Don't normalize imperialistic ambitions as a way to appeal to fascists. Ukraine should be supported, but not because of the need to maintain the hegemony.
this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2025
930 points (97.6% liked)
Bluesky
940 readers
143 users here now
People skeeting stuff.
Bluesky Social is a microblogging social platform being developed in conjunction with the decentralized AT Protocol. Previously invite-only, the flagship Beta app went public in February 2024. All are welcome!
founded 3 months ago
MODERATORS
Down with American imperialism. Long live the imperialism of their successor!
So in response to my argument that you shouldn't directly encourage imperialism you're arguing "but my empire is better than their empire." How very... insightful. I understand that you believe imperialism is a fundamental reality of international politics, but it's only because of tact shit like this that defeats internationalism.
Well, "my empire is better" is a very good argument when discussing which empire should run the world.
There's only 3 choices for who gets the hegemony right now, or is my knowledge out of date? There's USA, China, and Russia.
Curious who should take over if Americans should let go.
Let me give you an overview of our argument so far.
-
I made a comment that the original language encourages a false dichotomy that justifies imperialism.
-
You replied that there are only options that allow imperialism.
-
I replied that's a false dichotomy.
-
You replied they're the only options.
In the meantime we've got the history non-aligned movement and the history of imperial ambitions being inherently self destructive and leading to fundamental overreach that destroys the very states that attempt them because they start to believe that absolute nonsense that you seem to. The frank truth is, neither the US, Russia, or China are CAPABLE of being a true hegemony. All three of them have serious issues even maintaining their own internal cohesion. Internationalism is the only rational path forward and these "realpolitik" takes are fundamentally a delusion derived from empires believing their own propaganda. Encouraging imperialist rhetoric is what allows fascists to thrive and results in idiotic interventionalism.
Ukraine should be supported because Russia is acting in an imperialistic manner, not because America has some danger of losing an ephemeral imperial power that it doesn't have in the first place.
Damn, I thought liberals were supposed to at least wear a mask.
A power balance would be more beneficial than the US rampaging without countries having other imperialists to align with.
Do you think a power imbalance or global revolution as the other commenter implies is more likely to occur than another hegemony?
If they suddenly closed prisons I wouldn't be like "hell yeah, in a just world we wouldn't need prisons, nobody should have their freedom taken away." I'd be preoccupied with what I think is going to happen in this world.
Also, every single country engages in "imperialism." It's basic geopolitics. Simply trading with people gives you influence with them that you could potentially leverage. (Remember, this topic is about soft power and influence, which some people are calling imperialism. If it's confusing don't blame me.)
"Russian interference" is not just a few hackers breaking into emails—it’s a well-documented, multi-decade strategy of disinformation designed to weaken democratic institutions. The Kremlin has spent years building an extensive network of fake social media accounts, bot farms, and propaganda outlets to spread divisive narratives.
The Senate Intelligence Committee, the FBI, and cybersecurity experts have all confirmed that Russia’s influence campaigns exploit social and political fractures, using platforms like Facebook and Twitter to push misleading or outright false information. Reports from organizations like the RAND Corporation and Stanford Internet Observatory show how these tactics are designed to erode trust in democracy itself, making people more susceptible to authoritarian and extremist messaging.
This isn’t just speculation—it’s the exact playbook used in Russia’s interference in the 2016 and 2020 elections, as confirmed by U.S. intelligence agencies and the Mueller Report. The goal has always been to amplify distrust, push conspiracy theories, and create a populace that can no longer distinguish fact from fiction.
And now? We’re seeing the results. A country where misinformation spreads faster than the truth, where people take social media posts at face value instead of questioning their sources, and where a populist leader can ride that wave of disinformation straight into power.
Putin doesn’t need to fire a single shot—he’s watching Americans tear themselves apart over lies his operatives helped plant. And the worst part? Many people still refuse to acknowledge it's happening.
Putin has long stated that Russia is at war with the West—not through traditional military means, but through information warfare. Intelligence agencies, cybersecurity experts, and independent researchers have repeatedly warned that we are being targeted. Yet, many in the West refused to take it seriously.
Now, we’re losing the war—not on the battlefield, but in the minds of our own citizens, as propaganda and disinformation tear at the very fabric of democracy.
We need to be able to identify their tactics when we see them.
I've personally noticed that there's a certain kind of user who will always reply no matter what. I think it's part of their job to never concede so it looks like they've won when people on the other side move on with their lives.
I've noticed the same thing. Some users seem less interested in genuine discussion and more focused on exhausting the conversation until the other person gives up. It’s not about exchanging ideas—it's about persistence, repetition, and making it seem like they've "won" just because they got the last word.
I've encountered accounts that mostly follow this pattern:
- They present themselves as neutral or centrist but consistently echo Kremlin talking points—things like "NATO crossed Russia’s red line" or "You’re ignoring the materialist perspective."
- They seem AI-assisted—the phrasing is polished, but they cycle through the same arguments without really engaging with what’s been said.
- They never concede a single point, no matter how well-supported the counterargument is. Instead, they shift the topic, reframe the discussion, or insist that any counterpoint is “Western propaganda.”
- They rely heavily on logical fallacies—particularly whataboutism (“But what about NATO’s history?”), false equivalence (“Russia sees NATO as a threat, so both sides are at fault”), and shifting the goalposts (when one argument is dismantled, they subtly pivot to another without acknowledging the first was refuted).
I only started wondering if some of these accounts might be Russian bots last week, but your comment is making me think my suspicion wasn’t just alarmist. Now I’m genuinely curious—have others been running into the same thing?
load more comments
(4 replies)
All it took was a few insatiably greedy assholes and a few decades. Hopefully the next government can figure out how to contend with human greed.
If you think the disinformation was directed at "them", think again
Tbh it’s basically the movie 300 without king Leonidas.
Indeed and the fucking MAGAts are sucking down the Kremlin stirred Orange Kool-Aid.