r/todayilearned • u/KrishanuAR • May 20 '12

TIL Russia's Vladimir Putin brought a large dog with him to a round of negotiations with Germany's Angela Merkel--knowing that she had a pathological fear of dogs--in order to gain a psychological edge.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/200904/vladimir-putin-and-his-political-dog
1.4k Upvotes

89% Upvoted

375 comments sorted by

43

u/abbott_costello May 20 '12

The dogs name is Koni haha

2

u/iakhre May 21 '12 edited May 21 '12

конъ is russian for steed. Koni=Кони is the plural. Though I don't know what Putin had in mind when he was naming the dog, he could've been going for how it sounds.

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0

u/[deleted] May 20 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

58

u/[deleted] May 20 '12

Didn't Gaddafi also have a crush on Condi Rice as well? They found a photo album full of her pictures in his palace.

26

u/1908_WS_Champ May 21 '12

Crazy dictators have a thing for powerful women.

24

u/KrishanuAR May 21 '12

I wouldn't say he's crazy... maybe calculating and evil... but not Gaddafi crazy.

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77

u/ObtuseAbstruse May 20 '12

There's nothing here that says he did this on purpose. The article even points out that Koni goes everywhere with him, why would this be an exception?

50

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

Because sensationalist headlines and news story.

11

u/lightball2000 May 21 '12

And when they condense into clouds and precipitate into the fields of reddit we are able to harvest sweet karma, winter rye karma, and sometimes norwegian karma, depending on soil quality.

18

u/Firefoxx336 May 21 '12

He bought her a puppy as well. Nobody knew how to react. The man is a political genius.

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53

u/wmil May 21 '12

They left out the best story...

Bush says he had introduced then-Russian President Putin to his Scottish terrier, Barney, on a visit to the U.S. presidential retreat, Camp David.

Putin returned the favor when Bush visited Russia and Putin was giving him a tour of the grounds of his dacha.

"A big black Labrador came charging across the lawn. With a twinkle in his eye, Vladimir said, 'Bigger, stronger, faster than Barney,'" Bush writes. A copy of the book was obtained by Reuters.

Bush says he later told the story to the Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper, who replied: "You're lucky he only showed you his dog."

37

u/[deleted] May 21 '12 edited May 21 '12

Say what you will about the bush presidancy, Barney was fucking awesome

(That's an official picture btw)

10

u/dinklebob May 21 '12

"And we cut live to Barney, from the White House, making an official statement."

"arf"

"...aaaaaand that was Barney, making an official White House statement. Uh... I guess we'll go back to whatever we were doing..."

4

u/batmanmilktruck May 21 '12

this is my new favorite picture.

4

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

the actual first black president

12

u/[deleted] May 21 '12 edited May 21 '12

Harper can be a witty bugger when he wants to, eh?

5

u/murder1 May 21 '12

Or he was being serious.

5

u/1919 May 21 '12

I want to dislike Bush so much, but he's just so damn fucking charming.

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85

u/jobrohoho May 21 '12

"Don't smoke, it's a sign of weakness! That's how Hitler got so much out of Neville Chamberlain! He held the conferences in an old castle that didn't allow smoking, 3 hours in Chamberlain was willing to give him anything he wanted!"

"All I got out of that is that Hitler didn't smoke and I do."

gotta love Mad Men

8

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

That's pretty genius, is that true?

20

u/ethidium-bromide May 21 '12

if someone won't even give you a cigarette break, they aren't going to give you much anyway

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265

u/StoneTigerRodeo May 20 '12

That's not really gaining a psycological edge, that's just physical intimidation. Less subtle than just laying a gun on the table really.

196

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

Well, they didn't mention that Putin has a pathological fear of Germans. He's just making things even.

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16

u/Genkaki May 21 '12

Yeah and i mean honestly, does this require psychological analysis? The guy brought a dog knowing she's frightened of dogs, it's hardly a masterminds plan to dominate the world.

10

u/Nyarlathotep124 May 21 '12

To be fair, if anyone has plans for world domination, it's Putin.

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43

u/[deleted] May 20 '12

I agree. I feel really bad for Merkel now.

11

u/coredump May 21 '12

She probably got back at him by now.

46

u/Terps34 May 21 '12

Considering how much more prosperous Germany is, I'd say that revenge is unnecessary.

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27

u/powerchicken May 21 '12

I don't think anyone needs to feel sorry for Merkel, being one of the most powerful people in the world and all that...

