Governments can and should be criticized without bigotry towards the governed populace.
In theory, sure.
In practice, there is some tacit understanding that a plurality of residents in a nation will hold views of the popular government.
The end run around this is to assert everyone in Bad Foreign Country are brainwashed or broken. But then you end up with proud outspoken nationalists vocalizing support. So we go to the Wumao/Bot narrative, where everyone speaking positively is paid off or fake.
And then finally you get to an actual conflict of civilizations - an Israeli / Russian invasion that is popular within the invading country - and that’s when you have to square the circle.
When hundreds of thousands of people are killing/dying to perpetrait a national agenda, it can’t just be “Country Bad / People In Gray Area”.
At some point, you have to see trees as part of the forest. It can’t just be a flag that you’re upset by.
In theory, sure.
In practice, there is some tacit understanding that a plurality of residents in a nation will hold views of the popular government.
The end run around this is to assert everyone in Bad Foreign Country are brainwashed or broken. But then you end up with proud outspoken nationalists vocalizing support. So we go to the Wumao/Bot narrative, where everyone speaking positively is paid off or fake.
And then finally you get to an actual conflict of civilizations - an Israeli / Russian invasion that is popular within the invading country - and that’s when you have to square the circle.
When hundreds of thousands of people are killing/dying to perpetrait a national agenda, it can’t just be “Country Bad / People In Gray Area”.
At some point, you have to see trees as part of the forest. It can’t just be a flag that you’re upset by.