Thread: Life in our countries - "good, bad and ugly"...

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

PS. Don't miss the gibberish Cyrillic at 1:30 -- nice work there, CIA-tards! :fool"

I think it's not a tard kind of guys. That's just a way to outrage someone (a nation in this case) remotely. Americans became skilled in it. It's systematic that's why I'm sure it's cultural and sort of a tradition.

Originally Posted by Paul G.

I think it's not a tard kind of guys. That's just a way to outrage someone (a nation in this case) remotely. Americans became skilled in it. It's systematic that's why I'm sure it's cultural and sort of a tradition.

But this video, as I said, was not made for Russians to watch -- it was made for the viewing of President Reagan and other Americans who didn't know the Russian alphabet.

I solemnly promise you that the CIA is not nearly clever enough to have deliberately put a mistake in a video just for the purpose of outraging Russians more than 20-30 years later. When the CIA manages to find its own ass, that means they're doing an average job. Every once in a while they do a truly outstanding, spectacular job that actually produces correct information and saves lives on both sides, but that's very rare. On average days, it's "successfully located own ass -- mission accomplished!"

PS. Of course, that's just what I would say if I were secretly working for The Company.

PPS. Now I must kill you all.

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

But this video, as I said, was not made for Russians to watch -- it was made for the viewing of President Reagan and other Americans who didn't know the Russian alphabet.

I know it. I meant they do it for themselves. Like teenagers joke behind somebody's back. If we can't do anything with the USSR, let's specially mangle their language, scoff at their strange names and so on. It's sort of a pitiful rite: we laugh at them, therefore we become stronger.

Originally Posted by Paul G.

I know it. I meant they do it for themselves. Like teenagers joke behind somebody's back. If we can't do anything with the USSR, let's specially mangle their language, scoff at their strange names and so on. It's sort of a pitiful rite: we laugh at them, therefore we become stronger.

It turned out, nothing had to be done about the USSR externally - it was going down at an impressive pace on its own. =))

Originally Posted by Paul G.

I know it. I meant they do it for themselves. Like teenagers joke behind somebody's back.

Ah -- yes, I agree that it could have been CIA employees making a joke to each other.

I think it's equally possible, however, that:

1. Nobody in the CIA's computer-animation department spoke Russian;
2. Nobody in the CIA's Soviet department knew anything about video production;
3. The two departments could not take the trouble of writing a one-sentence memo to each other, and the badly-animated "УЫВЦФБГДД" television was the result.

(Similarly, Hilary's "Peregruzka" button was, I believe, a problem of non-communication between two different offices in the State Department -- and not an attempt to make fun of Russians.)

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

(Similarly, Hilary's "Peregruzka" button was, I believe, a problem of non-communication between two different offices in the State Department -- and not an attempt to make fun of Russians.)

Yes, it was funny and confusing at the same time. I don't think they did it for "making fun of Russians". I guess it could be sort of an "amusing sabotage", if we consider a soft version of the so-called "conspiracy theory". So, some people could make the wrong translation specially (to expose Hilary, for instance). In fact, they were right: Russian-American relations really look like "Peregruzka" now. Symbolism showed us that metaphysics exists.