A bizarre incident in Saratov, Russia, is spreading online and has even been picked up by foreign television. An elderly woman mistook a benign little sculpture of Dobby’s head from Harry Potter for her beloved Putin while taking a stroll.
In a slightly longer version of the video than is typically posted, we see the vigilant babushka, rocking a long coat and a troll-green hat, inside the café with the apparently provocative object. She summons a blonde representative of the establishment outside, where Dobby is visible in the window.
The apparent barista, draped in a gray leopard cardigan, obliges so that she can address the other woman’s concerns. The adorable babushka points out the likeness and exclaims that it’s Putin’s birthday. Standing up straight, she tries to explain that it’s unacceptable to laugh at people (meaning Putin), and that we must treat everyone with respect. (How nice!)
Refusing to be corrected, our babushka of honor keeps insisting on the resemblance and even threatens to call the police in order to tell them that the café has a depiction that insults Russia’s leader.
Woman Accuses Café of Mocking Putin With a Dobby Statue. Seriously.
The barista, who remains calm during the interaction (though there is some laughter in the background, probably from the person filming), eventually suggests that if the woman sees Putin in Dobby, perhaps she’s the one insulting Putin.
This is far from the first time that Putin has been compared to Dobby—offended Russian lawyers even famously tried to take action against Warner Bros., convinced the latter was based on the former. So, the babushka can be forgiven for her misjudgment. On the bright side for Putin, posts have circulated comparing his distinctive visage to Hailey Bieber’s.
I’m personally outraged by this story, and I want to know one thing: Why didn’t anyone give the watchful little lady a hug? It might sound cliché, but that’s what she really needed… along with a nice conversation and some snacks inside. Is she concerned about respect because those around her have deprived her of it? Let this remind us to treat the elderly kindly.
In the end, the fuzzy-hatted baddie did teach us that we must be more mindful of human dignity.
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