Russian Anti-gay laws and violence, and the Olympic (Winter) Games.

[rvg]

Yeah, things are usually worth looking at a bit harder than just first impressions...
This group has, like many christian groups, taken pedophilia as a synonym for homosexuality. The subtitled video features a 15-year old boy being abused.

Christian? These guys are Nazis.

And look at the men featured in the videos. Do they look like they're middle-aged men or do they look like teenagers, or at best men in the very early 20's?

There was a video of them busting a guy who came on his "date" with a knife, a pistol, and a bag of weed.

I'd still say that this torture would be barbaric even if it was actual pedophiles, but this isn't about that at all.

There's something that people in the West need to understand about Russia: Russia is LAWLESS. I'm talking about 3rd world North-Western Frontier Province level of lawlessness. They at least try to keep an appearance of law in Moscow and Leningrad; everywhere else you're on your own. You are outraged about a gay guy being beaten up, but you don't have to be gay or muslim, or a foreigner to get in trouble. You can be beaten and/or killed for simply looking at a wrong guy the wrong way, for cutting someone off in traffic, for telling someone to behave properly, etc. etc.
There is no law in Russia. That's the real problem.

[HoreTore]

I did not claim they are christian(notice the lack of the word "other" before the word "christian"?), I merely pointed out that they are making a claim that, in our western world, is usually done by christian groups.

The Russian orthodox group is a whole 'nother matter, and you often see priests marching with neo-nazis.

Russia is of course not a state with a functioning justice system or police force(I'm a commie, my knowledge of Russia is thus a bit more than just surface knowledge), and hate-gangs have found several different kinds of victims to beat up. The gays are far from alone in their situation.

Couple this with organized groups with stated victims to target, social media fame for theof stories of police and state behaviour going far beyond the normal Russian incompetence, and I feel perfectly justified in calling this utter barbarism.

[rvg]

... I feel perfectly justified in calling this utter barbarism.

It's all relative. This would be barbaric within the framework of a properly functioning nation state. Russia is anything but that. So in the context of that situation these occurrences aren't barbaric, just bad.

[Papewaio]

To quote Princess Bride 'I don't think you understand what that word actually means'


| Definition | Thesaurus | TranslationsAlso found in: Legal, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia

or





bar·bar·i·an (bär-bâr-n)
n.
1. A member of a people considered by those of another nation or group to have a primitive civilization.
2. A fierce, brutal, or cruel person.
3. An insensitive, uncultured person; a boor. See Synonyms at boor.
[French barbarien, from barbare, barbarous, from Latin barbarus; see barbarous.]
bar·bari·an adj.
bar·bari·an·ism n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
barbarian [bɑːˈbɛərɪən]
n
1. (Social Science / Anthropology & Ethnology) a member of a primitive or uncivilized people
2. a coarse, insensitive, or uncultured person
3. a vicious person

A non functioning state is a barbaric one.

[rvg]

Don't patronize me, I have a damn good idea what it means. It's a matter of perspective. The samurai considered europeans to be barbarians.

[Papewaio]

You cannot excuse the actions of a subset of people in Russia being violent (barbaric) by excusing it because the Russian state is non functioning (Barbaric).

Two barbaric characteristics do not negate each other and form a bad situation. It just reinforces the perception that it is a barbaric state of affairs.

[rvg]

You cannot excuse the actions of a subset of people in Russia being violent (barbaric) by excusing it because the Russian state is non functioning (Barbaric).

Two barbaric characteristics do not negate each other and form a bad situation. It just reinforces the perception that it is a barbaric state of affairs.

I'm not excusing anyone's actions, I merely refuse to stereotype 140 million people based on the actions of a tiny minority.