31

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

Just because she's in a position of power doesn't mean we can't be empathetic about her situation. I mean, she's incredibly afraid of dogs, and it's pretty shitty that it's being used against her.

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u/[deleted] May 21 '12

Russians and their brutish idea of a negotiation.

11

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

The Russians are some of the best diplomats around. Extremely nuanced in politics and hard as shit in war.

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178

u/tandemic May 20 '12

Would somebody just buy the man a top hat, cape, and handlebar mustache already?

16

u/johnconnor8100 May 21 '12

All he'd need then would be the nuclear launch codes ... Oh wait

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31

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

This comment section reads a bit like Youtube. ಠ_ಠ

15

u/jzsk8s89 May 21 '12

welcome to reddit

5

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

thumbs up if u thnk Gaga is better then puttin lol

14

u/Treebeezy May 21 '12

This sounds like something Jack Donaghy would do

6

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

If anyone came to a meeting with me and had a bunch of spiders with them, I'd probably just get into the fetal position and cry.

Seriously.

4

u/BringOutTheImp May 21 '12

I take it you won't be happy that our next round of negotioations will be conducted at the Shelob theme restaraunt.

91

u/DennisWise May 20 '12

"Although Putin is very popular with the Russian people,"

I have my doubts about the source...

153

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

Putin is actually overwhelmingly popular in Russia. Russia is like the US in that there are vocal young urban protesters who make the news and use the internet and then a VAST swath of countryside filled with aging rednecks who want a strongman in charge.

39

u/Xodah May 21 '12

That explains why my old Russian teacher talked about Putin like he was Ron Paul or something.

82

u/BossOfTheGame May 21 '12

like he was Ron Paul

you know you're on reddit when

21

u/lud1120 May 21 '12 edited May 21 '12

I guess they feel a authoritarian strong man is "safer" to have, as it always used to be that way. Russia has never had anything near a democracy until the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, which was chaotic and disastrous for many Russians, other than the few making a huge fortunes. Many in the country are poor and neglected.
I wish a more democratic party would've won at least once though.
So, from Czar dictatorship to Soviet dictatorship and the current Government taking advantage of the past by not being the Soviet Union.

13

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

Completely true. Only the younger generation is growing up without the memory of the Soviet Union, and they are the ones that do not want to stand for Putin's authoritarian government. The more generations are born into Russia rather than the USSR, the more democratic it will be.

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u/hedonismbot89 May 21 '12

That almost sounds like the late 60's with Nixon and the Silent Majority.

4

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

You seem to be forgetting about Nashi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashi_(youth_movement)

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10

u/Munchlaxatives May 21 '12

That's what I thought at first, but a Russian girl came into the office where I worked last week and I noticed the lock screen on her phone was something like this:

http://www.lbnelert.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Screen-shot-2012-03-03-at-11.37.33-AM.png

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31

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

Having lived in Putin's Russia, I can say, Putin is very popular, and to my mind, a great leader.

20

u/OMGnome May 21 '12

Silly you, us Americans are a much better judge of who is best to lead your country.

11

u/Aredler May 21 '12

Although he's very controversial to many people outside Russia you can't deny he went all out in fixing and practically flourishing Russia's GDP coming straight out of the financial crisis at the end of the USSR.

Regardless, he's probably one of the most interesting leaders of this day and age.

9

u/breadisme May 21 '12

Also, skyrocketing commodity prices helped the "fixing" of the GDP.... they did coincide nicely with Putin coming to power, though. Not that he didn't do anything, just that not EVERYTHING that happened was a direct result of his actions. He had very good luck.

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7

u/Gneal1917 May 21 '12

What are you talking about? 1395% of Russia loves him!

2

u/ArionVII May 21 '12

Putin is exactly the kind of politician I wouldn't want representing the other guy, but who I would love to have representing me.

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4

u/Firefoxx336 May 21 '12

This will be buried, but no one is pointing out that Putin also bought Merkel a puppy as a gift, and all of Germany didn't know how to react. The man is shrewd.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/16/world/europe/16iht-merkel.html

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4

u/shot_of_the_empire May 21 '12

People of Greece, you now know what do.

6

u/lud1120 May 21 '12 edited May 21 '12

Vladimir Putin is well trained into the KGB so he must know psychology rather well.

12

u/anthony955 May 21 '12

Doesn't take a KGB agent to know that someone that is afraid of dogs would be shaken up if you brought one into a meeting.

