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Notes -
But didn't you fall for the same dynamics? "Subhuman" is not much better than an "orc". And the reasoning of many people who call Z-Russians "orcs" is the same as yours — they [Z-Russians] lack empathy and dehumanize Ukrainians. Of course, there are unironic Nazis who consider Russians "subhumans" quite literally — but they are clearly in minority.
It's difficult not to feel rage at people who cry about a monument to Catherine II being removed (we even had several people like that here) or Tchaikovsky being "cancelled" while being completely silent on dozens of civilians dying every day due to Russian artillery or missile strikes.
What should be the attitude of Ukrainians faced with the prospect of "svinorez"?
Since this was very obviously directed at me and pretty much only me, I assume, I feel compelled to mention that I, indeed, never commented on Russian missile and artillery strikes. But if your point is to insinuate that I somehow rejoice in the slaughter khokhols, then I need to point out that, technically speaking, I also stayed "completely silent" on the civilian victims of the Azov/Kraken/Tornado/etc. units and the SBU, of the shelling of the Donbass, of the starvation blockade of Yemen and Tigray, of the drone strikes in Pakistan, and the list could go on.
Is that supposed to imply political positions?
That's another example of the phenomenon I mentioned. You can easily substitute
with
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The reasoning behind calling Russian soldiers orcs is actually pretty apt as far as analogies go, since the orcs of the Lord of the Rings were based (in individual character and personality) on some of the enlisted he interacted with during his service in WW1 and (on a larger, more general scale) the armies of eastern despots. Admittedly the eastern despots he was being inspired by were far more likely to be called Darius than Vladimir, but it's still a surprisingly apt comparison.
I think "orcs" is better. While orcs are depicted as corrupt subhumans, the main characteristic of orcs is that they are a hostile military led by a conqueror and you have to defeat them to end the war, something that's pretty much true here.
This isn't true: for defeating Mordor and ending the war it was apparently sufficient to throw a certain ring into a certain volcano, and no normal military triumph would have been as effective.
Essentially an assassination attempt on their leader. Hmmm...
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Not completely. I address this irony specifically in the first paragraph, and claim advantage on the account of you missing it. Subhumanity is a moral choice; it is proper to acknowledge this ancestral impulse and suppress it. Sadly, civilians think themselves above this burden just as they are free from burdens of the frontline. This is one of the worst parts of the war, personally. It really makes me despise civilians of all sides.
War, prosecuted as effectively as possible. To the point of terrorism, disinformation, and recognizing philosophers as valid targets. If it works.
Regarding truly civilian matters, I concur with Sgt. Makhno.
As do I. But I think people like Farion are closer to "Nazis" whom I've mentioned — they consider Russians "orcs" not because of what they do, but for who they are. The same as people who call Russians "moksha", "mongols" or whatever. And that's ironic — someone like Alexei Milchakov is quite attractive, probably has IQ above average — not an ugly "mongol" like some propaganda depicts Russians, or an alcoholic from paintings by Lozhkin. Yet it's for people like him, I think, the title "orc" is the most deserving.
Interesting tidbit about Farion — she is being "cancelled" for hitting her cat during one of her streams. I believe the same as some twitch streamer :-)
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