EDITORIAL
Mickey Mouse, Banned in Russia
In 1995 the Russian artist Alexander Savko painted a series of images interposing the face of Mickey Mouse onto famous historical scenes, like the one above.
Last week, a Russian court determined that Savko’s image of the Sermon on the Mount with Mickey Mouse (shown after the jump) was “extremist” and illegal and banned it from public display.
Savko is now a criminal in Russia, as is any gallery owner who displays this work. We here on LR are also criminals for republishing it.
The action serves to underline the extreme influence now being wielded in Russia by the Orthodox Church, which is seeking the same kind of strict control over Russian society was was held by the Politburo in Soviet times. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is well on board with this strategy, and recently declared: “The Church is always with us, it has a huge influence on the moral atmosphere in society.”
But the Church is really only concerned with its own power, and in that is no different than the Kremlin itself. The Russian people, meanwhile, are not concerned with their own history — if they even know it. They don’t care to recall how only a short time ago the government of the USSR was imposing policies just like this one, or how that government collapsed into rubble because of the total blindness that resulted from it.
Increasingly, clever Russians realize that they must once again flee their country to avoid this type of draconian crackdown on basic freedom and information. In Soviet times, it was not long before the government simply banned citizens from leaving the country in order to avoid this “brain drain,” as if it could force people to be patriotic and successful at gunpoint. That strategy proved insane, and the USSR collapsed. If Russia willingly walks down the same path again, how can it expect results that are any different?
La Russophobe 
Powerful as the Orthodox Church may be, they are no match for Disney’s lawyers should they get wind of this.
Don’t screw with the Mouse.
Oh, you can easily screw with the Mouse and its lawyers in Russia. If nothing else works, those lawyers may be ordered shot or assassinated or something. Then the church will condemn the killers followed by forgiveness.
The above just proves that history does repeat itself and more importantly that Putin has learned nothing from history.
What were the words to that Beatles song;
“I’m back in the U.S.S.R.,
You don’t know how lucky you are boy,
I’m back in the U.S.S.R.”
Sad, very sad indeed for the citizens of neo soviet Russia.
Exactly Bohdan, so much for the freedom of expression. Maybe I am too simplistic, but I always want to ask these people who ban things like that this question. If you don’t like this art, who forces you to see it?
Yes RV,
My sentiments exactly. You don’t like, then don’t watch it.
Um, RV, let’s imagine art that employs images of prisoners from Nazi camps, with faces of Mickey? Would this be legal in Israel? Why not? Can’t they bear freedom of expression?
Like that?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maus
No, dear, like that: http://religiousfreaks.com/UserFiles/Image/muslim.anti.semetic/firouzeh.mozafari.iran.jpg
Ever seen this published in Israel? Where’s the freedom of press, huh?
I don’t see Mickey Mouse, or even any mouse here. Are you sure you linked to the right picture?
Oh, and these cartoons (that had nothing to do with free speech, it was a part of propaganda attack on Israel) were actually published in Israel. Just with a commentary.
“Dear”.
“Dear” in quotes sounds soo cool. I’m impressed:D
Ever thought about why the Holocaust denial is banned at all in some countries? Why a person that knows nothing about history, can be persecuted after just saying, “I believe Holocaust did not happen”?
Ever wondered why Japanese still can deny the genocide of 20M Chinese civilians during the war – and it’s perfectly legal?
Ever asked yourself why you did not know about genocide of Chinese at all?
The Pox on Disney…a bunch of Bolcheviks!
This only show Vlad “the Impaler” Dracotin is a crass ignoramus!
http://www.rationalmind.net/2002/10/06/disney-socialism/
“I just finished watching the 1998 Disney movie “A Bug Life” and despite my hopes to the contrary, I was reminded how pervasive socialist ideology has become in absolutely everything Disney produces. I have come to expect collectivist overtones from Disney’s regular programming, but the extent to which its animated films are full of socialist indoctrination is simply disgusting. Unlike most liberal media companies, Disney produces more than the usual “multicultural” garbage but actually inserts Marxist ideology into the plot of its animated children’s movies.
