‘Short-sighted philistines’ and ‘oinking swine’ A festive run of slurs, fallacies, and choice clichés for celebrating Unity Day together with Putin and Medvedev
On Unity Day — a state holiday celebrated on November 4 in Russia — President Vladimir Putin explained, once again, why Russia invaded Ukraine. Before an audience of historians gathered at the Moscow Manezh exhibition hall, Putin spoke about why the war had been inevitable. Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev, too, had some holiday thoughts — about the various kinds of people who apparently oppose Russian unity. Meduza has compiled — and translated — the slurs, fallacies, and clichés that might help you get into a festive mood for this holiday.
First, Putin’s justifications of the war:
- Mental coercion, the propaganda of pseudo-values, and the spread of hate erected a de-facto anti-Russia in Ukraine.
- Russia’s clash with the Neo-Nazi Ukrainian regime was inevitable. But we took responsibility for it. If we didn’t do what we did in February, it all would have been the same, but worse.
- It’s bitter to see that we are fighting our own people, that the fighting is taking place within a single ethnic group.
- The situation is deadly to Russia and suicidal to the Ukrainian people: we see them being thrown into the flames, treated as if they do not exist.
- Ukrainian people are the main victims of anti-Russian hate. We have always treated Ukrainians warmly and respectfully, and we still do.
And now, the slurs extracted from Dmitry Medvedev’s holiday Telegram post, for those who fall outside the realm of Russian “unity”:
- a handful of crazed drug-addicted Nazis;
- a pack of barking dogs from the western kennel;
- a piebald herd of oinking swine;
- short-sighted philistines and drooling degenerates;
- accidental fellow-travelers;
- clingers;
- sycophants;
- cowardly traitors;
- greedy defectors;
- rape victims violated by their dark lords, slave-drivers, and oppressors;
- arrogant high priests;
- bloodthirsty adepts;
- sneering acolytes;
- silent mankurts —
and finally —
the supreme ruler of hell, no matter what name he goes by — Satan, Lucifer, or Iblis.
Of necessity, this is a somewhat free translation. For exact phrasing and context, please visit the linked sources.
Adapted for Meduza in English by Anna Razumnaya