#toronto is bullshit

[torontoisbullshit]

Also the city that killed street food stalls, street hockey, and kite flying in parks.

[significant-narratives]

he spent the first eight years of his career trying to prove he was worthy. eight years of media bullshit and passive aggressive comments from his coaches and constantly putting in the work day in and day out. always the last one off the ice. attends every optional practice and has been elevating his play year after year. eight years of showing his commitment and proving he deserves to be here and now he’s got eight more years with a NMC. he asked for eight years with a NMC.

he said ‘when is a monster not a monster? oh, when you love it.’

[dontforgetukraine]

TIFF: And so it continues... 2

Headline from news site The Globe and Mail: "Russians at War is an exceptional documentary and needs to be seen" written by Marsha Lederman (Source)

This is the opinion piece about the film "Russians at War" that gave me incredible psychic damage. Let's explore it, shall we?

Marsha first describes the film as a "brave and exceptional documentary. It shows, unvarnished, the horrors of the war". She then explains the latest situation with TIFF canceling the film. (It's actually suspended, Marsha, according to TIFF, but this inaccuracy is the least of my concerns compared to the rest of the bullshit you wrote.)

While TIFF obviously must keep audiences safe, the anger around this film is unjustified. It is a cowardly move to work to suppress this courageous film. And it is a mistake. This documentary in no way glorifies Russia or its army or its war effort. This film in no way demonizes Ukraine or its people.

Marsha just spat in the faces of Ukrainians everywhere. She doesn't explore why there is outrage over this film or what the Russian propaganda points are (Again, the points are in the damn trailer!). Apparently Ukrainian anger is unjustified, despite the Russian subjugation, imperialism, and propaganda they have suffered, including this film. Ukrainian anger is unjustified despite how they constantly have to fight against Russia's narratives about them.

Protesting something this egregious is not cowardly. Ukraine's fight against Russia and its narratives is not cowardly. This film is not free speech but paid speech. And this film is not courageous. Marsha clearly didn't look into the director, how she has 11 films with RT, how she lied about coordinating with the command to get a military uniform so she wouldn't get shot by the Russians (hmmm, why would they shoot her, I wonder?), or how she illegally crossed the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine and probably violated Canadian sanctions. :)

Also, from everything I have read, not much sympathy is given for the Ukrainians. But what is expressed is nostalgia for a time when Ukraine was denied the right to exist. There is no remorse or examination of war crimes that happened elsewhere, nor is there remorse for invading.

Btw, Marsha missed the part about Russians calling Ukrainians fascists and Nazis, which is one of the major justifications for Russia entering the war.

Propaganda? Please. Triumph of the Will this is not. This is eye-opening and gutting. The only “propaganda” this documentary serves up is an anti-war message that should be delivered as far and wide as possible. The experience of watching the film has something in common with war: you can’t wait for it to be over. It is excruciating.

IT'S IN THE DAMN TRAILER!!!

Marsha is either in on it or is too ignorant and uninformed to recognize it. The end result is the same. She didn't even bother to look up what the propaganda points are! They are so easily to find! Ask an expert like Timothy Snyder for fuck's sake before you post this irresponsible drivel. You fell for the Kremlin's propaganda like how a snake eats an egg! You swallowed it whole without question!

-"Russia and Ukraine have always been inseparable. I miss the brotherly union."

This is nostalgia for an era when the Ukrainian nation state was denied the right to exist.

This is part of the narrative that Ukraine cannot exist without Russia.

Putin has stated this narrative too, saying Ukraine is inseparable from Russian history and culture.

-"An order was given, we went in."

Seriously, where have we heard that line before, I wonder...

The director suggests the Russian soldiers are just tools in a larger political game.

This is part of the narrative that it's Putin's war and his alone. Ordinary Russians are innocent and should not be punished. Ordinary Russians committed war crimes willingly. They've been rewarded with money, medals, and awards. Ordinary Russians invaded Ukraine. To shift the blame to a higher command is to absolve them of their crimes.

The supposed "oppositionists" to Putin that were exchanged recently even parroted how ordinary Russians shouldn't be punished and how sanctions should be lifted.

-"If I'm fighting in a fight, I always need to know that i'm right." ; "I came today so that my kids don't go tomorrow"

This is the narrative that Russia was right all along to invade Ukraine in order to fight NATO's expansion and encroachment on its sphere of influence.

