The Russia bashing has backfired. [View all]

[go west young man]

The results of the West bashing Russia during this Olympics via Der Spiegel.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/editorial-on-western-bashing-of-sochi-olympics-a-952638.html

You have actually hurt the LGBT cause over there and even Putin opponents are pissed off with all the Russia dissing. Sadly your approach has not helped LGBT in their quest for equal rights which they rightly deserve. The lack of understanding of Russia at DU and in the MSM is a large part of the problem. What did everyone expect when you kept putting them all down? In actuality the LGBT loud approach at Russia during this Olympics has done more to help reignite the Cold War than Dick Cheney himself could have done. I bet the MIC is loving the LGBT community right now. Personally I think the media used everybody.

Excerpt from the article: An Affront to All Russians

Even if most Sochi bashing is directed at Putin, it still hits all Russians. Olympic fever is rampant in Russia and 69 percent of those surveyed are pleased about the games, with two out of three following the events on television. Even Russians who protested two years ago against Putin's return to the Kremlin feel the criticism is excessive. They are very aware of corruption and environmental damage. What they are sensitive about right now, though, is the constant and unfair barrage of ridicule from the West.

The Russians are perplexed by the world, and it's not their fault. They're celebrating a party in Sochi. But we're the party poopers waiting for any chance we can find to say: "Haha, the Russians have screwed up again!"
Marat Gelman, Moscow's best known art gallery owner, once claimed that things are only right in the world for the West if bad news is coming out of Russia.

I hope Gelman is wrong.


Here's some more examples.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/Column+Sochi+schadenfreude/9491186/story.html Major U.S. based scholars on Russia agree the schadenfreude has hurt the cause.

And New Republic. http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116507/russians-hit-back-west-cool-it-olympic-schadenfreude