June 23, 2021

Putin's Pretty Pensive


Putin's Pretty Pensive
President Vlad chillin' in Siberia. Kremlin.ru

“Everything in the world displeases me, but, above all, my displeasure in everything displeases me.”

– “Darth Putin” on Twitter parodies Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments after his meeting with Joe Biden on Wednesday June 16

Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s one-on-one meeting with American President Joe Biden in Geneva on June 16, the Internet was awash with reactions to Putin’s declaration that there is “only the specter of” happiness in life.

Writer Jennifer Rubin started a thread commenting that “If you lived in kleptocracy with a 3rd world economy you'd think happiness was a mirage as well.” She then asked followers to interpret the maxim in a poll with “depressed fortune cookie,” “apt take on Russian life,” or “covid slump.”

American historian and author Michael Beschloss also could not resist a jab, adding a little literary criticism to the mix: “Doesn’t sound as if a Putin advice book on how to be happy would be a bestseller.” Twitter user Greg Dworkin did not find Putin’s comments too trivial, surmising, “It'd be War and Peace length, though.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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