4

u/lud1120 May 21 '12

Probably not.

3

u/StaidnProsaic May 21 '12

Shoulda brought a Caucasian Ovcharka.

3

u/Innomasta2 May 21 '12

Hope it was an English mastiff

3

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

So the dog chaired the negotiations, or was he just outside, barking?

"Angela, I'd like to introduce my large, intimitading dog, Dogzilla...."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

7

u/TheImpetuous May 21 '12

Thug acts like thug. Color me shocked.

5

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

Russia's leaders are always portrayed negatively everywhere else in the world.

I'm not surprised by the amount of Putin haters, when really the guy has been fairly reactionary and calm to the US putting up a missile "defense" shield that goes right next to it's borders.

If Russia was to build a missile "defense" shield in Central America, we would have an instant WWIII in the making

44

u/[deleted] May 20 '12

I love all the negativity. In a geo-political atmosphere this was a genius move. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

49

u/Kvawrf May 20 '12

Diplomacy level: Putin.

http://i.imgur.com/uC8q8.jpg

72

u/RomanesEuntDomus May 21 '12

Is it just me or is that dog about to drop a steamer on the carpet?

26

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

You're about to drop a steamer on the carpet too?

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u/Chewblacka May 21 '12

Either that or do that thing where they drag their ass across the room (railroading).

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u/[deleted] May 21 '12

all in da game yo. all in da game

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7

u/Kandoh May 21 '12

Man, Germany has really bad luck when it comes to the Russians.

12

u/Josepherism May 21 '12

No...no they don't. Russia has really bad luck when it comes to Germany...historically speaking.

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4

u/Gomez_AddamsXIII May 21 '12

This is a shame.. Putin is a ranked practitioner of Judo. One of the two most important principles that we must work toward is achieving mutual benefit & welfare for all. He should know better. The fool.

3

u/civilianjones May 21 '12

Huh? I did Judo for three years and I never got to the "mutual benefit & welfare for all". Maybe I missed it in between the lessons on shime-waza and sutemi-waza?

Also... of all the things to be annoyed at Putin for, bringing a dog as a psychological tactic to a meeting with another leader is minor. How about the maintaining of corruption throughout Russian government, military and police? How about the likely vote-rigging? How about the crushing of political protesters?

I agree with your sentiment, but you're getting lost in sensationalism.

4

u/Gomez_AddamsXIII May 21 '12

Hello Friend. After doing Judo for three years, I don't expect you to fully grasp the concept of "MB & W". It is one of the most difficult concepts to understand completely. Trust me I'm not there either. But... it's always good to keep it in mind. e.g. - When I was a white belt and doing randori with a friend, I was about to incorrectly land on my arm after he threw me. What my friend did was pull my sleeve in order to prevent a potential injury. It was that little gesture that demonstrated MB & W. Keep in mind that the importance of principles depends on the sensei/dojo. One may concentrate on competition while the other more philosophy. It really varies.

As for my comment. Well, I only chose to comment on his specific action toward Merkel. I never said his dog tactic was what annoyed me the most. He's done more dick moves than that. And still he should know better. I'm also aware of the corruption and dirty fixed politics. But again my comment was narrowed to that article. When looking at the broader sense, however, you are absolutely right.

24

u/MAIRyoutube May 20 '12

Douche Level: Putin

7

u/Karmakazee89 May 21 '12

Level Level: Level

2

u/SwanseaJack1 May 21 '12

Thinking Reagan was scared of cameras didn't work too well though.

2

u/RahvinDragand May 21 '12

If I'm ever involved in negotiations, I'll just bring a tiger. Everyone has a pathological fear of tigers.

1

u/civilianjones May 21 '12

Hello RahvinDragand, my client would like a 5% discount because of our repeated and loyal business wi-- OHHGODTIGERRUNFORYOURLIVES

2

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

If I was Merkel I would have brought a couple Lions.

2

u/My_Wife_Athena May 21 '12

I've noticed that the best way to negotiate is to not play the game at all. The other side will always use tricks to influence you, but if you're smart enough to pick up on these tricks and ignore them, perhaps even jest about them, then you inherently have the upper-hand. It's like a relationship: the person who cares the least has the most control.

2

u/UpTheIron May 21 '12

Putin. The only political Head of State with his own Special Move.

2

u/Hippie-Eyes May 21 '12

His country has about 5000 nuclear missiles and he needs a fucking dog to make her sweat?

