[calibraxis]

The problem with US propaganda (like New York Times) is the US is the far more powerful mafia boss than say Russia. (Just look at militant attacks which reach across the world, not to mention incarceration.) Furthermore, people should be concerned with their own country's criminality, not hypocritically pointing the finger at official enemies like Russia. (As this is a US-dominated forum.)

[icebraining]

Furthermore, people should be concerned with their own country's criminality, not hypocritically pointing the finger at official enemies like Russia.

It's only hypocritical if you don't also point the finger at your own flaws. Which people in this forum do. A lot.

Besides, not everyone agrees anymore with the notion that they must "have a country". What's my country? I have double nationality, and I live in an union of 28 countries. Lots of us work and live moving from country to country. And I feel more at home with some people here than with the average citizen of my city.

I still hold a soft spot for the place I grew up in, but I don't consider myself tied to it. It's not mine, nor do I belong to it.

EDIT: My ignorance was showing. Thanks, Atropos.

[Atropos]

Small nitpick: EU has 28 member states, everybody always forgets about Croatia :)

[nothrabannosir]

How much karma do you need on HN to downvote? Because this deserves one.

How often are we going to repeat this point?

Okay, as slowly and clearly as I can:

"Two wrongs don't make a right."

Just because the US does bad thing X, doesn't mean we can't talk about another country doing bad thing X.

Please, for the love of baby Jesus and his family. Please. Please.

I won't even top it off with a "the country's people are not the same as its government," or anything like it. I just beg of you, please, please stop using this line of reasoning.

I'm so exhausted of seeing it. It wears me down.

PS: GP has a point, he sketches the context. Fine. "Russia is not the only one, also US." Okay, it's true. But when you say "don't talk about Russia, because US!" then no. No, no, no, no. No.

EDIT: Can't reply to "rational-future", so I'll say it here: No, not at all. The opposite. As I said: "GP has a point". My problem is here:

> Furthermore, people should be concerned with their own country's criminality, not hypocritically pointing the finger at official enemies like Russia.

This is wrong. Telling people to shut up because their government / countrymen / ... does the same thing. Sure, call them out for being hypocrites. But even hypocrites have a right to speak. So, yeah: do talk about the US. Sure. Give me context. As long as you leave all the room for the original discussion.

[rational-future]

So you're saying "Don't talk US, because Russia"?

[mahranch]

I feel like you completely missed the point of his comment. Probably purposefully.

To answer your question, just because something is "wrong" doesn't mean something can't be more "wrong". Just because I jaywalked yesteday doesn't mean I'm on the same level as a meth dealer, for example.

Life isn't black and white, it's shades of grey. Something can be much darker than another thing. And it's OK to point that out. As is the case here. The U.S media certainly isn't up to snuff, but the situation in Russia and other state-owned news agenicies are absolutely horrible by comparison. There may be poverty in the U.S but that doesn't mean it's on the same level as in a country like Ethiopia.

As much as the Russian defenders want to equate the two, they are NOT comparable.