Hyperreality

Its like that quote about an antisemite not needing to use logic or reason.

Sartre:

“Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.”

https://startrek.website/pictrs/image/3a0374d0-97bc-441e-b4a9-ef027c46b6fe.jpeg

Nothing much. This isn't actually the government of Brussels, but just one municipality in the city, the centre bit.

Basically it's a bit like if the government in Islington (London) decided to stop buying stuff from Israel, except Islington has a larger population than the City of Brussels.

For those who are confused, this is the City of Brussels:

The City of Brussels ... is the largest municipality and historical centre of the Brussels-Capital Region, as well as the capital of the Flemish Region (from which it is separate) and Belgium ... As of 1 January 2023, the City of Brussels had a population of 194,291 inhabitants. The total area is 33.09 km2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Brussels

It's the bit in the middle of Brussels where you can buy waffles and admire a naked boy's urination skills.

Hanlon's razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity or incompetence.

There are people who say Vladimir Putin fell down a set of stairs and shit himself. I don't know if Vladimir Putin fell down a set of stairs and soiled himself. What I do know is that the Kremlin press office explicitly denied that Vladimir Putin fell down a set of stairs and soiled himself. Obviously, it wouldn't be the first time the Kremlin lies about something, but that doesn't mean it is true that Vladimir Putin fell down a set of stairs and shit himself. It is also possible that it is not true that Vladimir Putin fell down a set of stairs and shit himself.

The true moral of the story is to not believe Hollywood PR. Will Smith has been a media darling for decades. The guy could do no wrong.

Now it turns out he's just another deeply flawed rich person.

An important lesson for people who idolize celebrities and engage in parasocial relationships with them. Whether it's Kim Kardashian or Keanu Reeves, you have no idea of what they're really like, stop fooling yourself that you do.

Having lived through the 80s and as someone with Russian relatives, TraumaZone is arguably as close as you can get to that time as living through it. As you say, it's about the vibe, and to understand modern Russia understanding that vibe really does matter. Arguably it should be required viewing for anyone who wants to comment on Russian politics.

I've posted a link to it above, but I'll do it again here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wf5lT7zR50&list=PL9eKQjNu1CogsfzC8DvZM0SgpujW2hVUD

If anything his documentary on the fall of the Soviet Union and Russia in the early nineties is even more essential viewing, especially now:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia_1985%E2%80%931999:_TraumaZone

Found it on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wf5lT7zR50&list=PL9eKQjNu1CogsfzC8DvZM0SgpujW2hVUD

https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/artc-hamas-admits-women-not-raped-by-idf-at-shifa-hospital-following-al-jazeera-report

My government isn't particularly nasty, especially compared to some of the worst autocratic regimes, because they're worried about the next election.

Sucks if that isn't the case for you.