History being rewritten is no small thing. These nuances are indeed something capable of swaying opinions of many, especially considering how many read Wikipedia compared to physical history books.
In the example of Kaja Kallas, one who’s not familiar with her origins might check out her Wikipedia page and find that she was born “as part of the Soviet Union”, and might judge/defame her as someone with an upbringing or values unfit for her political role.
Nevertheless, the information is accurate (that was the place and the state of the country when she was born). And if you click on Estonian SSR (currently live on Wikipedia), you will immediately see on the top of the page:
“… was an illegal administrative subunit (union republic) of the former Soviet Union, covering the occupied and annexed territory of Estonia in 1940–1941 and 1944–1991.”
So the accurate information is still present, though it indeed matters how it is presented.
I’m not denying the campaign of disinformation and history manipulation, but I think a huge part of the problem here is how people read and consume information; take one bite of what is presented and go straight to an extreme opinion. We have become so polarized it’s ridiculous, and it’s detrimental to civilized societies.
Nevertheless, the information is accurate (that was the place and the state of the country when she was born). And if you click on Estonian SSR (currently live on Wikipedia), you will immediately see on the top of the page:
(From the article) “Estonia was occupied twice by the Soviet Union between 1940-1941 and 1944-1991. When the country regained independence in 1991, it restored the republic founded in 1918. Estonia’s official position is that the Republic of Estonia was illegally and de facto occupied by the Soviet Union but never ceased to exist during that time.”
I understand your points, but the surface level of reading here is important because it is how most people will consume this information. Arguing over stuff like this is the exact justification that could be used in an attempt to subsume them back into Russia, a thing the Baltics are quite touchy about, and understandably so, especially in light of all that’s happened in Ukraine.
…I think a huge part of the problem here is how people read and consume information; take one bite of what is presented and go straight to an extreme opinion.
I always encourage better media literacy, but it’s a problem when we minimize propaganda as “the reader is the problem”.
