courageousness

The point of the post was not the courageousness of the op, or Russia. The point was propaganda.

I don't disagree with you, I'd just question why that particular kind of courageousness is relevant to the discussion.

I think it takes a certain degree of courageousness to pursue entrepreneurship in the first place, and that shouldn't get dwindled down when applying to YC as you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Courage, as a word, stems from cor -- one's heart and innermost feelings, and so courageousness is the resolve to express one's heart. Therefore, it is literally more courageous to confront an attacker directly and to express one's feelings honestly, than it is to run to the authorities, even when one is entitled to do so.

My point about the courageousness of doing something like that under a despotic regime was not to say that is the only way to be courageous - my main point was that, if your bacon isn't on the line, it probably isn't courageous. For an example within the american system, even though I don't quite agree with all his choices, what Snowden did was courageous, because he had to literally flee the country for what he did.