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lprovenOver here in Central Europe, very close to Eastern Europe, the activities of Влади́мир Влади́мирович Пу́тин, President of Russia, are a topic of considerable and continuing interest. I have a few Russian friends in Brno, who like it for its freer, more relaxed, dare I even say Bohemian lifestyle compared to The Motherland.
But what I hear is that back home, Putin is a hero, loved by many. His régime's tight control of the media means that his spindoctors can portray him as a hero, a strong, powerful, dynamic leader, cleaning up Russia's corruption and organised crime and making it strong again, in contrast with the collapsing decadent West, weak and riddled with sexual perversions. Democracy, for example -- who needs it?
Apparently, many people really do love him. Some literally worship him. And one place this shows through in fairly accessible form is, unexpectedly, pop music. There's a growing trend of songs literally idolising him... and often they're provided with subtitles by the fans, helping to spread the word. (English is the lingua franca of Eastern Europe now -- only oldsters speak Russian. Anyone under 35 or so is likely to speak English if they have a 2nd language.)
Here are a few examples. They're worryingly catchy, too. And no, to the best of my knowledge, they are not parodies, jokes or anything else -- they're serious.
Those of you far away from the Slavic world may not quite understand how much concern these cause to those of us rather closer to the resurgent Russian empire and its new czar...
My Putin
(I want) One Like Putin
... and here's One Like Putin in English, with French subtitles
Go Hard Like Vladimir Putin (English-language rap by 2 young Africans from Moscow)
VVP Putin Saved the Country (English subtitles)
Happy joy-filled racially-pure Russian children sing "Happy Birthday, President of Russia" (subtitles, lyrics in description)
And finally... Vladimir Putin has done it! (Or possibly VP's achievements). No subtitles, so practice your Russian comprehension. You might be needing it soon...
But what I hear is that back home, Putin is a hero, loved by many. His régime's tight control of the media means that his spindoctors can portray him as a hero, a strong, powerful, dynamic leader, cleaning up Russia's corruption and organised crime and making it strong again, in contrast with the collapsing decadent West, weak and riddled with sexual perversions. Democracy, for example -- who needs it?
Apparently, many people really do love him. Some literally worship him. And one place this shows through in fairly accessible form is, unexpectedly, pop music. There's a growing trend of songs literally idolising him... and often they're provided with subtitles by the fans, helping to spread the word. (English is the lingua franca of Eastern Europe now -- only oldsters speak Russian. Anyone under 35 or so is likely to speak English if they have a 2nd language.)
Here are a few examples. They're worryingly catchy, too. And no, to the best of my knowledge, they are not parodies, jokes or anything else -- they're serious.
Those of you far away from the Slavic world may not quite understand how much concern these cause to those of us rather closer to the resurgent Russian empire and its new czar...
My Putin
(I want) One Like Putin
... and here's One Like Putin in English, with French subtitles
Go Hard Like Vladimir Putin (English-language rap by 2 young Africans from Moscow)
VVP Putin Saved the Country (English subtitles)
Happy joy-filled racially-pure Russian children sing "Happy Birthday, President of Russia" (subtitles, lyrics in description)
And finally... Vladimir Putin has done it! (Or possibly VP's achievements). No subtitles, so practice your Russian comprehension. You might be needing it soon...
