Why did you like it so much? I like what little I have read by Mark Ames, but this one left me cold due to the exceptionalist claim that is central to the piece. Despite what he writes, I find the sort of reactionary anger against Pussy Riot that he describes (assuming it is true) unsurprising and quite prevalent in other parts. A lot of otherwise liberal-minded Indians harbour all sorts of paranoias and anger against Muslims or Pakistan (or some diabolical combination of the two) and react in startlingly violent and disproportionate ways. Similarly, a good number of middle of the road Americans turn strangely animated about the flag (i.e., “disprespecting” the flag), etc., the hint of sympathy for national bogeymen (the Islamic hordes without), so on. Heck, the Nader hating from liberals post 2000 is a good example. No?
—ravi