Until 2012, it was normally people only who backed the elections. Singers, actors, writers, film directors... Fast forward to March 2012, and here comes a donkey. A pretty ordinary creature, except that some time ago it is believed to have been given as a present to Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a very outspoken Russian politician, leader of the Liberal-Democratic Party who is currently running for presidency.
The story at hand is a good case of how to overestimate people's ability to grasp the subtle meaning of a metaphor. Zhirinovsky put a harness on a donkey and then delivered a short speech on Russia's degradation. There used to be magnificent horses who took the country to unprecedented heights. Now there are only stupid donkeys who cannot get going until you give them a punch. Naturally a good actor, the donkey stood, unmovable. And then, to showcase the effort he puts into Russia's awakening, Zhirinovsky began to whip the donkey. Those who watched the video attest to a rather cruel way of dealing with an animal, even for "creative" purposes.
PETA and WSPA were not amused and demanded the withdrawal of a campaign's video.
The staff of Zhirinovsky's electoral campaign stated that the donkey was previously given to the politician as a present. The candidate himself claims that he did not cruelly deal with an animal, and had no intention to do so in future. Zhirinovsky went on to say: "In my house this donkey lives better than very many people out there, but if someone is so concerned for his well-being, they can take him and look after him". According to Russian media, the donkey indeed stays at Zhirinovsky's country house, safe and sound.
The Central Electoral Committee confirmed that there have been no restrictions on using animals in electoral campaigns.
One could end it here, but here comes a bit of "use of English". After all, it is good that Zhirinovsky had a donkey. What if instead of a donkey there was a monkey? "Don't beat your ass" is colloquial, but OK. It could be "don't beat your monkey", and that would be a totally different story...
Source: RBC, RIA Novosti. Image: Metro.
Author: Julia Shuvalova