The OP is just parroting a Peter Schiff tweet from earlier this morning. I will respond by stating that this is typical conservative Boomer horseshat - attack the packaging but ignore the substance.
I have far more respect for Zelensky's optics, wartime leader, staying in the capital, dressing like those that are defending the country, as opposed to Putin being in a suit and tie but seemingly afraid to allow his top generals/cabinet members to sit within 20 feet of him.
Liberals think skin color and preferred pronouns are the most important attributes a person has and "conservative boomers" are the ones obsessed with packaging over substance.
Poster, do you suffer from a variety of mental illnesses? Are you over age seventy-five suffering from dementia or another age related brain disease? It is annoying reading your posts in regard to Ukraine situation. You are so stuck in your Democrat-Republican petty grudges you cannot see W.T.F. is going on. Poster, you do know, Biden, Pelosi, Schumer and McConnell are all voting as a team for this war. Why don't you yell into a pillow instead of posting. You change sides every couple of days.
The fact that you think I change sides is proof I'm not stuck in the Democrat-Republican loop.
You don't have to be a Republican to think Democrats are all idiots these days.
Petro Poroshenko, Zelensky's predecessor as Ukraine's president and the man who lost the most recent election, goes for the flack jacket look in his appearances:
The guy is fighting the unholy reincarnation of the Soviet Union and you're worried about his t-shirt? Maybe if you controlled your infatuation for Putin you would see what a monumental challenge this country is facing.
I didn't write this but it sums up the buffoonery of Schiff and OP:
The irony is presentation actually is one of zelensky's top priorities. The day the war began zelensky switched to that olive drab outfit. I know because I noticed it and was like "dang this dude really knows how to hit the buttons at the right time on his messaging". He was literally pitch perfect those first few days of the war when it came to his messaging. And that's not just what he said, but how he said it when, what he looked like while saying it. It's all part and parcel of his messaging to Ukrainians that he is part of this war, that he's at personal risk, and that everyone's efforts contribute to the war effort. He's also not wearing a formal military uniform, decorations, or insignias. Its consciously messaging that he's another grunt. Not elevated above the people he's leading. It's masterful political messaging and stagecraft. And it's super weird that western commentators don't get it. Has our political theater been this sh*t for this long we can't recognize well done political theater when it's done in front of us? We even had an entire massively popular movie and book series that actually delved into the importance of stagecraft in propaganda and politics. Including the importance of fashion and messaging. Does no one remember the long ass discussions on manipulating perception through clothing in the hunger games? He absolutely should not change to a suit. In public perception he's an embattled front line leader under serious threat. He shouldn't undermine that message by throwing on a suit. It'd be really counterproductive. Edit: also when he goes to speak go western leaders he's going to cajole and lecture them. He's been haranguing the west for weeks now about being unwilling to do enough. Sitting there in a meeting or a zoom call wearing fatigues and having bags under his eyes adds oomph to that message. It keeps everyone's minds focused on the fact that he didn't run. That he's still in Kyiv in a city under siege, not sitting somewhere safe. And that helps him in his efforts into shaming western leaders into action. He's basically pulling a masculinity card on them. Wearing a suit would add a false air of normalcy to the diplomacy, when he's trying to impart a sense of urgency on the foreign leaders he's speaking to.
Poster, do you suffer from a variety of mental illnesses? Are you over age seventy-five suffering from dementia or another age related brain disease? It is annoying reading your posts in regard to Ukraine situation. You are so stuck in your Democrat-Republican petty grudges you cannot see W.T.F. is going on. Poster, you do know, Biden, Pelosi, Schumer and McConnell are all voting as a team for this war. Why don't you yell into a pillow instead of posting. You change sides every couple of days.
The fact that you think I change sides is proof I'm not stuck in the Democrat-Republican loop.
You don't have to be a Republican to think Democrats are all idiots these days.
Although...you are not helping your argument at all.
I didn't write this but it sums up the buffoonery of Schiff and OP:
The irony is presentation actually is one of zelensky's top priorities. The day the war began zelensky switched to that olive drab outfit. I know because I noticed it and was like "dang this dude really knows how to hit the buttons at the right time on his messaging". He was literally pitch perfect those first few days of the war when it came to his messaging. And that's not just what he said, but how he said it when, what he looked like while saying it. It's all part and parcel of his messaging to Ukrainians that he is part of this war, that he's at personal risk, and that everyone's efforts contribute to the war effort. He's also not wearing a formal military uniform, decorations, or insignias. Its consciously messaging that he's another grunt. Not elevated above the people he's leading. It's masterful political messaging and stagecraft. And it's super weird that western commentators don't get it. Has our political theater been this sh*t for this long we can't recognize well done political theater when it's done in front of us? We even had an entire massively popular movie and book series that actually delved into the importance of stagecraft in propaganda and politics. Including the importance of fashion and messaging. Does no one remember the long ass discussions on manipulating perception through clothing in the hunger games? He absolutely should not change to a suit. In public perception he's an embattled front line leader under serious threat. He shouldn't undermine that message by throwing on a suit. It'd be really counterproductive. Edit: also when he goes to speak go western leaders he's going to cajole and lecture them. He's been haranguing the west for weeks now about being unwilling to do enough. Sitting there in a meeting or a zoom call wearing fatigues and having bags under his eyes adds oomph to that message. It keeps everyone's minds focused on the fact that he didn't run. That he's still in Kyiv in a city under siege, not sitting somewhere safe. And that helps him in his efforts into shaming western leaders into action. He's basically pulling a masculinity card on them. Wearing a suit would add a false air of normalcy to the diplomacy, when he's trying to impart a sense of urgency on the foreign leaders he's speaking to.