Furthermore, the narrative ignores the reason why countries that have experienced Russian imperialism and aggression want to join NATO in the first place. Sovereign nations should be able to decide what to do with their futures. NATO isn't encroaching on anything.

There's a scene where Russian soldiers are talking to their families on the phone, thus promoting Russians are fighting for their families and children while ignoring the fact they are the aggressors who came to Ukraine to kill Ukrainians and Ukrainian children and seize their territory.

-"Whataboutism" from the classic Russian propaganda playbook.

Russia amplifies supposed neutral voices that are "asking questions" such as the director, but might not necessarily want clear cut and defined answers.

This derails clear cut moral cases to distract and confuse people from the actual problem of Russia being the aggressor and invading. This is done to promote inaction and indecision to the problem.

"I saw no war-crimes" is an attempt to excuse and white-wash war crimes. To cast doubt on culpability.

-The director stated she saw no war-crimes committed.

The director doesn't examine the idea that any war-crimes may have been screened from being put in the film

The director doesn't examine that they have occurred in other places at other times.

No mention about victims, witnesses, or survivors.

-Aggressive Victimhood

Humanizing the aggressor diminishes the will to assist in fighting back against the aggressor.

"Russians at War" is a manipulation of public perceptions of the war made by professional propagandists.

This is done to perpetuate Russian violence and aggression towards Ukraine.

-According to people that have seen the film, there is:

No discussion on how the war started, or who started it.

Denial of documented war crimes committed in Bucha

Russian soldiers express they are tired of the war, but no discussion of Russia starting it or how to end it.

No sympathy for Ukrainians that a Russian soldier attacked and whose land he invaded.

A Russian soldier promoted narratives about a coup and armed rebellion in Kyiv being carried out by the US in 2014.

The narrative that Russians never want war, they never attack, and they only end wars.

Ukrainians are called fascists and nazis, which is a core justification for Russia starting the war.

The Russian military makes a statement, "Holiday is victory." This goes unchallenged and with no commentary. This of course means for Ukrainians a Russian victory is subjugation and annihilation.

A dead civilian is shown in occupied Donetsk but without context. The Russians use Donetsk's residential areas as a shield to shell the Ukrainian army and they hide behind locals. Thus, locals get killed from the return fire, which fuels more propaganda of "Ukrainians killing their own people."

A Russian occupier says this land is historically Russian.

Obviously, there's more. A great breakdown video about the film is here. It's 27 minutes long, but hits everything about the film and Russian propaganda. Much of it is also listed above, but there is plenty I didn't mention in this post.

---

But let's get back to Marsha's article.

The feature film All Quiet on the Western Front, which also humanized the “wrong” side of the First World War with its devastating portrayal of a young German soldier’s experiences, won four Academy Awards last year, including best international feature film. Russians at War, which dispels the myth that there is any glory involved in war whatsoever, deserves similar recognition. It certainly deserves a chance to be seen.

Is Marsha seriously comparing "All Quiet on the Western Front" to "Russians at War"? These films and situations are not similar at all.

I won't speak for the rest of the world, but on "my side of the pond", we are so far removed from World War I, the only time we think about it is in a history lesson, a textbook, or a movie. We can look back on it with hindsight and safely explore different aspects of the war without sparking outrage and traumatizing anyone. Most if not all of the discontent I saw that came from "All Quiet on the Western Front" was due to historical inaccuracy, how the weapons were portrayed to be used in certain situations, and how scenes with the trenches and barbed wire were set up. There is emotional distance.

Let's not forget, the original book is a piece of fiction based on the collective experiences of WWI soldiers and the author. The characters are fiction.

This is reality with real people suffering from Russia's aggression. it is absolutely ludicrous to compare "All Quiet on the Western Front" to "Russians at War". Ordinary Russians are committing horrendous, inhumane, and evil crimes, so much so that it is hard for the human mind to comprehend the scale, quality, and magnitude of it all.

