Monday, July 30, 2007

The Putin Youth

This is beyond creepy.

Remember the mammoths, say the clean-cut organisers at the youth camp's mass wedding. "They became extinct because they did not have enough sex. That must not happen to Russia".

Obediently, couples move to a special section of dormitory tents arranged in a heart-shape and called the Love Oasis, where they can start procreating for the motherland.

With its relentlessly upbeat tone, bizarre ideas and tight control, it sounds like a weird indoctrination session for a phoney religious cult.

But this organisation - known as "Nashi", meaning "Ours" - is youth movement run by Vladimir Putin's Kremlin that has become a central part of Russian political life.


But the sex is just the tantalizing lede. For those who read past the first couple of paragraphs, you find that the Nashi and all of its unpleasant aspects is just one part of an attempt by Putin to rewrite Russian history and propagandize a new generation of Russians. Read the whole thing.

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