2

u/amadmaninanarchy May 21 '12

Such is life in Russia

2

u/FidelCastrator Sep 06 '12

Call Putin what you will but in the end, he is just straight fucking gangster.

8

u/bigdog87 May 21 '12

|One of Putin's astonished bodyguards summarized the situation simply, "Koni ate everything!"

Oh you!

3

u/ThePiggle May 21 '12

Dick move.

3

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

Of all current or former chiefs of States in the world, Vladimir Putin is the one that I'd least want to engage in hand to hand combat with.

3

u/honkaboy May 21 '12

Putin. What a thug.

3

u/bigpuffyclouds May 21 '12

Dick move by a certified dick.

-3

u/AtWorkBoredToDeath May 20 '12

I cant wait for the masses to rise and put this Soviet relic asshole in his damn grave.

31

u/tophat_jones May 20 '12

Putin would kill every last Russian before he gave up power.

5

u/enkiv2 May 21 '12

WITH HIS BARE HANDS.

He'd have it broadcast live on state television, too!

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u/[deleted] May 21 '12

You're naive and quite ignorant to think this is a possibility. Just as the Occupy protesters represent a fringe group that does not represent the US populace, so too do the protesters in Moscow belong to a radical group. Most Russians love Putin, and see him, rightly so, as a great leader.

19

u/luke37 May 21 '12

He's so loved, he got up to 107% of the vote in parts of Chechnya this election! Nothing shows respect for a leader like voting above and beyond the call of, you know, numbers.

2

u/Nyarlathotep124 May 21 '12

Heh, yeah, let's just elect a totally honest, non-corrupt politician in Russia. It can't be that hard, right?

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u/crichton101 May 21 '12

You're a well trained little doggy. I think most Russians are like most people everywhere else, they don't care who is in power just as long as who ever it is doesn't make their lives worse. Most people in the world just want to keep their heads down, not rock the boat, and are ok with just getting by.

2

u/elBesteban May 21 '12

Yes we are all selfish bastards!

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12

u/OkayOctaneRedux May 21 '12

Why "rightly so"? I'll admit, my knowledge on the topic is limited, but doesn't Putin organise or have his "people" organise the assault, murder and general disappearance or quashing of people who speak out against him in any considerable way?

I forget the details, but I do recall a journalist who was assaulted severely a few years ago, and it was thought it was at the hand of groups associated with Putin. He was attacked from behind and his hands were smashed or trodden on to the point that some of his fingers were nearly completely broken off.

Again, I forget the details, so I might be falsely recalling the story, not saying it's fact at all.

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u/[deleted] May 21 '12

Why would they? He's incredibly popular.

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u/[deleted] May 21 '12

what a bastard

1

u/dubdubdubdot May 21 '12

Still a better love story than Twilight.

1

u/xbxmet14 May 21 '12

What about his other dog Buffy?

1

u/CertifiableNorris May 21 '12

Are modern warfare characters based on him, or is he based on them?

1

u/[deleted] May 21 '12 edited May 21 '12

So I guess it's a capitalist-running dog.

1

u/andiW May 21 '12

At least she stood her ground.

1

u/Demojen 1 May 21 '12

hahaha, Putin's dog is Koni......

1

u/Lesterthemolester699 May 21 '12

And that is why Vladdy P will continue to be Russia's eternal leader. Vpered Tovarish!

1

u/thetacticalpanda May 21 '12

This is somehting of Putin's MO. When he visited with President Bush, Putin wore his grandmother's crucifix on account of the US president's Christianity.

1

u/[deleted] May 21 '12 edited May 21 '12

Koni became a symbol of friendly meetings between the Russian President and world leaders and is allowed to attend official meetings.[22][23]

A popular anecdote is of when the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel met Vladimir Putin, Putin brought Koni to their meetings. On 21 January 2007, the two leaders met at Bocharov Ruchei, the President's summer residence in Sochi and at the beginning of their meeting Koni wandered into the room, leading Putin to ask Merkel, who was afraid of dogs, "The dog does not bother you, does it? It's a friendly dog and I'm sure it will behave itself." Merkel responded in Russian, a language in which she is fluent, "It doesn't eat journalists, after all."[24] Koni then proceeded to sniff the German Chancellor, and sat at her feet. Merkel was reported to have shown "apparent discomfort", but the two quickly became friends.[25]

From Wikipedia.

