Hahaha, I always chuckle when I see people online parrot PR copytext about how Apple cares [about digital privacy]. Just read their privacy policy…

While this is true, European political systems are generally more competitive and flexible (i.e. not a two party state).

US is a two party state where both parties are very corrupt, but worst thing is that the base of the centre-right opposition is largely tolerant of corruption.

I live on a high floor and it’s a fucking pain to deal with the cold and lack of water. Than being said, I can manage. I do feel for ladies like Janchuk. My grandma is 80+, but we can support her.

Individuals like Merkel with their arrogance and de facto support for russian genocidal imperialism are massive enablers of the russians (Schröder is a piece of shit too, but unlike Merkel I don’t think he actually believes in anything, if the bribe is large enough he will pitch anything). I hope both of them get a severe case of Alzheimer’s.

US is really turning into russia but with a stronger cultural preference for “freedom” polemics.

I’ve lived for multiple years in both US and russia (I speak English and russian), so I think I have something like a frame of reference.

I think the Americans are going to leave NATO soon. It seems like a logical outcome of their current trajectory (among many other things). As things stand, it is unlikely there will be any true change American society; ~40% are committed to a chauvinistic, pro-crime, pro-corruption direction and even many in the “far right lite” (what is marketed as “moderates” in the US) or even the centre right don’t have any appetite for real anti-crime reform (for example arresting and charging Zuckerburg and other senior Meta executives for a pre-meditated multi billion dollar fraud scheme, and that’s one tiny example out many).

The victory of the centre-right in elections for the lower house isn’t going to change anything. Even a hypothetical win by someone like Michelle Obama (or one of Biden’s cabinet ministers) is just going to lead to more shallow and meaningless “Courage, Hope and Change!” rhetoric and no action. I really hope I am wrong, but can you really blame me for taking such a less than charitable posture?

Europe should have started re-arming and preparing as far back as 2008 when the russians invaded Georgia (let alone the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022). Merkel was warned by multiple EU members what the (overwhelming majority) of russians are like, yet to this day, even in retirement, she continues to promote russian narratives.

Say what you want about the current situation, but it’s Europe’s Carpe diem moment. Almost a unique opportunity.

That’s a fair point, but with software platforms, I don’t think you can make a seamless migration tool without Google’s cooperation. And there a lot of roadblocks and malicious compliance type strategies that US oligarchic institutions can adopt. There is also the issue of monopoly-like network effects.

Considering their administration’s behaviour and the current course of American society, I think it’s better to make a permanent break with US. I do not think they will be able to address corruption and criminality. Even if the centre-right comes to power, it will be some variant of Obama, perhaps competent, but with zero desire to reign in corruption, oligarchs and prosecute criminals. Just like Obama refused to prosecute the financial industry oligarchs, a hypothetical centre-right leader won’t address Meta’s $16 billion raised via conscious enablement of fraud.

Then there will be another election, they’ll seed in some more propaganda about “freedom” and “destruction of America” and you’ll have JD Vance elected or perhaps someone even far worse than Vance or Trump.

To hell with that.

I’ve lived in the US for several years and travelled extensively, I feel confident in what I am saying. A large portion of American society is obsessed with ostentatious posturing about how they are the biggest supporters of “freedom” in the world (and similar self-aggrandizing polemics), that they cannot be engaged with in good faith.

They should start with banning US tech services, first insta/FB/Twitter/Reddit and then slowly kicking out MS/Amazon/Google and other enterprise providers.

The US is comically corrupt!

Good luck! All the best for your health!

Wouldn’t be surprised to hear comparable arguments during a similar hypothetical situation in the US.

This seems to imply that the piece of shit Aytolllah is seriously considering that his regime won’t hold.

Let’s hope his evacuation plane (with his son and family members) will be shot down when they try to run.

What a degenerate.

Did the thugs at the Blackstone criminal gang decide to play hardball with the recent demand to increase the size of bribes?

I agree on all counts.

I am just pointing out that working for Press TV is just as bad what Google does.

While I wouldn’t trust Google on anything, the “journalist” cited in this article worked for Iranian foreign propaganda outlet Press TV. Even though what Google did was wrong, that’s a massive red flag. Working for Press TV is no different than Google working for the American far right oligarch regime.

Funny, to see a member of the corrupt US oligarchy talk about corruption in other countries.

A menace to all liberal, democratic societies that value human rights and believe in real market competition that brings down prices and forces companies to focus on the needs of their customers and workforce (so not fake American-style competition rhetoric).

Almost none of them are morons. They are all cunning, sophisticated and they spend all their time on work and their goals.

No need to underestimate them.

If anything their weaknesses lie in arrogance, ignorance (not the same thing as being stupid) and low tolerance of dealing with challenges they haven’t encountered. As things stand today, this weaknesses haven’t really caused them any problems, but that doesn’t this will always be true.

Corrupt GLP-1 addicted motherfuckers!

I used to always defend the US (even before 2014) on pragmatic grounds and due to the history of the 20th century. Americans tend to be slow, but they eventually do the right thing. They’ve done a lot of bad, but unlike russia and China they’ve also had genuine successes in their foreign policy such as promoting long-term democracy and freedom in Germany, Japan, Poland, the Baltic nations.

After they recognize russia’s annextion of Crimea, Lugansk and Donetsk oblasts, they are de facto on par with Nicaragua, Cuba or North Korea as far as I am concerned.

And this is not merely a matter of far right Americans, the American centre-right (both party elites and the vast majority of their supporters, albeit not all) is very much responsible too. Vast majority of centre-right Americans (I’ve lived there for several, and I have close centre-right friends) are too well off to support true anti-corruption measures, the type that would take down many of the oligarchs that are the nexus of chauvinistic propaganda and corruption that enabled Trump. One example from my time in the US was Obama deciding to completely avoid any anti-crime measures in the financial industry in 2008 (a unique, historical opportunity).

That’s fair.

enough material for russian propaganda to legitimate further acts of war.

You should watch some russian propaganda. They already show “news” pieces about how their nukes can reach London and other European cities. That ship has sailed.