“A Bugs Life” has all the elements of the topical Disney presentation of the class struggle: the proletariat, represented by the worker ants, the bourgeoisie, represented by the grasshoppers, the greedy slave-driving boss, represented by the “boss flea” in charge of the flee circus. Famous lines include [as I remember them]: “if the ants only realized that they outnumber us a hundred to one, we would be finished!” and “you’ve committed the ultimate sin: you put yourself before the colony!” If that were not enough, the flea-boss frequently explains “let’s go, there’s money to be made!” as he denies his worker’s request for a raise and proposes a routine where one the bugs is burnt to a crisp. Meanwhile, the movie makes it a point to show the ant-queen diligently joining the worker ants in their work, as she and Flik, the hero repeatedly explain “I care for the colony!” I’d like to say that Flik is at least a creative non-conformist, but the movie makes a point to show that none of his ideas are self-inspired, and all of them come to fruition only by collective effort.
Not surprisingly, the movie ends with the defeat of the overclass, as the revolutionary hero Flik inspires the ants to rise up and ensure that the ants get to keep all the “surplus” grain they collect by their collective effort. Compare this plot to “Antz,” a Dreamworks SKG release, which featured an ant who questioned his role in the ant collective and championed individualism and private ingenuity.
This review may be four years late, but Disney has clearly continued its tradition of promoting Marxist ideology in movies such as “Monster’s Inc.” where the villain is a factory owner who is found torturing little children (Can those capitalist pigs get any worse??) and is replaced by one of the factory workers by a .government agency. In general, everything Disney touches display several common elements: the subjugation of the individual to the collective, the rejection of all selfish motivations as immoral, the worship of authority figures, the proposition that all cultures and values (other than capitalism) are equivalent, and of course, the duality between the greedy capitalist slave-drivers, and the hardworking workers of the collective, who almost always rise up and show the evil capitalists who’s boss.
I’d point out some other examples of Disney socialism, but I do my very best not to support Disney in any way, and if you care about self-interest, and freedom, I strongly suggest you do the same.”
You take it too seriously. It’s just entertainment, albeit of a low level of sophistication. Their audience is still kids, remember. I think they don’t care for Socialism or whatever. They are just interested in making a few hundred million bucks.
http://imgur.com/ddb06
Ming the Merciless, nice picture of putin, but I prefer the picture of monsieur putain, lifting up the 5-year-old boy’s t-shirt and kissing the little boy’s tummy – what a speed and precision our liliputin [President Saakashvili of Georgia rightly calls him a lillitputin..] displayed – it means years of practice – by the way, there were horrific rumors coming out of the East Germany, during putin’s tenure as a kgb resident – a lot of little german boys disappeared…..
Comrade Putin in his true light and color too.
I just photoshopped Bela Lugosi’s jaw to Vlad “Tepes” Putin’s eel head…
Actually Vlad the Gollum Pooty Poot dont have a jaw, like a
lamprey, he just suck his victim’s blood…
What would happen if this had happened in the American Bible-belt? I only ask.
Things like that did happen many times, in the South (what you call the Bible belt) and in other places as well. Including book bans based on moral grounds and so forth. The aggrieved party would go before a federal judge and will obtain the ruling declaring the ban unconstitutional. There were very famous cases involving bans on books by Joyce and by the American author Henry Miller (of the Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer fame). Of course, it was a very long time ago. The last case I heard of was an attempt to ban a painting (might have been a sculpture, I am not sure) of a certain depiction of Jesus. Brooklyn Museum was somehow involved but in the end there was no ban and the thing was exhibited.
Massive protests would happen, that’s what. And all around the world people would say America is a backwards country which can’t be taken seriously. And they would be right.
Oh. LR, no way, you love that country and must fight for it’s values. Can’t quit that fast.
Moscow KGB “priest” from Moscow KGB “church” – opens his insanely delusional “morda” (mouth) again.
Patriarch Kirill Congratulated Ankvab on Victory
Patriarch of Russia Kirill congratulated so called newly elected President of Georgia’s rebel region of Abkhazia, Vesti informs .
“Your active support of civil position and many years of work prove strive of residents of Abkhazia to follow the road of peaceful, multinational, social and spiritual development”, Patriarchs’ letter to Ankvab reads.
