@S_Tuulia
Such cards about the current political leader in North Korea probably have not been sent on Postcrossing yet, so yes, it is imaginery as you say, but cards about Mr. Putin with negativity in English are already on Postcrossing and can be seen publicly. I thought such images on Postcrossing could be off-putting more or less to quite many people in Russia, even if they are sympathetic to Ukrainian people more or less. I bet Postcrossers in Russia in general would want to see more nice images on Postcrossing.
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I follow this topic a few days now.
We have a similar topic where it is about erotic / nude cards.
Of course, there are certain card topics which arenāt suitable to be shown public. But are those topics really politicians? Or erotic cards? Orā¦whatever?
What I want to say is, where to start and where to stop? A lot of people have arachnophobia. Some of them cannot even watch a picture of a spider illustration. Wouldnāt it then just be fair to hide / ban every card which shows a spider?
Once I drew an address from someone with a cat phobia. This person even wouldnāt see a cat card. So banning all cat cards? What about strict vegans? Should we ban cards with certain food?
When I browse some walls I too think sometimes āwtfā about certain cards. But after shaking my head (or laughing) I carry on.
Thereās always the possibility to contact the support if one thinks thereās something wrong with cards on a wall. If the support agree they will remove the picture. If not we should accept this.
Or, to your special case with the certain Putin card, you could also contact the support and tell them about it.
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Yes, could be, could not, but we are not responsible of how they feel about other peopleās swaps and others should not limit their swaps in fear of someone might be offended. That card is not about them, not sent to them, itās about a public figure. (Who we are allowed to criticise, and yes, even publish our opinions about them.)
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I completely agree, itās nonsense to walk around and tell everyone what one dislikes.
Different people, different tastes.
And then there are the cases you call āwithin reason of courseā, or I would say a line is crossed. thatās the clear cases were itās gainst the rules.
And then there is the zone of not so clear cases, where some people already feel a line crossed, and others still say itās okay and personal. Thatās were to me it should be okay to discuss.
Within reason, I was more thinking along the lines of illegal cards. For example child pornography or something like that. Or cards that can be traumatizing for example blood and gore.
For me those are hard linesā¦ Of things that are not within reason.
The grey zone, I donāt care as much about. When someone sends a card of a thanksgiving dinner, a vegetarian might feel offended because thereās a cooked turkey on the card. Or where people are having a barbecue with meat.
Itās hard to please everyone and offend no one.
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What would you think about receiving this card? Itās called āMasksā, by Lithuanian painter Vilijus Vaisvila
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Not friendly to send a postcard like thatā¦ 
I mean, two sides voice people need to hear, I stay neutral, just different people difference view of points, whatās wrong with those peopleā¦
(NO RESPECT AT ALL)
This postcard wonāt work anythings, except start āwarā again.
Just like send a shit to people who even donāt know each other
āBorn with guiltyā, if live in a country or become that country citizens are unforgivableļ¼the culprit.
ā¦I guess you know.
WORLD PEACE PLEASE
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For me, there are a few different points when it comes to cards like the mentioned one.
If it is an exchange between two consenting people who both like the card, thatās fine with me (well, this special case might be problematic in some countries, because it states āPutin is a war criminalā, and Iām not sure that there exists a legally binding judgment stating this).
If someone sends such cards to random people, I donāt understand why, and such cards might probably be immediately be thrown into the trash bin (after being registered, of course).
But if someone sends such a card to someone in Russia (in this case), it can cause severe problems for whoever recieves the card.
Not wanting to send to certain countries, therefore wanting to āpunishā people of a certain country (at least the german profile youāve described sounds like that) - we germans should definitely know better, given our history.
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@Angelthecat
Yes, I am going to send a link to the card image and this discussion to the admins later on and hear what they will tell me. Thank you! Meanwhile, people can continue this discussion.
@S_Tuulia
I hear you butā¦ on an International site like on Postcrossing where political discussions are not really preferable? I think it is a moot point. There is always yes and no, or neutral.
@DorH
The card image of a painting by a Lithuanian painter above you shared made me think. I mean, the art work was created by someone in former U.S.S.R. If I received it, I would not throw away.
But photo cards about negativity on politicians, especially, I would not want to receive. I would delete the image on my Postcrossing wall too.
Actually, I think it would have been good if you gave a link to this card.
What I imagine can be totally different from what it is. We are mostly discussing your description 
Like were there other persons or why this plural form? It was typed, so by hand, type writer? By whom? The sender or the receiver? Or included on the card when bought? Maybe it was quoting Biden?
(I remember one āman in speedoā-card discussion, and I thought what could be wrong in that, until I saw the card 
which was a close up of the speedo-covered area and some happenings very clearly there so, not what I would call a man in Speedo).
So, sending a Putin War criminals -card to one who most likely likes it (mentions this war and their dislike towards it in their profile), I would send too.
To someone who doesnāt mention anything about this war, or lives in Russia, I would not. (Or maybe not to anyone else either.)
Same as nude, I donāt send to just anyone.
