kids who play outside aren’t toddlers, but you decided to mention them. Well, counterclaim: toddlers chew everything just because, toddlers smash everything just because and toddlers yell all the time just because. It is not their intention to hurt another toddler.

            If this is how you think, it tells a lot about your ethics.

            • FuglyDuck
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              49 months ago

              I’m pointing at toddlers because they haven’t mastered the self control necessary to conceal and manage their aggression. In that regard, toddlers are the most honest appraisal of our instinctual inclination. Being not-aggressive is a learned behavior. the concept of “playing nice” is a learned behavior… children have to be taught how to play nice. they have to be taught what is fair, and to regulate their impulses. but those impulses remain there, and sometimes come back out as adults. Which… is kinda why there’s a shit load of violence in the world. and always has been.

              • @uis
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                9 months ago

                toddlers are the most honest appraisal of our instinctual inclination

                So it is their instinct is to lick electronics and destroy it? Chew things and destroy? Smash things and destroy? Well, ok, licking, chewing and smashing kinda is their instinct, but not smashing. Since you mentioned learning, all of this is learning. Basically when they are presented with new thing, their instinct is to learn it. “How it feels? Is it warm? Does it taste good? Can I eat it? What’s inside?”. Abstract agression is a mean to get attention, that also learned. “Wanted to eat, but thing that was held is not eadible, but after banging it I was fed? Do it again”. Same about directed agression towards peers and mentioned by you learning to share: “after moving arm towards that thingy I was awarded with toy? Do it again”.

                they have to be taught what is fair

                Yes and they also kids(that are “old” enough to talk) have much better sense of fairness than most adults do. Watch how THEY(kids who can communicate) play.

                but those impulses remain there, and sometimes come back out as adults

                Yes. In yong age it’s called being silly, when they get older it’s called learning, later called studying and when they are adults they call it doing scientific research.

                When adults are violent, they are not acting as kids. It is kids when violent are acting as adults.

                and always has been.

                What I will say you can use as argument too, but it hasn’t. Just century ago world was much, MUCH more violent.

    • Ataraxia
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      119 months ago

      Didn’t stop Vietnam and those vets still get treated like shit

    • @uis
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      39 months ago

      Place for tanks is in museums,

      Let them rust in quiet,

      Even as toys

      They should be forgotten.

      My bad attempt to translate ELYSIUM - Tanks.

        • @uis
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          29 months ago

          Tried as close to original as possible:

          How much years unending

          Slaughters inhumane

          On children fall from sky

          Bombs as bunch of anger

          Tanks’ place is in museums

          Let them quietly rust there

          Body of mother is scarred

          Warriors’ place is in romance

          Wars are not glory

          Groans in bloody mess

          Tears, dirt on uniform

          Wars don’t have a place in the world

          Tanks’ place is in museums

          Let them quietly rust there

          In tales of old empires

          People don’t belive anymore

          “Homo homini lupus est” is what we said when

          Voice of reason was silent in world and war raged everywhere

          When lives were worthless, people were seen only as soldiers

          And entire world was turning to burning hell

          Why didn’t we become smarter Isn’t it’s time already

          To understand as a matter of fact that more important

          For hammer of war to stop clutter

          Tanks’ place is in museums

          Let them quietly rust there

          Even as toys

          Kids don’t need to know them

    • @uis
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      19 months ago

      Or Afganistan