***Once again I need to state that I am by NO means in support of Vlad the Invader and his actions against Ukraine***
Most Americans are in awe of the bravery that the president of Ukraine has shown in the face of the Russian invasion….most because to the image that the MSM has presented to its daily consumer.
I am not one of those people for I think there is more that is not given to the public….what we see is only ‘spin’…….I recently tried to show the other side of the coin (so to speak)….
Believe what you are programmed to believe….but at least read this interview with a Ukrainian that knows the person…..the interview is posted on the Grey Zone site…..
A comedic actor who rose to the country’s highest office in 2019, Volodymyr Zelensky was virtually unknown to the average American, except perhaps as a bit player in the Trump impeachment theater. But when Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Zelensky was suddenly transformed to an A-list celebrity in US media. American news consumers were bombarded with images of a man who appeared overcome by the tragic events, possibly in over his head, but ultimately sympathetic. It didn’t take long for that image to evolve into the khaki-clad, tireless hero governing over a scrappy little democracy and single-handedly staving off the barbarians of autocracy from the east.But beyond that carefully crafted Western media image is something much more complicated and less flattering. Zelensky was elected by 73 percent of the vote on a promise to pursue peace while the rest of his platform was vague. On the eve of the invasion, however, his approval rating had sunk to 31 percent due to the pursuit of deeply unpopular policies.Ukrainian academic, Olga Baysha, has studied Zelensky’s rise to power and how he has wielded that power since becoming president. In the interview below, Baysha discusses Zelensky’s embrace of neoliberalism and increasing authoritarianism, how his actions contributed to the current war; his counterproductive and self-absorbed leadership throughout the war, the complex cultural and political views and identities of Ukrainians, the partnership between neoliberals and the radical right during and after Maidan, and whether a Russian takeover of the entire Donbass region might be less popular among the local population than it would have been in 2014.
There is always more to the story than the PR that corporate media gives the public and so it is with Zelensky……he may not be the savior of democracy that he is portrayed.
I have noticed that many do not want to hear any of this for it challenges their mindset and that would mean they would have to reassess their undying loyalty.
Yes I think the US is wasting needed funds on Ukraine….the same way we have done since the 1980s.
This country is slipping into a manure pit and our elected cowards are worried about some country half a world a way…..and the peasants cheer.
Turn The Page!
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
In Saner Thought 
I just read the whole article, chuq. But as you say, who really wants to hear anything remotely bad about Zelensky? He is the ideal proxy for NATO to take on Russia in someone else’s country.
Best wishes, Pete.
And few will admit that he is hinkey….just vre3ad comments….they have made up their minds and nothing will convince them otherwise….sad If I recall Hitler was similar case. chuq
Lots of people in Britain admired Hitler during the 1930s. Until he invaded Poland.
Zelensky is not invading anyone….but he drawing NATO further down his rabbit hole…..and no one cares. chuq
I have it on good authority that Abraham Lincoln was not the Great Emancipator the way most Americans want to believe the story either. I hear that he freed the slaves so that they could all be rounded up and put on special navy ships that Lincoln had built and shipped off to Liberia where they would be free to form their own country. He actually wanted to free The United States from the Black presence more than he wanted to give American freedoms to the slaves.
So whether Zelenskyy is a hero or not depends on who you are and what you have been told and by whom you have been told it.
Exactly…he is a P{R construct. chuq
The “Poor” little lanky backwoodsman was really one of the richest attorneys in Washington and his specialty was screwing settlers out of their homes in order to make way for railroad right of ways.
Perhaps we are missing a greater point here. People aren’t generally “born” heroes, and when they might become heroes later in life does not one bit suggest they led a past life of “sainthood”. Leaders either rise to meet a particular event (more often than not, a totally unexpected event) and from their actions become heroes… or they don’t. In fact, I dare anyone to pick out any hero anywhere in the world, past or present, that hasn’t done something in their past to offend someone else. John is correct about Lincoln. Churchill was a slovenly lush in some circles before becoming a war hero. The list goes on.
Zelensky, being a TV comedian-turned-politician, most likely being a fish out of water in politics, likely made some goofs and was not well-received. But he apparently rose to the occasion when war broke out.
Heroes generally are “reluctant”.
Yet in spite of the general understanding that humans are not perfect creatures, we collectively love to “worship” our heroes.. who are generally nothing more than “heroes of the moment”.
As I have said….He is a PR construct….now he is playing the part well….he has millions convinced…..chuq
I found it really strange when Zelensky was interviewed by a Fox News overseas journalist and he told them that it was “nice Pelosi and Schiff” showed up, but he would “prefer” Biden. That is such an odd thing to say since Biden has cognitive issues and really is incapable of normal thought and speech since he even messes up with a teleprompter and rambles. It begs the question what do Biden and Zelensky really have in common other than this war? I bet it has something to do with Hunter Biden’s laptop. I realize that is just a stretch but you begin to think crazy thoughts when you hear a leader say things like that. Who is he to publically prefer anything from the US. Of course, I cannot stand Vlad and am against what Vlad has done but I think Zelensky is rather out of touch himself due to the war and the extreme stress understandably so. Just my humble opinion, chug!
The laptop thing is just a waste of time….like the Benghazi thing….it is a diversion so we do not think about the cash being thrown away on Ukraine….Zelensky will not be happy until the US is doing the fighting for him. chuq
Well I he seems fine without us and now he wants us to fight. No way.
I am always against war….period chuq
Reblogged this on AGR Daily News.
Thanx so much for the re-blog….mush appreciated. Be well chuq