I don't need Russian soldiers to be humanized, because we have already seen what humans can do both in history and the here and now. There is a great capacity to do immense good and to do incredible harm. Instead of protesting the war and the government, Russians have chosen to support the war. Ordinary Russians have joined the war for money or to have their prison sentences cleared. Ordinary Russians have willingly posted their crimes on Telegram with pride. Ordinary Russians have tortured and killed Ukrainians, subjugated them in occupying lands, kidnapped and trafficked Ukrainian children, and so many other atrocities. It is a choice they made, and they should not be absolved of it.

Of course, Russians is much more sensitive. It is a documentary to begin with, but also because this catastrophe is happening right now. It is bringing agony to Ukrainians at this very moment. Nobody should have to experience what Ukrainians are suffering through at the hands of Russia.

You ignorant little shit, you literally wrote "the anger around this film is unjustified" in the beginning. You dismissed the anger people feel about this film and you have the audacity to only now knowledge the pain Ukrainians feel? Your words. "Propaganda? Please." Fuck off.

Russian fighters – some drafted, some indoctrinated, some there to keep their families fed back home or a friend company at the front, some there because they don’t know why – are also victims of this war. As one notes in the film, they are at war with themselves. “Slavs against Slavs.”

Oh, look, Marsha! Another piece of Russian propaganda that you have confirmed is in the film! Now, it can be explained for those that don't know (which includes you apparently! :D).

Russia has co-opted the term "Slav" to mean Russian and only Russian. They do this to deny the existence of other Slavic ethnicities, such as Ukrainians, and subjugate them. This further fuels the narrative that Ukraine cannot exist without Russia, that Ukraine is inseparable from Russian history and culture, that Ukrainians and Russians are one and the same and that Ukrainians don't exist. Hope that helps. :)

And a talented filmmaker, without an official posting or even a press pass, followed them almost all the way to the front so that we could know about it. And be outraged. Not at the film; at the war. Censoring art is never a good idea. But keeping this film under wraps is denying the public of more than the experience of seeing an excellent movie. It is restricting access to a vital message: an unforgiving indictment of war. Peace.

The Russian army has restricted soldiers from being able to use phones. There is no way in hell the director could waltz in with sophisticated camera equipment, sit with a bunch of Russian soldiers for MONTHS, and film whatever she wanted without the FSB and GRU knowing. Canadian organizations that funded this fell for the lies. TIFF fell for the lies. And you, Marsha, fell for the lies.

So, you want to be outraged at war? Fine. Of course, war is horrific. But make sure you damn well know who the aggressor is in this war. It is Russia and Russia only. There is no both sides-ing this.

It takes millions of people to support a genocide and millions more to commit it. It is not Putin's war but Russia's war.

No matter what, this propaganda film is a win-win for the Kremlin. It's a win if it is shown, using the West's cultural centers, festivals, and institutions to spread its narrative, and a win if it is not shown to further fuel its propaganda.

But I think Kate Tsurkan from the Kyiv Independent said it best.

"It is our responsibility to categorically reject any attempts to excuse or rehabilitate the Russian war crimes being committed in Ukraine, and to ensure that the suffering of Russia’s victims is neither forgotten nor minimized — it’s the very least we can do for the tens of thousands of Ukrainians whose lives they stole and destroyed."

This isn't the first time Russia has pushed its propaganda pieces through cultural festivals, nor will it be the last.

Know who the enemy is.

Remember who they are.

[torontoicehounds]

Tyler Bertuzzi + his new hair | Maple Leafs Media Availability 02.04.24

[ermwhatsup]

sorry for reblogging so many kendrick lamar vs drake posts it’s just that i am unfortunately from toronto and as such have a deep seated hatred for drake and an intense need to see him fully eviscerated in front of the world

[muppetjohntavares]

Waiting for miracles 💫

(Picture credit to Kevin Sousa and Mark Blinch)

[domifucker]

max has officially HAD ENOUGH

[3416]

wish people who actually cared about the team and rooted for them sincerely made up the media instead of what we have now lmao like people always talk about how winning in playoffs is a big selling point for players to make that their destination so you'd think if that wasn't the case the media would be more mindful of their treatment of the team since that's one of the only major things ufas have to evaluate when thinking about where they want to go instead of getting angry and accusing people of not being able 'take the pressure', like my brother in christ you're the one inventing the pressure why does there have to be pressure at all why can't player interactions with the media be ever be a pleasant thing it's all so backwards idk lol

i think there will be some pressure regardless of how the media specifically handles it bc obviously toronto fans want to win and have a terribly long drought, but the media truly just elevates the rage around the team to a new degree. and we live in the era of clickbait and tabloids and ragebait, and it's honestly horrifying to watch people who interact with these guys almost daily during the season turn around and go out of their way to dehumanize them and insinuate the worst shit about them. like i know to some degree players will always be handled like pawns and moving parts in a larger picture when we talk about the makeup of the team, but to actually attack character and personality and get your digs in or spin your nonsense clickbait just to try to get engagement is so........... frustrating. to watch over and over and over. it's partially this era of 24/7 news and it's partially the toronto media with no fucking backbone.

