I can tell I’ve been living in Ukraine for a long time because…

…when I first heard about Bin Laden’s death my first instinct was to doubt it. Not that I really fully rejected the notion that he had indeed been killed. In fact, for the sake of the US’ goal of de-terrorist-ifying the world, I hoped he had been. But I instantly felt a stab of doubt—“what if?” I mean, there are certainly some suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

I am not a full-fledged deather (get it? If birthers demand birth certificates, then deathers demand death certificates). But whereas before I would have instantly dismissed such doubts as the stuff of conspiracy theories, they now seem understandable, because frankly, Ukrainian cynicism is beyond anything I’ve previously encountered. Obama’s a Muslim? Bush orchestrated 9/11? Both Obama and Bush are/were Masonic puppets? These are all legitimate points of view. And while I still think all of those claims are ridiculous, I do find myself questioning things I see/read/hear more than I used to.

image from: here