The headline on Drudge was “Sex for the Motherland” and it was on its face an article about some event that was aimed at getting couples to get it on, with the goal of increasing Russia’s dwindling population.  That seems interesting enough, especially from an American perspective.  It seems funny to have a quasi-governmental group encouraging sex as basically a national security/economic issue.  Upon closer nspection (and by that I mean once you read it) it’s actually more than that.

The organization that sponsored the sleep-in, if you will, is called Nashi, and here’s the basic premise of the Daily Mail article:

But the real aim of the youth camp – and the 100,000-strong movement behind it – is not to improve Russia’s demographic profile, but to attack democracy.

Huh?  Nashi is really about more than getting people to have sex, though I’d love to be in charge of an organization with that tall task.  Here are the main points of the article:

• Nashi also sponsored a book burning event, collecting “unpatriotic” works and destroying them.  The kicker?  Not that the hurricane’s name is Ditka, but that the to-be-burned books were provided beforehand by the organization.
• Nashi led a protest at the Estonian embassy after Estonia got bummed on some old Soviet memorial.  The protest wasn’t the regular oldAmerican kind with flag waving and placards and basically impotent old hippies.  They covered the building with graffiti, destroyed an ambassador’s car, and rocked out to some sweet old Russian propaganda music.
• Nashi makes a point of finding examples of fascism in other countries.  I guess the idea is, “You think we’re fascist?!?  Check out those other dudes!”  Smelt-it-deal-it, anyone?

The articles goes on an discusses a bunch of other examples of general worrisome behavior happening in Russia.  We know Putin’s basically an autocrat, but it’s weird seeing all sorts of slippery steps towards fascism.  Rampant nationalism, xenophobia, and rewriting popular history an dshowing Stalin as a great leader, Yeltsin as a lame-o Russian version of John Kerry.  (That means wimpy.)

The thing that caught my eye was really the way they’re trying to recast Russian 20th century history n good light.  We say Stalin sucks and that mass murders were bad.  Putin says that might have been bad, but so was the atomic bombing in Japan.  (Yeah, the bombing that stopped the war that Russia was fighting with us.)  Their Afganistan is no worse than our Vietnam.  Maybe so, but nearly half our country was protesting like crazy in the streets, whereas they sorta frown on it.   (Sorta.)  With Putin talking openly about considering “running” for a thirteenth term or whatever, it kinda makes you nervous for global relationships over the next twenty years.  China’s probably still worse than Russia as far as democracy is concerned, but at least they’re honest about where they stand on the issue.

(Side note: I don’t know much about British journalism or the Daily Mail, but this news piece really reads more like an extended opinion article.  Maybe the Daily Mail is a hack tabloid, or maybe British conceptions of proper journalistic tone are different.  If anyone is more familiar with their customs over there, let me know.  Seems like a lot of stuff I read from there have a similiar, conversational/opinionated vibe to them, even when presented as straight news.  Of course, maybe it is an editorial, and I just didn’t get it.)