Very informative post, but I especially appreciate your take in answering the last question. I have coined a phrase to describe so much of the blather coming out of Trump 2.0: Fairy godmother syndrome. It seems they think that they possess some magical power rendering anything they assert true in the real world. Their combination of ignorance and magical thinking is lethal, destroying not only their credibility in all spheres but also our ability to help ourselves by helping Ukraine.
Agree on the fairy godmother metaphor, apt, and I probably will swipe it sometime, sorry.
In my personal experience the most effective way to deal with such thinking is to engage it in a public conversation politely in social terms, but with brutal rudeness and in-your-face declarations that stupid is stupid and this is why during the conversation.
The Achilles heel of these morons is they can't make an effective argument, and whether they know it or not it's usually child's play to demonstrate their rhetoric is idiotic. So embrace argument.
Also, I find that many of these people get ruffled when a "Lib" calls them an idiot to his face and backs it up with logic and more intelligent argument than he can manage.
This not might change your interlocutor's mind, but who cares about that? It certainly will undermine confidence in what the interlocutor is saying among observers, which is why the discussion needs to be as public as possible.
Please go right ahead and swipe it, I always envision the scene from the animated Cinderella in which her FG waves a magic wand and "a plain yellow pumpkin [becomes] a golden carriage" [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yliYHba6g0w ] - my memory is a mixtape of the 1950 animation and the later Rodgers and Hammerstein musical teleplay (1965) in which the song appears. TMI, I'm sure.
I support your strategy for dealing with those afflicted by FGS, but fear that too many of us are too distracted, too unaccustomed to critical thinking for it to work. Soundbites elicit at best thinkbites. I can't listen to - or even look at - the Trump administration's bevy of buffoons without having an uncontrollable impulse to touch my ears: I imagine my brain rotting and leaking out my ear canals. But you're right about the necessity of challenging their illogical nonsense; when a reasonable question from a reasonable reporter causes Trump to lash out "Quiet, piggy", you know you've touched a nerve!
Trump is the most deficient-in-every-admirable-human-quality specimen of homo sapiens I've ever encountered. I mean, at least Hitler liked dogs!
Thanks for this, not least answering the last Non ground drone questions. Dan Driscoll… the main reason for him holding his position is obviously being a class mate of JD Vance. What he says about Ukraines success and possibilities in the war are political statements, not military assessments. Also if Wikipedia is to be trusted in his role as army secretary: «In that role he has encouraged the Army to adopt the latest developments in drone technology, especially as they have been used in the Russo-Ukrainian war.» So he wants to learn how to fight with drones, but he doesn’t think those teachers know what they are doing… political animal. Tells you how JD Vance is thinking but we know that already.
It's very easy to say "I'm all about implementing drone tactics". It sounds great.
However, the US military trains that it will conduct ground warfare in an environment not particularly affected by small observation drones and basically unaffected by small strike drones. The administration has been in office a year and I'm seeing zero changes in how they are training the force to fight. Special operations don't count. The present Pentagon policy towards small drones in ground warfare is similar to machine guns only put into the hands of highly-trained commandos in WWI. Drones are a weapon of mass, ignoring that reality will get masses of your soldiers killed. Just ask the Russians.
superb as usual Stefan, many thanks.have many questions but my non-tech brain struggles to grasp details of drones, only that Ukraine seems to lead the world in their rapid innovation.I must say it so angers me to read today in NY times that ruzzia has the upper hand and that things are looking extremely grim for Ukraine. even in november wall street journal was claimingruzzia now had upper hand with drones. no mention of the strategic take out of oil revenues by Ukraine at all. is there anyway to stop these people falling so readily for ruzzian propoganda ?
No easy way. But the truth will out. The basic weakness of Russian propaganda is that time proves it wrong. The solution is just to point out the past and question the Russian propaganda source when it pontificates about the future.
For example, last month Putin announced the Russian army had captured the towns Kupyansk, Pokrovsk and Vovchansk. Lies, not true, in fact battles are still in progress.
So when they say "Look, new Russian 'victory!", just respond "Sure, like Kupyansk, Pokrovsk and Vovchansk, right?
Another simple tactic after that is to ask "So, what do you think about the latest Ukrainian drone strikes in Russia?", and when they say they don't know or dismiss it, that's a springboard to point out the 220+ strikes in the past three months, all the burnt oil refineries, oil production down 20 percent, tankers hit and set on fire, etc. etc. If a person is spouting Russian propaganda he will be ignorant about what the Ukrainians are doing to Russia, meaning you can simultaneously inform him and undermine his credibility to others.
As noted above, the basic weakness of these people is they make bad arguments unsupported by facts. As far as "Ukraine is losing" goes, that's silly, 11 years at war with Russia, 1.2 million dead and wounded Russian soldiers, Ukrainians are still fighting for their freedom and independence, at the current pace of Russian advance Russia will run out of soldiers in 5-10 years and then fall apart. That's not "Russia is winning", that is "Russia is committing national suicide." The bottom line is the Ukrainian will never quit fighting for their independence. Anyone who doubts that gets to explain the last 11 years.
