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Culture War Roundup for the week of October 26, 2026

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Yes, that huge expansionist power that has for years engaged in hybrid warfare against various European countries and keeps constantly publicly threatening them.

Sounds like we’re talking about the US.

The fact that Trump frequently acts as if he wants to align the US with Russia and against its traditional allies is part of the problem, yes.

What on earth does that have to do with Russian militaristic aggression?

Because that’s what your rant most accurately describes. The US is the one all the way over there. Russia isn’t meddling around in Canada.

Why would I give a fuck about Canada?

I know many people on Motte are completely incapable of understanding the world isn't composed of NPCs but some of us actually happen to live in those countries that Russia has been actively threatening and sabotaging for years.

Doesn’t seem like you’re inclined to argue this logically.

Be well.

No, I think most here understand people exist in the world with such strong personal reasons they're incapable or unwilling to analyze this situation from a 3rd person perspective.

Finland should stop antagonizing Russia, e.g., by joining an aggressive anti-Russian military alliance who has been expanding for decades up to Russia's borders and regularly threatens Russia.

The point of the other user's comment is to note there are two sides to this conflict and claiming Russia is bad because it's a large expansionist power is silly because Russia is responding in the context of a larger, more powerful expansionist power which has been antagonizing it for decades. Your description better describes NATO and the EU than it does Russia.

there are two sides to this conflict

There are two sides to the conflict between Good and Evil. One of them is Good, and the other is Evil. Similarly, there are two sides to the conflict between someone trying to go about their business and someone trying to kill them for no good reason, although there is no guarantee that the innocent victim in this case is actually Good.

the point of the comment is to show how this isn't good versus evil

See, your comment is exactly what I mean by the "NPC" part. This assumption that I and other people like me shouldn't be allowed to seek our own goals and instead should lie down and meekly follow another country's opinions, particularly when you clearly aren't even aware of the recent history, such as why Finland joined Nato (Russia trying to conquer Ukraine) or when the Russian hybrid aggression started (years before Finland joined Nato).

NPC means non-player-character; an NPC can be courageous, they can be cowardly, they can be both. It doesn't just been being meek, losing a conflict, or being subjugated. An NPC can be the respawning character who constantly charges the battle lines to die in the most pointless way possible.

particularly when you clearly aren't even aware of the recent history, such as why Finland joined Nato (Russia trying to conquer Ukraine) or when the Russian hybrid aggression started (years before Finland joined Nato)

Oh? Russia invaded Ukraine?

this isn't a serious comment, you're not interested in a dialogue, and so this will be my last response

What is your definition of "invade" that Russia didn't meet in 2022?

More comments

NATO is not aggressive. It's a defense pact of the EU and the US. The idea NATO would launch some sort of Barbarossa 2.0 is fanciful especially with the current Euro regimes. NATO was seen as a fading cold war relic until Russia started invading it's neighbors and annexing chunks of it. Countries voluntarily joining an alliance is entirely different from marching your soldiers across a border and annexing land.

Also prior to the war the last time NATO expanded east was 2004. Finland and Sweden joined because the Ukraine war terrified them. The Euros are rearming because the Ukraine war terrified them. NATO is becoming more of an EU alliance because of the war. Prior to it the Euros were happy to neglect their militaries and buy Russian gas.

NATO is not aggressive

NATO destroyed Yugoslavia through color revolution and attacked Serbia; this isn't a good position and I'm tired of fielding it.