The underlying premise of conversation is less about ownership of the people as if they are just a consequence of the various historical “owners.” They are more interested with the power to make the perfect society for everyone, if only they would shut up and let them make everything perfect.

Putin on the other hand doesn’t have that foundation anywhere in his rhetoric. He literally just sounds like he’s talking about this small club of powerful people who control and do everything. Some give favors, some will back stab them, some steal land. He is a continuation of this true zone of power and thus is correcting it.

I still think there’s a very different underlying belief system that enables “both” of them to do what they do. In other words, the bullshit they tell themselves to excuse their power and actions isn’t the same story, but they both certainly make up whatever story works and is enough in line with the culture of the country that the people can excuse it. 

 the current rulers of the west are not trying to make a perfect society for everyone bro. 

They are a small group of people who think they should control and do everything. 

maybe putin is just being more honest about it.  

 I’m talking about their rhetoric, their mental frame for excusing what they do. Thats exactly what they are doing. Have you heard of “Build Back better” and “Carbon Neutral” and all the rest. Their framing is that there’s a disaster, it’s vaguely something about humans being a poison to the planet, but if we give them power they will fix everything and make a perfect society. None of this has anything to do with whether or not all of them individually believe it to their core, it’s purely an observation about the way things are mentally framed to excuse whatever power they wish to take. 

 Ah I see. Interesting perspective. Although I would say russia has their own echo of that with “the motherland” and patriotism for the “good of Russia” 

Douglas Macgregor has written on this difference I can’t find the article but the essence is describing the difference with American elites playing their rhetoric to the individual benefit of American individuals- Russians believe national unity and the “good of the motherland” are acceptable reasons for sacrifices on their part.