Very informative post, but I especially appreciate your take in answering the last question. I have coined a phrase to describe so much of the blather coming out of Trump 2.0: Fairy godmother syndrome. It seems they think that they possess some magical power rendering anything they assert true in the real world. Their combination of ignorance and magical thinking is lethal, destroying not only their credibility in all spheres but also our ability to help ourselves by helping Ukraine.
Agree on the fairy godmother metaphor, apt, and I probably will swipe it sometime, sorry.
In my personal experience the most effective way to deal with such thinking is to engage it in a public conversation politely in social terms, but with brutal rudeness and in-your-face declarations that stupid is stupid and this is why during the conversation.
The Achilles heel of these morons is they can't make an effective argument, and whether they know it or not it's usually child's play to demonstrate their rhetoric is idiotic. So embrace argument.
Also, I find that many of these people get ruffled when a "Lib" calls them an idiot to his face and backs it up with logic and more intelligent argument than he can manage.
This not might change your interlocutor's mind, but who cares about that? It certainly will undermine confidence in what the interlocutor is saying among observers, which is why the discussion needs to be as public as possible.
Please go right ahead and swipe it, I always envision the scene from the animated Cinderella in which her FG waves a magic wand and "a plain yellow pumpkin [becomes] a golden carriage" [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yliYHba6g0w ] - my memory is a mixtape of the 1950 animation and the later Rodgers and Hammerstein musical teleplay (1965) in which the song appears. TMI, I'm sure.
I support your strategy for dealing with those afflicted by FGS, but fear that too many of us are too distracted, too unaccustomed to critical thinking for it to work. Soundbites elicit at best thinkbites. I can't listen to - or even look at - the Trump administration's bevy of buffoons without having an uncontrollable impulse to touch my ears: I imagine my brain rotting and leaking out my ear canals. But you're right about the necessity of challenging their illogical nonsense; when a reasonable question from a reasonable reporter causes Trump to lash out "Quiet, piggy", you know you've touched a nerve!
Trump is the most deficient-in-every-admirable-human-quality specimen of homo sapiens I've ever encountered. I mean, at least Hitler liked dogs!
Very well said Katie and I agree 100%
Thanks, Gary, but don't we all wish it wasn't true?
Thanks for this, not least answering the last Non ground drone questions. Dan Driscoll… the main reason for him holding his position is obviously being a class mate of JD Vance. What he says about Ukraines success and possibilities in the war are political statements, not military assessments. Also if Wikipedia is to be trusted in his role as army secretary: «In that role he has encouraged the Army to adopt the latest developments in drone technology, especially as they have been used in the Russo-Ukrainian war.» So he wants to learn how to fight with drones, but he doesn’t think those teachers know what they are doing… political animal. Tells you how JD Vance is thinking but we know that already.
It's very easy to say "I'm all about implementing drone tactics". It sounds great.
However, the US military trains that it will conduct ground warfare in an environment not particularly affected by small observation drones and basically unaffected by small strike drones. The administration has been in office a year and I'm seeing zero changes in how they are training the force to fight. Special operations don't count. The present Pentagon policy towards small drones in ground warfare is similar to machine guns only put into the hands of highly-trained commandos in WWI. Drones are a weapon of mass, ignoring that reality will get masses of your soldiers killed. Just ask the Russians.
superb as usual Stefan, many thanks.have many questions but my non-tech brain struggles to grasp details of drones, only that Ukraine seems to lead the world in their rapid innovation.I must say it so angers me to read today in NY times that ruzzia has the upper hand and that things are looking extremely grim for Ukraine. even in november wall street journal was claimingruzzia now had upper hand with drones. no mention of the strategic take out of oil revenues by Ukraine at all. is there anyway to stop these people falling so readily for ruzzian propoganda ?
No easy way. But the truth will out. The basic weakness of Russian propaganda is that time proves it wrong. The solution is just to point out the past and question the Russian propaganda source when it pontificates about the future.
For example, last month Putin announced the Russian army had captured the towns Kupyansk, Pokrovsk and Vovchansk. Lies, not true, in fact battles are still in progress.
So when they say "Look, new Russian 'victory!", just respond "Sure, like Kupyansk, Pokrovsk and Vovchansk, right?
Another simple tactic after that is to ask "So, what do you think about the latest Ukrainian drone strikes in Russia?", and when they say they don't know or dismiss it, that's a springboard to point out the 220+ strikes in the past three months, all the burnt oil refineries, oil production down 20 percent, tankers hit and set on fire, etc. etc. If a person is spouting Russian propaganda he will be ignorant about what the Ukrainians are doing to Russia, meaning you can simultaneously inform him and undermine his credibility to others.
As noted above, the basic weakness of these people is they make bad arguments unsupported by facts. As far as "Ukraine is losing" goes, that's silly, 11 years at war with Russia, 1.2 million dead and wounded Russian soldiers, Ukrainians are still fighting for their freedom and independence, at the current pace of Russian advance Russia will run out of soldiers in 5-10 years and then fall apart. That's not "Russia is winning", that is "Russia is committing national suicide." The bottom line is the Ukrainian will never quit fighting for their independence. Anyone who doubts that gets to explain the last 11 years.
thanks so much Stefan--this is a great help! great line about ruzzians committing national suicide-i just pray they manage to complete the job sooner!
Thanks Stefan very interesting question and answers article
You've always been awesome at analysis...