Saturday, May 03, 2008
Eight Years of "Putinisms" - from NPR
NPR had an interesting segment this morning covering some of Putin's more pithy statements from over the years. "Putinisms" of course don't necessarily have anything to do with "Putinism" (however one defines the term); in the American context, the idea is an adaptation of Slate Magazine's long-running "Bushisms" feature (which has turned into something of a franchise for its progenitor, Jacob Weisberg).
Perhaps to Putin's credit, his "isms" seem to all be badass, tough-guy statements (even if they are often in poor taste and may sometimes just be good character acting), while Bush's "isms" are mostly verbal flubs or statements suggesting outright idiocy. Collections of Putin aphorisms in Russian are available here and here, and you can read some of the better nuggets of his "First Person" book here.
I wonder if any of the "Putinisms" quoted by NPR made it onto the paper airplanes and balloons (inscribed with quotations from Putin and Medvedev) released by youth activists in Chelyabinsk last month. Probably not, as the selection of quotes used in that so-called "flash-mob" was apparently limited to the topic of education.
Last year, Kommersant published a guide to management based wisdom collected from various remarks by Putin. You can improve your managerial skills online here - they even give you the chance to test yourself to see whether the manual has helped you learn to respond to a Putin-style manager.
In any event, "Putinisms" are fun, but I'm sure Putin's supporters would say that the remarks collected by NPR do not accurately characterize their beloved president. On the other hand, if you string enough Putinisms together, I think it may be possible to get a fairly good sense of Putinism's essence. Here is a link to the NPR report (which includes sound bites), and here is their bonus list of "Putinisms" not mentioned in the report.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
Great Blog! Found it really interesting.
Any thoughts on how I could find a business partner in Moscow?
I run a few businesses in the UK but would like to expand to Moscow?
Any thoughts?
Tim
Tim, as you probably know, whether it makes sense to "expand to Moscow" mostly depends what sort(s) of business you are in. Whatever it is you're looking to do, I would advise working through a chamber of commerce (like perhaps the RBCC) or something like that. For a time the US Dept. of Commerce had a service which published notices from businesses in the former Soviet region looking for foreign partners, but they recently closed it down. Perhaps the British gov't has something similar. Otherwise, you're best off working through trusted acquaintances.
"but I'm sure Putin's supporters would say that the remarks collected by NPR do not accurately characterize their beloved president."
Aaargh.
Chris, why the "Aaargh"? Perhaps the poor syntax or style of the sentence?
Actually, perhaps you were reacting to that sentence being incorrect in an important sense. After all, a substantial portion of VVP's supporters in fact love his "badass" remarks and persona, just like a substantial portion of Bush's supporters (25% of Americans or however few it is now) would say that his "Bushisms" reveal that he is a simple man and close to God.
Anyway, thanks for gracing my blog with your comments.
Considering that Putin's supporters include not only the majority of the population, but also Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Brothers Medvedev, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, and Mikhail Gorbachev, it is not a very accurate gratuitous swipe at Putin supporters. Whereas the sophistication of the ideologues of the fringe of the population that supports the liberals comes in a distant third after the Communists, who have Zhores Alferov and Alexander Zinoviev (until his death). But no we must continue to portray them as all crazed Nashisti, while at the same time ignoring the existence of the Communists, who have an actual electorate and would be the ones who would benefit most from greater access of the opposition to the media.
OK, I apologize for my snarkiness. I blame jetlag, and being a generally snarky person. I don't agree with you, but that does not excuse my being a dick.
Chris, you are too kind!
Seriously, neither my first comment (perhaps you found the use of "beloved" irksome, but I was actually trying to "balance" the silly idea that a few sound bites can characterize a leader) nor my second was intended to be a swipe.
Of course VVP has support from many corners, but he does have a "base" as well. It's not as if Gorbachev and Solzhenitsyn are really mass opinion-makers in this day and age (though I see that Gorby seems to have decided to try to avoid the harsh judgment of history by throwing his cards in with what seems to be today's dominant worldview in Moscow).
BTW, here's another list of "Putinisms" in Russian.
I think you are attributing to Gorby motives he does not have. I think when he says he supports Putin (or Medvedev now) because Putin has ended the chaos of the Yeltsin period and has moved the country away from exclusively serving the interests of a tiny oligarchy, he means it. These are the same things Solzhenitsyn and R. Medvedev say.
Chris, perhaps you're right and I'm too cynical about Gorby. On the other hand, I'm sure he wants his various foundations to be able to keep operating. Anyway, the interview I linked to above had Gorby saying (in the western press, with timing that is prob. not accidental, though on the other hand who knows if it means anything) the following:
Gorbachev said the missile shield plan jeopardized world peace and could lead to a new Cold War.
He continued that that "erecting elements of missile defense is taking the arms race to the next level. It is a very dangerous step".
"I sometimes have a feeling that the United States is going to wage war against the entire world," the former Soviet leader said.
"The United States cannot tolerate anyone acting independently. Every U.S. president has to have a war," he concluded, also saying that the world had squandered the chance in the decade after the Cold War to "build a new world order."
While the last statement is an irrefutable and sad truth, the rest of it is a tad bombastic for someone in his dotage.
I think when he says he supports Putin (or Medvedev now) because Putin has ended the chaos of the Yeltsin period and has moved the country away from exclusively serving the interests of a tiny oligarchy, he means it.
No doubt that's true. I guess the support is due to the fact that, while the country continues to predominantly serve the interests of a tiny oligarchy (albeit with a smena deistvuiushchikh lits), the current leadership is much more telegenic and organized, has ensured itself much better media coverage, and has more cash to toss to the narod.
Post a Comment