Okay, a promised infodump.
-
Okay, a promised infodump.
So, the war on Ukraine. By Russia. To be utterly clear from the beginning about whose choice this was.
Ukraine has fought this war with an incredible application of sheer brainpower: innovation after innovation, new tactics, new technology, homemade weapons, incredible things.
And they haven't just fired them off randomly to just cause Russian deaths.
They've actually built an incredible strategy based on turning the Russian myth of invincibility upside down.
So first I need to explain that myth, where it comes from, and why it's a mythmaking exercise, and not at all what it's sold as.
First, then, we need to look at Napoleon Bonaparte. The first one.
When he invaced Russia, in 1812, he did so from a start line more or less in modern Poland. He gathered 600,000 troops, from several forcibly allied nations. And off the went to take Moscow. So they marched and they marched, and as they marched, the summer passed, and autumn came. By this time their supply lines were literally thousands of km in length. In a time with no railroads or air transport, that was a HUGE distance. Everything that moved moved by horsepower, or mulepower.
The Russians didn't stand and fight. They fought delaying actions, while their troops destroyed supplies, broke down shelters, and basically scorched the earth for the incoming French armies.
This meant that they couldn't forage from the countryside, as had been Napoleon's innovation earlier in the Napoleonic wars. His men would march much more quickly than other troops, and did so spread out enough to be able to feed themselves by basically taking everything the nearest peasants had. Ruining those people's existence, of course, but keeping themselves fed.
In Russia, this was no longer possible. All supplies had to be brought a couple of thousand km to the front, a wagonload at a time.
1/10
Well worth my time reading this. Very informative. Thank you.
-
Well worth my time reading this. Very informative. Thank you.
Thank you for taking the time to make a positive comment. A nice perq of this kind of writing.
-
Thank you for taking the time to make a positive comment. A nice perq of this kind of writing.
You're more than welcome. I am a cheerleader, not a fighter. I find my task in keeping my allies energized. You are clearly one of those. Thank you for the effort.
-
You're more than welcome. I am a cheerleader, not a fighter. I find my task in keeping my allies energized. You are clearly one of those. Thank you for the effort.
I am the same. I've spent a great deal of energy this year, from my "safe" seat in Canada, trying to think critically for my USan siblings, facing a gentlemen's genocide from the US government. Understandably, they're kinda panicky. So I like to try and provide some calmer, carefully-reasoned looks at what's happening, as opposed to what the government says is happening.
Because for me, doomerism...defeatism...is the worst enemy of solidarity. The psychic damage done by accepting that core tenet of fascist propaganda: "We Are Strong and Ineivtable!" is immense, and I believe it's useful work to help fight it back from sending people into the despair that it was created to instil.
So I really do appreciate your positivity. Thank you for spreading it.
-
I am the same. I've spent a great deal of energy this year, from my "safe" seat in Canada, trying to think critically for my USan siblings, facing a gentlemen's genocide from the US government. Understandably, they're kinda panicky. So I like to try and provide some calmer, carefully-reasoned looks at what's happening, as opposed to what the government says is happening.
Because for me, doomerism...defeatism...is the worst enemy of solidarity. The psychic damage done by accepting that core tenet of fascist propaganda: "We Are Strong and Ineivtable!" is immense, and I believe it's useful work to help fight it back from sending people into the despair that it was created to instil.
So I really do appreciate your positivity. Thank you for spreading it.
Oh this is interesting. I have worked extensively with climate communication as a researcher and one of the simplest takeaways is the sentence "Doom is the new denial". The point being that climate denial leads to climate inaction, and so DOES climate doomism. 1/
-
Oh this is interesting. I have worked extensively with climate communication as a researcher and one of the simplest takeaways is the sentence "Doom is the new denial". The point being that climate denial leads to climate inaction, and so DOES climate doomism. 1/
So in promoting doom professed realists work towards the worst possible outcome and playing into the hands of the very worst part of the petro-industry and its cheerleaders who may, not incidentally, overlap with the fascists and fascist enablers the trans community faces in the US. 2/2
-
So in promoting doom professed realists work towards the worst possible outcome and playing into the hands of the very worst part of the petro-industry and its cheerleaders who may, not incidentally, overlap with the fascists and fascist enablers the trans community faces in the US. 2/2
Addendum: The relation from this to how we talk about to the war in Ukraine is obvious - obviously. 3/2
-
So in promoting doom professed realists work towards the worst possible outcome and playing into the hands of the very worst part of the petro-industry and its cheerleaders who may, not incidentally, overlap with the fascists and fascist enablers the trans community faces in the US. 2/2
OMG YES! Exactly! My grandfather taught me about this. He was an infantry sergeant major, fought right through the war in the Argylls, in Palestine (pre-war), North Africa (vs Germans and Italians), then Northwestern Europe (France, Belgium, Netherlands) after D-day in '44.
And the only lesson he taught me about being a good leader was that one: morale is king. Keep it up, and you have a force. Lose it, you have a mob. He didn't like to talk about his experiences otherwise. Just this one tip. He rated it higher than discipline by far.
Really glad I talked to you today. Thanks for the new arguments in favour of the morale approach.
-
OMG YES! Exactly! My grandfather taught me about this. He was an infantry sergeant major, fought right through the war in the Argylls, in Palestine (pre-war), North Africa (vs Germans and Italians), then Northwestern Europe (France, Belgium, Netherlands) after D-day in '44.
And the only lesson he taught me about being a good leader was that one: morale is king. Keep it up, and you have a force. Lose it, you have a mob. He didn't like to talk about his experiences otherwise. Just this one tip. He rated it higher than discipline by far.
Really glad I talked to you today. Thanks for the new arguments in favour of the morale approach.
Right back at ya!
-
Oh this is interesting. I have worked extensively with climate communication as a researcher and one of the simplest takeaways is the sentence "Doom is the new denial". The point being that climate denial leads to climate inaction, and so DOES climate doomism. 1/
@SuneAuken @oldladyplays Chiming in real quick to affirm you're right about the climate thing. Heck, wind and solar are finally cheap enough to compete fossil fuels to death on cost alone, and people want to throw in the towel NOW?
-
@SuneAuken @oldladyplays Chiming in real quick to affirm you're right about the climate thing. Heck, wind and solar are finally cheap enough to compete fossil fuels to death on cost alone, and people want to throw in the towel NOW?
It can be really disheartening to see people fight to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in this.
However, at the same time, it can only delay change, not stop it for very long.
Problem is, of course, we are so short on time, so we have to push through the opposition to a green energy transition as fast as at all possible.