[sassthatsarcasm]

I shall not live in vain.

for claire @tacoskittles 🥰

[leafsbabe]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unEb__B1prY

THIS SEASON’s MEDIA CONTENT HAS STARTED‼️‼️ Auston giving his favorite dish to Mitch I FEEL SICK

they’re in love 🥰

but I won’t be joining them for thanksgiving I don’t trust them to cook

[dewarism]

jake mccabe send tweet

[torontoisbullshit]

From the city that couldn't get street food permitting right and getting two garbage cans placed in a dog park takes a year (and the city calls it a "pilot program")

[eyes-above--the-waves]

How many fucking times does McCabe need to get hit in the face before he gets a call?

[kharmii]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8XSE8gg63Y/?igsh=MW1vZmNwMXFkcG5jaw==

Just when I thought the Pro Palestine zealots couldn’t stoop lower, here they are, taking fake decapitated heads and kicking them like Hamas did to the murdered Israelis.

These people are sick in a way that actually can’t be cured. All of them would 100% become murderers, or already are honestly. This is not normal behavior. It’s depraved in a way that’s not only shocking to witness, but should wake EVERYONE’s self-protection instincts the fuck up.

Toronto is one of those shitholes up in Canada full of native homeless people dying of fentanyl in droves, -there's a Twitter somewhere that documents people dying in real time- while the powers that be flood it with 'cultural enrichers' who provide so much enrichment that people desiring an easier cost of living have to leave for an area not controlled by leftists.

It has always been said in political circles that SJW leftists are the most vicious nasty close-minded hateful people who accuse you of what they themselves are capable of. If you react to their antics with any other than a perpetual thousand-yard stare, then you get accused of being a 'potential right-wing domestic terrorist', even though incidents of right-wing shit-stirring are almost non-existent. Even when conservatives protest, they are less likely to leave behind piles of trash and property damage.

We're fighting a war that only the left is allowed to participate in. Everyone else has to stand around passively and endure whatever violence and browbeating they choose to hand out. Any pushback gets you labeled a violent bigoted Nazi (again, them accusing you of being what they are). The media-academia-law is on their side, so the only defense you have is to identify who the political zealots are and steer clear.

Side note: Matt Walsh did a video yesterday about lawfare against Elon Musk. He made the point that it's all women who make hostile work environment claims.

In my personal experience -maybe it's just me- women are more likely to harass you in the workplace. They are the ones making the snide comments or engaging in outright bullying. I've only ever been sexually harassed by other women. It's true I have a workplace stalker, but he has never ever made an inappropriate comment to me sexual in nature. None of them have touched me, but a few have gone into graphic detail about their sex lives or made lewd jokes, all the while giving me knowing looks expecting some sort of reaction. I'd stare at them deadpan like....I can't even guess what I'm supposed to say about this.

That pretty much sums up the leftwing experience. You can't even guess how to react because they believe that both morality and reality are fluid -the way they perceive gender- so there's no reliable sense of right and wrong or justice and fairness or concrete reality. We're held hostage by the whims of the Narcissistic dominant culture made up of emotionally driven toddlers who might say they are 3/4 male and 1/4 female on any given day.

In that context, it makes perfect sense to make a mockery of how Hamas murdered some random people at a music festival who were at the wrong place at the wrong time. They can side with murdering terrorists because they are brown and therefore not subject to the same sort of judgement you or I would face if we were to murder random people and kick around their severed heads.

[torontoicehounds]

Tyler Bertuzzi | Maple Leafs Media Availability 03.06.24

[jakey-beefed-it]

It's a shitty photo because I couldn't get very close, but look! Jet black squirrels!