In recent days Erdogan of Turkey has provided an insight into Zelensky’s current mindset. Apparently Zelensky told Erdogan in a private conversation that he feels the people around him are misleading him.
This should not surprise anyone as since 2014 when the coup by insurrection to remove the democratically-elected president and government of Ukraine it has essentially become against the law to say certain things.
As with the situation which prevailed in the USA after the election of Trump in 2016 it progressively became a crime to say anything concerning Russia that was in the least positive. Those who did and who were prominent figures in any way would certainly come in for huge criticism, were in general ostracised and if their critics had their way, cancelled.
The process described above has been far more widespread in western Ukraine and via state policies and changes in the law far deeper with ever more draconian punishments applied. Radio and TV stations have even been closed down and the leader of the main opposition party jailed for the crime of being less disparaging of Russia than was deemed necessary by the state.
As in the USA these processes have resulted in a general silence regarding anything approaching Russia that is not wholly negative and since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine this has become massively reinforced. In addition of course it has become the norm to big up Zelensky, Ukraine in general and Ukrainian military success. Even when the Russian military made major gains such as capturing cities any mention of this has been grudging and heavily embroidered to suit the favoured narratives which big up the Ukrainian side.
One can only imagine the effect of this in Kiev/Kyiv where to speak in ANY way that is positive toward Russia can get you violently attacked if not killed outright. Think of the Russophobia which exists in the United States and then multiply that by your factor of choice. Do you think for a moment that officials around Zelensky tell him the bare facts? Do you think any military official close to the Ukrainian high command is going to risk demotion or worse by doing so?
The fable of the emperor who has no clothes has been appropriate for a great many situations in Ukraine since 2014. But the paucity of any figures willing to put their necks on the line like the unwitting actions of the innocent boy in the fable must certainly be close to zero and more likely than not to be at zero.
This is nothing new of course. For years the U.S. war in Afghanistan was reported to be going along just fine, or if not just fine at least the Taliban were being contained, Kabul was doing well, democracy was being delivered along with freedom for the Afghan people. The scandal of telling your superiors what they most wanted to hear and them delivering it up the line in similar fashion to their own superiors who informed the various departments of government and the president himself, is well known.
Add to all this the condition known as ‘war mode’ where the enemy MUST always be portrayed in the worst light while your side is ‘brave’, ‘fearless’ and always, somehow “winning” even when almost all the facts reflect the opposite. The “good guys” ALWAYS win, don’t they? We know this from the countless products of Hollywood and its imitators across the world. Only sometimes the “good guys” may be the bad guys (think of those Nazi belt buckles emblazoned with ‘Gott Mit Uns’ on them).
The collective West in the figures of the most prominent political figures imbue the notion of exemplary correctness, the self-awarded or deity-granted correctness of conduct on all possible issues, policies and actions. These political elites of the West consider that they and everything about their views and their societies are exemplary, superior and exceptional. And of course that those who oppose them in any way are not and are therefore enemies of all that is good, right and proper.
Zelensky and those around him also have so much invested in these concepts that the thought of defeat or even the mention of defeat and with it the mention of any Russian gains against them is anathema.
So is it any wonder that Zelensky talks of people around him not telling him the truth and indeed misleading him? Hasn’t he himself been the author of this milieu of manufactured “reality” with almost his every statement? What else could he possibly expect?
For the populations of the western world all this has had an additional knock-in effect. Western mass media also assumed a strong ‘war mode’ stance in regard to events in Ukraine and as with the case of Syria where the pro-government side could not have any news relayed, so in regard to Ukraine only the news of Ukrainian officials and activists could be relayed and nothing from the ‘other side’.
That there remains a sizeable number of people within the civilian populations of the West that consider their mainstream news outlets as truthful on what is going on in Ukraine is quite amazing. In recent memory, the examples of mainstream deceit have been many and it is not even necessary to name them. So the notion that the newspapers and TV news channels are delivering the objective facts on Ukraine is quite astounding to conceive of. Where have these people been for the last almost two decades?
Believing bullshit, whether that comes about through naivety, some misguided notion of patriotism or sheer hatred-induced wishful thinking, in essence comes down to this, it equates to encouraging blindness. And I would posit with some confidence now that Zelensky has been in a state of virtual blindness since those days when Boris Johnson and Joe Biden convinced him to call a halt to all peace negotiations with Russia.
However, the truth is now becoming undeniable. No matter how many times a day others brainwash you with positive thinking and “facts” regarding surefire Ukraine victory and Russian defeat, a little some of actuality begins to permeate the belief bubble you exist within if you are as deeply deluded as Zelensky. The blandishments about how well Ukraine is doing will no doubt continue without limit. But even a bullshit-permeated individual such as Zelensky appears to be will, I am sure, notice some tell-tale signs in expressions, unconscious ticks and certain undisguisable eye movements that all is not quite as it seems to be with things going as seriously wrong as they are now.
Zelensky may be just starting to wake up to all this. How long before most of Europe and the USA do also?
IS ZELENSKY BEING FED THE SAME B.S. "INFORMING" WESTERN MAINSTREAM MEDIA?
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