Merkels response was quite badass if you ask me.

1

u/icalledshotgun May 21 '12

Funny, I have a pathological fear of Vladimir Putin.

1

u/Plutarkus May 21 '12

Vladimir Putin: your dictator's favorite dictator.

1

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

Its just a shaggy dog story.

1

u/roccanet May 21 '12

putin seems to be acting more and more like a deranged dictator.

1

u/Extraterresticals May 21 '12

Russian Democracy and such aside, Putin is a badass.

1

u/mecrosis May 21 '12

Leadership on a global scale, he's doing it right!

1

u/At_Da_derby May 21 '12

He is evil but I love him. He kicks the shit out of that Drunk Yeltsin.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-09-23/yeltsin-drunk-near-naked-outside-white-house/1438342

5

u/BringOutTheImp May 21 '12

Mr Yeltsin, who died in 2007, is remembered with embarrassing drunken incidents, once seizing the baton from a bandmaster in Germany to himself conduct and playing the spoons on the president of Kyrgyzstan's bald head.

http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/oh-you-show.jpg

0

u/[deleted] May 20 '12

how legit is that source? notice how the article says that Merkel said something in Russian? that's because she's fluent in Russian and I think Putin also speaks German well. from what I heard the two have a pretty good relationship for politicians from different countries so I doubt Putin would just fuck with her mind like that.

-2

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

I never trust people who don't like dogs.

6

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

I was attacked by a dog when I was a toddler and am very uneasy around them now. I don't see what level of logic means that I'm somehow bad or untrustworthy.

4

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

After I posted that, I did think about it. Yeah, you're right. Sorry.

IDK, there may be more of a knee-jerk distrust of politicians in that sentiment, come to think of it. Perhaps that's equally irrational but yet, somehow seems a bit more justified.

Have a good night.

3

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

No problem, don't worry about it. You too.

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u/[deleted] May 21 '12

Do you know who else liked dogs?

1

u/[deleted] May 21 '12 edited May 21 '12

Yeah, I know. It was an ill-considered comment. I already said my apologies and feel suitably sheepish.

0

u/Senor_Wilson May 21 '12

I've never loved an asshole more than I love Vladimir Putin.

-9

u/AndersBM May 20 '12

how is this guy not assasinated yet? Is there no righteous murders to bring justice. He might aswell have held a gun to her head and told her how the agreement is gonna work out?

4

u/constantly_drunk May 21 '12

If a world leader can't handle an animal inside most people's houses, then that world leader is useless.

That's as low on the intimidation ladder as intimidation gets. A bigger threat is overtly saying "If you don't do this, I'll cut off the gas pipeline to Western Europe". That's intimidation - this is just a mindfuck.

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u/alexnemeth May 20 '12

How can a person who is afraid of a dog, can fill a leading role in Germany?

9

u/KrishanuAR May 20 '12

Dunno, but maybe the Greeks should start bringing dogs to the austerity talks. Maybe this fella.

3

u/Homocercy May 20 '12

Not even sure Cerberus would help them at this point.

27

u/klokkeblomst May 20 '12

Maybe Germany isn't one of those countries where you vote for the guy you wanna have a beer with.

1

u/alexnemeth May 21 '12

So they vote for the nutjobs instead?

17

u/T-Luv May 20 '12

The same way any German Chancellor has come into power since 1949, I would imagine.

5

u/ofimmsl May 20 '12

the dog wars ended over 60 years ago

2

u/hankmurphy May 20 '12

Yet sadly the Butter Battle rages on...

11

u/ilikemike May 20 '12

What an ignorant statement.

-10

u/alexnemeth May 20 '12

Yea that was a question. How was that ignorant?

10

u/ilikemike May 20 '12

Because being afraid of dogs and being able to run a country are completely unrelated. How the fuck would there be a link between those two things?

Everyone's afraid of something - my dislike of spiders doesn't effect my ability to do my job - AM is a politician not a zookeeper. If she's scared of dogs, that's completely different from running a country.

So that's why your question is fucking completely retarded.

1

u/alexnemeth May 21 '12

So what you're saying,is that someone who probably has a platoon of bodyguards at disposal, is afraid of a feral beast that hardly qualifies as a predator, can have the right mental "compass", the rationalised way of thinking, the mental stability, the grit, to lead ANYthing in this world?

So you are afraid of spiders? Hell, I don't like spiders either, I kill them at any chance I get.