+1
Let's not forget that Zelensky was a good comedian. He knows how to communicate with people and that is his biggest strength right now.
And he played a President before. Not many people have the chance to do that. It's not like there is a course you can do to be President.
I only hope that he survives all of this with his fellow Ukrainians.
Kremlin announces Putin has no plans to visit "special military operation" zone.
Does he not have the event t-shirt due to trade sanctions?
MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. Currently, there are no plans for (Putin) making a trip to the zone of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine or for visiting soldiers in hospitals, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Thursday.
"No plans for any such trips," he said in reply to a corresponding question. Also, he added that visits to hospitals for meeting recovering soldiers were not on Putin’s schedule, either.
Gone are the days when Adolf Putin rides a horse with no shirt on. He's hiding deep underground in a basement at the Putin Palace. You won't find him anywhere outside again.
Sorry to derail the thread, but other than Ron Desantis (a borderline Millennial), name one Gen Xer who could win a Presidential election in the USA. You can't do it.
Holding people's interest is not the same thing as holding their respect. Now in this case it's understandable that the Wests reliable puppet has their interest, he is serving it.
I think most of the "Russian trolls" on LetsRun are really American trolls. The OP for example seems like an American to me.
This guy, however, really could be a Russian troll. A few of the posts on this thread have that quality; they veer a little past "Western liberalism is bad" to "America/democracy/Western civilization is bad".
Moderators, is it possible to check the IP addresses of some of the more obvious trolls? If their IP addresses are being hidden or changed, is there a way of seeing that something fishy is going on?
I think it would be a blockbuster on this site if we actually found confirmed Russia propaganda. Even with all the posts suggesting "Russian disinformation", I'm not sure we really believe that is happening--but it could be!
Liberals think skin color and preferred pronouns are the most important attributes a person has and "conservative boomers" are the ones obsessed with packaging over substance.
I'm sorry, I respect the guy and have empathy for what his country is going through; but pull it together man.
Maybe one day of this would have been acceptable, but this has been going on for like a month.
I'm a former Army officer, and even in combat zones, it was imperative for senior leadership to not look like they are so out of control they cannot shave, wear clean clothes, do personal hygiene etc. Officers shaved in combat, tried to get haircuts when available, wore clean clothes when available etc.
We expected our generals to have the highest standards of personal appearance. They would never have walked around in a t shirt, unshaven like this for over a month.
Also, when the US willfully destroys its own petro dollar for your cause, you better have the decency to speak to us in a suit.
A good reminder about how horrible the services have generally been in selecting PT gear!! And the Army has probably been the worse. So many times over the last 25 years or so I've thought, "Are they TRYING to make their people look dorky during PT ??"
I'm sorry, I respect the guy and have empathy for what his country is going through; but pull it together man.
Maybe one day of this would have been acceptable, but this has been going on for like a month.
I'm a former Army officer, and even in combat zones, it was imperative for senior leadership to not look like they are so out of control they cannot shave, wear clean clothes, do personal hygiene etc. Officers shaved in combat, tried to get haircuts when available, wore clean clothes when available etc.
We expected our generals to have the highest standards of personal appearance. They would never have walked around in a t shirt, unshaven like this for over a month.
Also, when the US willfully destroys its own petro dollar for your cause, you better have the decency to speak to us in a suit.
Thoughts?
This is so petty and pathetic. I’m surprised you weren’t fragged by your unit.
Yes, one could argue that your first sentence is defensible. There are lots of different ways to skin a cat. On the one hand, a military could say that it matters not a wit what we look like when bullets are flying. Yep. Look at images of WWII or Vietnam. And one could also argue that it's admirable, or similar sentiments, to still look fairly "sharp" even when there are, admittedly, much more important things to worry about. I see the latter, but find the former much more refreshing (i.e., worry about the important stuff, not the PR photos). I a particularly love the photos of FADM Nimitz and other senior officers in WWII absolutely looking like they just rolled out of bed in their cotton khakis.
But your second sentence, even "kiddingly," is nearly infinitely worse. And while I don't know your background, it whiffs of the unfortunately common, knuckle-dragging, bitter enlisted view that we should make "fragging" jokes about any officer with whom we disagree. Disgusting. And yeah, I'm a retired officer.
Zelensky could wear a suit. And one could say, "Gee, that's some discipline, even in a very difficult situation" (the view of most militaries). Or, he could wear a t-shirt, which he's obviously doing, and one could say, "Totally understandable. His country is in mortal danger. Who gives a crap what he's wearing?"
We can see both sides without calling each other DBs. But yeah, Americans....humans.
