An article over at eurasianet.org seems to have completely missed the real reason why some young men attacked a group raising awareness of a campaign to boycott the upcoming presidential elections. Before continuing, I’d ask you to at least watch the video below, if not also read their article.
Now it seems obvious to me that the youths recorded in that clip were in no way acting on behalf of Nur Otan or anyone politically affiliated with this country’s beloved president. They were not attempting to stifle the Alga! DVK activists attempts at publicising the campaign. No, these poor boys obviously have severe globophobia (though not ligyrophobia one can safely assume) and either felt the best way to remove the dangerous balloons from their situation was to pop them, OR perhaps a well trained psychologist had encouraged their behaviour as an attempt at cognitive behavioural therapy – proving to themselves that the act of a balloon (no matter what the message on them) bursting was not something to break out into a cold sweat over.
When you see the thugs scared youths hide their faces, they are not attempting to disassociate themselves from any non-existent harassment of opposing political viewpoint holders, but genuinely concerned that their friends and family may well recognise them and stigmatize them all for their overwhelming fear of balloons. Eurasianet owes these innocents a large apology, and I just hope that local justice officials will take note of political activists’ selfish tunnel vision at the time when they tried to protect these panic attack inducing balloons from a just demise.
Mar 18 2011
March 22nd, 2011 4:39 pm
Couldn’t agree with you more!