If someone likes, I can send.
Edit. and yes, itās ok to have this postcard image if itās what I think, only Putin there with text (and not images of dead persons etc.)
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In a way I think this is what the function of art always has been. Provocation and reading the times.
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@S_Tuulia
Ah, actually, it was a typo. Not a plural form, it says WAR CRIMINAL, a singular form - big capitol letters (texts) under a photo of Mr. Putin only. I cannot tell if the card is a selfprint or store-bought.
I did not give a link to the card because it is connected to the whole profile info of the receiver of the card, where people can read here while she does not know about it. On the forum, it is not allowed, correct? Yes, she does mention how she dislikes this war too. And she did heart the card image. She is the only one who hearted the card image.
I still wonder if this kind of card images of politicians should be shown on Postcrossing ?? I mean, she can keep the card and enjoy it in her own way, but people would see the card image online on Postcrossing in either yes or no way.
And as for most people in Russia on Postcrossing, they probably keep quiet about such image online, and the admins may not be able to tell that such cards are really not preferable for them, actually.
As a (local) politician myself, I think freedom of speach is one of the most important rights we have. Hover it is limited at that point where others are hurt, belittled or even discriminated against.
Postcrossing is a website for making connections, for people who want to explore the world and its people. Postcrossers are interested in each other. Who are open to other opions. Nice people I would say.
Postcrossers who are here only to provoke, to hurt or even discriminate, will stick out in a bad way. Iām sure the Postcrossing staff will find and remove those persons but I think the very large majarority are great and openminded persons!
Here we discuss the card, not neither of these persons more than how it appears being suitable card. I think the link to the card would be ok. If this was about a card I was sent to, I would prefer a link, so the card is seen and not only described. (Also I would like to know if my sent/received is discussed like this.)
Itās always a āriskā of misinterpretation when itās second hand information. Like the one letter made me think itās plural form
This goes with all the cards, right?
(I do have a funny feeling that there is something you donāt tell. Maybe because if I thought some card was wrong/not ok to be shown, I would contact the postcrossing team first, to get the image away as soon as possible. Not talk 3-4 days and then contact.)
Are you thinking the image is not good to be public, because someone might be offended? (Even people who support Putin must know not all do, so this is why I am having hard time to see the āproblemā.) Or is the problem that the person is a politician?
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I donāt see a problem with politicians on postcards. Right after the beginning of Russiaās war against Ukraine there was a flurry of favoriting of postcards featuring the Russian leader (overwhelmingly, possibly completely, by Russian members)ā¦one of him hugging a puppy and one of him shirtless riding a horse that I remember finding quite odd. Those are the opposite opinion of the card you described and those cards were not removed. I imagine refugees or people who have lost loved ones in this war would not like those images, yet they remain publicly visible.
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Here is a US counterpart to the Putin postcard described by the OP. It uses even more drastic language, and it seems quite popular, 31 favouritesā¦
Personally IĀ“d see such cards as contemporary documents of history and public opinion. Since the US government`s justifications for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 are still controversially discussed today and since the war in Ukraine affects half the world at the moment - why should Postcrossing be a parallel universe somewhere above pink clouds?
Of course, as has already been written repeatedly in this thread now, such cards should only be sent to people who give the impression in their profile that they are open to receive things like that. I guess that has to do with common sense to not offend or insult someone on purpose.
But to generally ban possibly (!) āoffendingā content and have it deleted from the walls is not a good idea. And where would one draw the line? I just donāt believe that harmony can be forced at any price.
IMHO that would perhaps be even more toxic than differing opinions are anyway.
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Hello Maria,
Thank you for your honest opinon. And I respect that.
But lately I have received two card from Russia with Putin and Medvedev on it.
I am sorry but I have sent them back to sender.
In the world in which we now live I donāt appriciate such cards.
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Hello!
You know, if the sender doesnāt write anything like āIām sending you Putin because I love him and you should alsoā, there might be another explanation.
I looked in your list of favorites - you have there all the different our leaders, including Peter the Great (who ruled with an iron fist) and cards with photos of 100th anniversary of our victory in 1812 war.
Russian users often go to favorites to see what kind of stuff the recipient is interested in. They may have assumed that you like postcards with rulers of the country. It might be helpful if you write more about it in your profile.
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Really I donāt see the sense of sending a card like that.
I mean, clearly it was sent by someone in Canada who hates Putin to someone in Germany who hates Putin (given what the German postcrosser wrote in their profile), so there was no risk of offending the recipient, but why sending a card to reiterate something they already think? Why sending it to someone in a country not directly affected by the war, so the postcard would not have expressed closeness to the sufferings that the recipient has to endure?
Why spreading hate instead of sharing a more positive message, such as āstop to warā or āpeace to Ukraineā?
I donāt know if I managed to make my thoughts understood, sorry for the probably confusing sentence.
I donāt mind postcards about politicians (more if they are old ones), but if I received a card with the picture of a politician (any) saying they are a criminal or such, I would throw it away. I donāt see the sense of such cards
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