He voiced hope that “Multi century cultural and religious traditions of brotherly nations will be firm fundament to develop relations in future”, Russia’s Patriarch declares.
http://geo.interpressnews.ge/en/conflicts/31152-patriarch-kirill-congratulated-ankvab-on-victory.html
Ah, the KGB’s brothers from the Moscow KGB “church” are spouting what they are best at – pure unadulterated propaganda.
And they have the audacity to call themselves a church. What a farce they really are.
Les; kirill expressed desire to establish a residence in Kyiv – may I suggest a public toilet in the center of Kyiv – a perfect place for russia’s patriarch….
Hehe, our Polish plumber goes aggressive:)
Hehe, our russian sh#$%ty baboon goes funny…..nevertheless, thank you, dymasza, for accepting the prime real estate in central Kyiv – a public toilet – to be adequate accommodation for patriarch bednashka-kirashka of moscow…
dymasza, judging from today’s performance of millions of muslims in moscow — sea of muslims in russia’s capital – priceless and prophetic, who practically took over moscow, the future for patriarch kyrasza of moscow looks bleak – no more selling of cigarettes, vodka and drugs at the premises of EVERY russian orthodox church in russia…gojspodin pomyul…..
So you’re a plumber, after all?:) Nice to know:) Work harder, sunshine:)
The Movie Putin and Obama Won’t Want You to See
Odds are that the new action flick from veteran filmmaker Renny Harlin (best known for directing “Die Hard 2”) won’t get a White House screening any time soon. His latest offering “5 Days of War” is set against the backdrop of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.
Harlin, who started filming on location less than a year after the war ended, takes a decidedly pro-Georgian view. That won’t sit well with President Obama, who has trumpeted “reset” with Russia as a major foreign policy success.
Harlin’s film paints a horrifying picture of Mr. Obama’s new best friends. Though the plot is pure Hollywood, many of the most disturbing scenes were drawn directly from first-hand accounts and reports by Human Rights Watch. Thus we see an old woman being tortured and the deliberate cluster-bombing of villages along the invasion route.
The film ends with testimonies from Georgians who lost family members in the war. “After I met a lot of refugees,” Harlin said last night during a post-screening discussion of the movie at Washington’s Landmark Theater, “I felt I had to tell their story. That’s why we added the testimonials.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/08/17/movie-obama-wont-want-to-see/#ixzz1WYdMZdqt
The film is just so bad it’s simply insulting to Russia’s victims. That’s all.
The fiction-to-reality (well, animation to reality, in this case, because it’s documentary-ish) transition was much better used in the final (revelation) scene of this film http://waltzwithbashir.com (in which I think you won’t even consider the victims as people, because they were mostly Muslims, but anyway).
That Kenyan Klown O’Bammy cant seem to get anything right, does it?
The more closely folks examine the achievements of the “reset,” the more it appears that there is no “there” there. The New START treaty, for example, seems all take and no give for the Russians.
And after taking the administration’s negotiating team to the cleaners on that one, Moscow isn’t even talking nice. Vladimir Putin recently called the U.S. a “parasite” on the global economy. With friends like these…
WHY DONT YOU GO BACK TO KENYA, OBAMA? YOU MAU-MAU CANNIBAL!
RV, you are talking about a photograph by that druggie Andres Serrano “PISS CHRIST” that had hippies all excited about…a picture of a crucifix in a glass of urine…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Piss_Christ_by_Serrano_Andres_%281987%29.jpg
Well, I erased the cross and pasted instead the Kaaba and it’s key, then called it PISS ALLAH…(piss be upon him)
I then posted it on various blogs and forums.
You would not believe how fast I was banned and erased from pressure from the sand monkeys of pigallah!
I guess that’s the one. Hard to believe the controversy was in 1987. Seems like yesterday
RV, do you understand you talk to a man who calls Obama a Mau-Mau cannibal?:)
I don’t approve of such a childish form of expression, but he has a right to say it. In the meantime, his facts about that exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum are correct
RV, I have no doubt you would be banned quite fast if you publish caricaturesm with both Islamic and Jewish religious symbols. So what?
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