Russia's Premier Economic Forum: Family Values and 'Life Without the West'
On the ground: St. Petersburg prostitutes complain about the influx of inexpensive male prostitutes from the regions, and Russia welcomes the Taliban.
The man in this screen grab is telling the audience and his fellow panelists that it is imperative to stop “LGBTQ nationalism and extremism” in Russia. No one dares interrupt him or even offer any sane arguments for his lunacy because his message is the official Kremlin line. Welcome to Russia’s premier economic forum, The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum ’24 (SPIEF).
Russia’s economic forum used to be about economics and economic development. The last time I worked in a company that participated when things were mostly about improving the economic situation was in 2018. I spoke in several panel discussions about how blockchain could be used to prevent the flood of counterfeit products from China. Representatives from many companies, including Proctor & Gamble and Henkel, approached me afterward to continue the discussion and find ways we could all collaborate. Counterfeit items from China sold through Alibaba still affect everyone to this day.
The forum, nonetheless, has always been a showcase for the Russian government, and that is perfectly fine. However, due to the heavy scent of economic propaganda, the gathering long ago lost its close ties to businesses. It became more of a “if you don’t participate, the government authorities will make you pay later with unnecessary fire inspections and other bureaucratic nonsense.”
The so-called highlight of the event is when Putin speaks. As I write this, he is on the stage now, rambling on about how Russia is open to the world and wants to collaborate, but the West, led by Biden, so fears Russia’s greatness that it intends to destroy it. The dopey so-called elite of Russia is sitting in the hall fighting off the urge to sleep and laughing really loudly when the czar makes questionably funny comments. Usually, his humor is courtyard smack talk level and always bad-blooded. Many of the elite sit with arms folded across to their chests, so their $100,000 watches can be seen when the TV cameras pan them.
I made the mistake of attending several of these speeches over the years. They are long and hot, and you can’t leave once the czar takes the stage, so you are stuck for at least two hours. You also cannot react to any of the nonsense he says with disgust or surprise. Everyone will notice, so you sit as if someone had extracted your frontal lobe.
Family Values
Somehow, “traditional family values” and anti-gay rhetoric are a theme this year at the forum. If you wonder how devoted Russia is to traditional family values, look at the photo below. The Taliban from Afghanistan have sent an official delegation to the forum and are making ties here with the St. Petersburg governor.
It’s really good stuff, actually, and speaks so positively of Russia’s future. It makes a person envious (please note that this is sarcasm).
Along with any economic forum that focuses on imprisoning gays and lesbians and exiling women back to the kitchen, one would expect to find “lots o’prostitutes.” An unofficial Telegram channel providing minute-by-minute, behind-the-scenes coverage from the forum has tapped into a buzz of anger by local prostitutes.
It seems that hordes of young male prostitutes have flocked to this year’s economic forum to serve the Russian men out there fighting against LGBTQ extremism — all that sex talk has gotten them a bit antsy. These boys from the impoverished regions of Russia have somehow escaped being sent to die for Putin’s “wealth-accumulation program” — at an economic forum, the word genocide is tucked away in a drawer — and are dumping their services on the market at bottom-basement prices. I haven’t yet found the price for a quick hand job or oral sex in the backseat of a sleek S-series Mercedes, but apparently, it’s way below what the female, St. Petersburg, and Moscow prostitutes are asking.
As the Kremlin requires all of the regions of Russia to set up big, expensive exhibition stands where the “economic progress” is showcased, the occupied territories of Ukraine are also present. The Luhansk stand had sausages on display — wowing the world with sausages.
Other regions displayed Russian cars — we all know how good they are — and even some new airplanes. A huge Chinese drone was showcased next to a stand with honey.
Live update: It seems Putin is doing his traditional “show up an hour or so late” trick, something Hitler used to like to do, so the nervous sycophants are out in the hall getting sweet popcorn and some odd cocktails.
What a shit show, all thanks to the lunatic about to speak and a nation of sycophantic, clueless cowards.
PS: One of the more popular sessions at the forum was titled: “Why the West is Making Russia an Enemy.”
W-w-w-what?!