Pavel Durov's rich boy dumbassery — current history appears to be a pageant of wildly flawed characters

26 August 2024

When 'they' are out to get you . . .

. . . you had best be prepared to protect yourself.

In illustration, a morality tale of some scope

Telegram founder, Pavel Durov (long previously) fled Russia. On the grounds that cooperating with Russian police authorities was philosophically beneath him and Telegram.

But now, Telegram's rich boy, evidently currently knowing that the French were out to get him — for more of less the same claimed reasons as Russia had — flew into France and landed at Bourget airport.

Foreseeably, France's anti-speech fascist mitts descended, and Durov was whisked to jail.

Is there a life lesson buried in this morality tale?

Perhaps so.

Russia's Dmitry Medvedev (somewhat opaquely) commented to the effect that one should accept that we are all entrapped in our times and nationality. And need to behave accordingly.

By implication, Medvedev meant that exercising nuanced judgment in maintaining a reasonably cooperative relationship with one's own — in Durov's case, Russian — culture would be a good idea.

On one's own, Medvedev implied, 'one ain't shit' — to use that crude Americanism — when it comes to dealing with other nations' potentially arresting tentacles.

Similarly

Russian blogger, Stas Vasiliev, observed that personal conceit is foolish thing:

What amazes me most about this whole situation is that he flew to France.

This is infantilism, when a person thinks, 'I'm so good, so democratic, I'm rich, everyone cooperates with me, the American Congress writes to me, Tucker Carlson interviews me - nothing will happen to me at all, I'll come and do whatever I want.'

Pash, are you stupid?

You're persona non grata in France, no one wants to see you there. You were given to understand, you were given a hint. But no, Pasha turned out to be naive. He thought that he was the new aristocracy, that everyone loved him, that no one would do anything to him.

And now either they'll take away Telegram from him, or he'll become the 'new Assange.'

Ironically . . .

. . . given Durov's previous rejection of the Russian Federation, Russia is (nevertheless) reportedly actively trying to get Durov out of French custody.

Curious, no?

In summary, Pavel Durov (previously) told metaphorical Putin to fly a kite. Then, he gets himself into scary trouble in France.

And now, in comes the Russian bear (so to speak) using its influence to help Durov, apparently based solely on his Russian heritage.

Soil nurtures blood. And blood, soil.

A classically Russian understanding of origin's complicated net.

If only, we in the United States . . .

. . . were equally deeply bound to rescuing our country's citizens from the clutches of foreigners, regardless of those American arrestees' political leanings.

Russia, we can gather, demonstrates national honor.

The United States, generally not.

There must be something in the Russian Federation's soil and water.

This again, being exactly Medvedev's classically Russian understanding of the meaning and power of the two-way nurturing flow of the motherland.

The moral? — Our celebrity-ridden times are populated with billionaires . . .

. . . flitting their conceited flaws about.

Apply Medvedev's 'culture-is-important' point, about remembering where actual strength comes from.

Nuanced relationships with one's homeland are vital and arguably not easy.

Two lessons emerge:

We are not autonomous. In spite of our hubris.

Choosing one's motherland — based on its demonstrated quality or not — may be a necessary step, for those with the freedom to do it.

Integrated personal and national quality matters.

PeteFree.com

Pavel Durov's rich boy dumbassery — current history appears to be a pageant of wildly flawed characters