Russia's Ministry Of Enlightenment Roasted On Twitter For Its 'Wack' Name
Russia’s Ministry of Education livestreamed a lesson today for children in Russia explaining their government’s reasons for invading Ukraine. The name of the Russian Education Ministry, translated literally into English, is the "Ministry of Enlightenment," and people online had a field day with the very dystopian vibe that name gives off by posting reaction and memes en masse.
Responses to an initial tweet by the @KyivIndependent, a Ukrainian newspaper, included tweets comparing Russia’s Ministry of Enlightenment to Nazi Germany’s Ministry of Enlightenment, which similarly produced propaganda supporting the Holocaust and the Nazi war effort.
Other users posted curses against Vladimir Putin and the Russian military, as well as reaction image memes.
Other common reactions compared the name “Ministry of Enlightenment” to the names George Orwell gave government ministries in his dystopian novel 1984, while some readers compared the “Ministry of Enlightenment” to what they’d read in the Harry Potter series, and were mocked for it.
While the level of public opposition or support for the war among Russians is difficult to gauge, the Ministry of Enlightenment’s live lesson shows the Russian government is certainly concerned about shaping the narrative Russian children consume. Sanctions have already hit everyday Russians particularly hard, leading to high inflation, a run on banks and a decrease in the availability of many products. There have also been thousands of arrests of street protestors, and some celebrities and oligarchs have even spoken out against the war.
As the war continues, so do the attempts of various governments to control its narrative and convince both their own citizens and those living abroad of a particular version of events. Whether the Russian government will be successful in this latest effort to “enlighten” its citizens remains an open question.
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Nitpicker
hey russia hows it goin
yeah
MIMU
It's really not that hard to imagine. Putin's Ex-KGB, you know the old CCCP secret police types? Not a leap of logic to assume he had a pretty privileged place in an otherwise lean, scarce second world society. When the iron curtain fell, he probably lost a lot of that, suddenly he was just another citizen, and one with a reputation of association with a highly unpopular group. I'd wager dollars to donuts that this whole thing is just Putin having a huge temper tantrum because he wants the old days back.
lecorbak
"The simpsons did it."
Nitpicker
It's likely far worse, that Putin is conspiring with former soviet union members. After the union dissolved, instead of starting a civil war to take back power, they just infiltrated the new democracy by rigging elections. They're only showing their true colors now because this was their last chance to take Ukraine before it joins NATO.