The Parasite of the World

So what's the fuss about Putin calling America 'the parasite of world economy'?

It must be the Word. The word evocating the marxist-bolshevist idea that bankers and lenders are parasites exploiting the rest. I am sure that that was what was on Putin's mind. However, without trying to defend him or anything, I just want to point out that in the same session with student journalists he called America 'one of the main locomotives of world economy' and in reply to a different question, about Russia, said that there was no way she can return to totalitarianism. Simply because it 'doesn't work'.

Here is a long clip of Putin speaking to the youngsters at the Seliger political camp (he answers the question about the US compromise on its debt at 8:15 minutes into the clip, the quote about 'parasitism' is at 9:40 into the video. The reply to the question about totalitarianism is at 5:50 min.):



Parasitism was a criminal offence in the Soviet Union. Article 209 of the Russian Federation's criminal code was only repelled in 1991. The poet Josef Brodsky was sentenced under that article and sent into exile. At the trial he said: 'I do not consider myself a person who leads a parasitic way of life'.


More quotes and references in the Russian version of this post.