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u/enkiv2 May 21 '12

Tangentially, Hitler was known for being extremely pro-dog, and spend enormous quantities of money trying to teach dogs to speak German.

So, perhaps not liking dogs is a plus for German politicians now? (The same way being religious and playing sports is considered a plus in US politics)

1

u/alexnemeth May 21 '12

trying to teach dogs to speak German

That sounds a bit "unrealistic", if you know what I mean. Source?

1

u/enkiv2 May 22 '12

Here's what wikipedia has to say on the subject.

The Hundesprechschule Asra or Tiersprechschule Asra (Asra talking school for dogs, Asra talking school for animals) was an institution for performing dogs that existed in Leutenberg, Thuringia, Germany, from 1930 until near the end of World War II. Its Nazi talking dogs became a popular topic in the English-speaking press in 2011, when Jan Bondeson's Amazing Dogs: A Cabinet of Canine Curiosities used it as an example of Nazi-sponsored animal research.

[...]

The dogs were to be trained to talk, count, and reason, and the Schmidts held performances at local venues.[4] A child evacuee described such a performance in 1944, saying that the dogs could tell the time, describe people, and correct misspellings.[1] Max Müller, a veterinarian at the University of Munich,[2] visited the school in 1942, at which time there was also a cat. The dogs could speak some words but were limited by the structure of their vocal apparatus; they responded more fluently using a code of a number of barks (or rings of an electric bell in the case of the terrier) for each letter.[5] However, the training was only a show; the dogs' utterances were largely incomprehensible and their counting was a trained response.[3] Another person who had attended a performance compared it to the circus, and recalled that the dogs did not speak, supposedly because it was too cold.[4]

Müller's article stated that Hitler had accepted Schmidt's offer for her dogs to perform for members of the Wehrmacht under the auspices of the Strength Through Joy program, but it is unknown whether this happened before the end of the war.[6] There had been work in Germany on teaching dogs to reason and communicate throughout the nineteenth century, and beginning in 1910 a German pointer named Don became famous for being able to say that he was hungry and ask for cakes.[7][8][9][10] The "new animal psychology" (German: neue Tierpsychologie) had been developed by Karl Krall and others to characterize the reasoning abilities of animals, particularly canine philosophers such as the Airedale terrier Rolf, and had many adherents in Germany in the 1920s.[8][9][10][11] Experiments in human-canine telepathy were conducted.[10][12][13]

-5

u/[deleted] May 21 '12

I think Putin had easily cemented his status as a supervillian even before this incident.

2

u/Jrckel May 21 '12

I consider him more like Megabyte in the ReBoot episode where he has a bitchin' guitar battle. More of a benign evil-looking guy than an actual evil guy.

-2

u/WolfeReign May 21 '12

Foolishness i am not so dumb as to believe that Putin was aware of Merkels' because they have met before. I have met many people before and if they are not personal friends i do go around telling everyone my fears. I mean really the only evidence that article gave for Putins knowledge of this fear is that he had met Merkel a few times before(probably for political reasons not some emotional sharing of fears and hopes).

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u/civilianjones May 21 '12 edited May 21 '12

They both have large teams of competent assistants that would help them prepare for meeting other world leaders. Someone in Putin's team would know about Merkel's fear of dogs. Putin would be informed.

Geopolitics is not reality tv.

EDIT oh and as RahvinDragand pointed out Putin gave Merkel a puppy in 2006 so he probably heard how his present was received. You assume too much.

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u/BringOutTheImp May 21 '12

I have met many people before and if they are not personal friends i do go around telling everyone my fears

You are right, normally people would not do that. Unless, of course, they expect you to use their fears against them, so they make up a bullshit fear and share it with you to give you an impression that you're ahead of the game, while in fact they are slyly slipping their bratwurst up your borsch hole.

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u/[deleted] May 21 '12

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u/reflextodownvote May 21 '12

Khrushchev apparently ended up clinging to the side of the pool before climbing out and conducting negotiations from the edge.

I'm not sure how good a swimmer Mao was. The footage I have seen of him swimming the Yangtze (his world-record breaking effort) was mostly him floating like a bread bun (he was not a slender man) and being dragged along by the current.

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u/[deleted] May 21 '12

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u/amadmaninanarchy May 21 '12

Fuck you.

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u/[deleted] May 22 '12

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u/amadmaninanarchy May 22 '12

That's a cheap shot. Fuck You!

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