Ukraine is the new BLM. What do I have to always see these banners on every website?

I just want to view the information on your website without being constantly reminded that the world is burning. I have CNN for that.

I wonder if the Ukrainians have the luxury to ignore what's happening to them. 🤔

to be fair BLM was total bullshit over the death of a fellon and Ukraine is actually facing a war... but yknow what? I agree because of one single reason.

Today I literally saw an *ad* about supporting the no-fly zone over Ukraine. It had epic dramatic music, a trailer narrator, edited video clips of war and protests in the background... everything...

If I didn't know better, I'd say this had to be political satire about the extremes of capitalism where no matter the tragedy, there's always a cool looking trailer for it... but nope, it was real and they meant it... sooo.... That to me looks to be in extremely poor taste but ok

so yeah, I see your point

@sariel I am not ignoring what’s happening in Ukraine. I listen to the news periodically for updates. I just hate it being thrown on my face every time.

Just so no one gets the wrong idea. I absolutely support Ukraine in this war and I think Russia is an extreme dick and they were planning this for a long time... My personal views and possible misconceptions aside though. Having flags everywhere is fine with me, but when you start getting ad banners and video ads? That's just abuse of the ad system... What, is this war supported by Google AdSense revenue? How petty must you be to try and wrangle every possible cent out out of this?...

@Hazarth THIS! I hate this trend of having to inject politics into every topic. Of course politics is important and the Ukraine situation in particular is quite extraordinary, but still

What gets especially on my nerves is the virtual signaling. I get that people are upset and want to use their platform that they have to air their grievances. But does Jane Doe, became-famous-by-dancing-on-tiktok REALLY have anything to add to the discussion beyond "Look guys I stand on the right side, how great am I?"

@bigmonsterlover I am sorry, I don’t want to be constantly angry. I don’t use Twitter and Facebook for same reason. Yeah, Putin should be stamped down but the world has been shitty for time immemorial.

@bigmonsterlover If he pushes that button no part of the planet will be in a livable state. The more likely scenario is that he economically and politically occupies these countries as he did with Hungary, and eventually makes them leave the EU and NATO.

The only reason people *care* so much about this conflict is because

a) Russia is involved

b) The media loves having a target to hate on. A public enemy. Hate drives traffic.

c) The armed conflict started not too long ago (videos of buildings getting bombed).

In other words, It's the fashionable thing to do whether you like it or not.

@nitnip The fact that the war is in Europe, what's more, right on the border of the EU, and the invader is Russia, THE Russia that colonized half of Europe after WWII and forced them into a union of dictatorships for 40 years, may have a bit more to do with it than the media.

And yeah, recent events are more interesting than old ones but Indian media is still concerned about Pakistan because it's next doors. European media is concerned about Ukraine for the same reason.

@nitnip I care about Ukraine because

1) I actually know the people being genocided

2) the families being wiped out could easily be mine

3) the Russian government attempted to overthrow my government several times before and still continue to do so

4) the Russian government split up my family by brainwashing half of them.

5) part of me plays with the idea that covid was actually developed by Russia and China to help destabilize the world, it's just too convenient of timing with everything else.

That's crazy, it's almost like everyone has different reasons for doing things that aren't completely benign and irrelevant?!

I get it, being bombarded with the horrors of the Ukrainian invasion isn't what I come to the internet for, but I also don't come here for 99% of the bullshit that's always shoved in my face either. And when I get overwhelmed by it I don't get pissy, I just go away and find something else to occupy my mind that doesn't involve the internet.

@sariel Is it cool with you if I just say “fucking ditto” to every last word you just said but from the other topical national agenda item that spawned this rant, that being BLM?

Minus the covid thing. I know enough to know I don’t know enough about that to have an opinion.

@ComputerToucher fucking ditto'd bro.

That's something I didn't even touch on because I honestly don't have the vocabulary to convey how obscene the comparison of the two is.

The invasion of Ukraine is a war against a country and it's legitimacy of statehood.

The rejection of BLM is an attack on a marginalized group of people who deserve better from their neighbors, their cities, and their government. It's absolutely disgusting what "white America" is willing to trade to feel good about itself.

Fuck anyone who thinks BLM is meaningless, and fuck anyone who thinks thin blue line is anything but a way to keep the racist status quo.

@sariel You wanna come over and play Starcraft?

@ComputerToucher does a Zerg rush?

I fully agree, even though the scale is a bit different. And BLM is a super American thing.
NATO won't touch this so BS add support campaigns it is. I even saw a am add at the mall "United we stand with Ukraine". It should have read "behind"... like safely thousands of kilometres behind.
Also people have super short memory. There are countries with a far higher kill rate but that's no longer news. Putin annexed Cremea, boyo what a scandal that WAS.

@hjk101 but it's not the same thing.

Why do white people, regardless of nationality, always try to delegitimize movements that push for fair treatment and equal rights to anyone that's not white?

It's fucking insane. Here, in this thread, users are complaining that other countries have it harder, specifically ones that are not white that have had recent wars. While the same people discount BLM as a fad. The mental gymnastics and compartmentalization that takes place to protect the white ego is fucking terrifying.

I think the real problem here is that the definition of what's morally right and wrong has been damaged by Putin and the Russian government.

Y'all, we gotta get our shit together or this planet is way beyond fucked.

Its 2022. Don't you know that the only thing that matters is how things appear and not actually how anything works or functions? All just gesturing...

@sariel You're making broad brush strokes about the mental capacity humans in general you assume should have. We're not supposed to know every minute-by-minute play of how far Russia is, what city got hit when, and so on.

The issues in Palestine are still very much real. There are major questions and issues about the safety of Taiwan. What about Hong Kong? Not to mention the global trend in general trend (in my opinion backwards trend) to more nationalistic / populist governments.

All these are extremely important major global issues, and yet the typical behavior is for a given person is to just "support the latest thing". This type of behavior doesn't solve anything. it just makes you feel better a part of your local society because everyone else is doing it.

And yet you want to focus on Ukraine? This is the problem with modern media, they make you have FOMO with world events, mentally it's horrible for people in general and I do not recommend and thus agree with @latisfeire

Oh and if you also want to talk about loss of life and human suffering, consider Africa where a quarter of a MILLION people died last year due to famine alone. It's so much like the joker says, "nobody panics if it's according to plan, even if the plan is horrifying"

@fullstackchris I'm not saying one thing is more important than the other, but what I am saying is that we need to stamp out terrible people and terrible regimes like Putin.

It's not a competition of "who has it worse" and it's also unfair to compare two absolutely different world events as if they're the same thing.

When you compare Ukraine with BLM you delegitimize hundreds of years of racial inequality and oppression, and at the same time you obfuscate the humanitarian crisis that's taking place today by implying the BLM movement was just a fad.

If I didn't know better I would say that's the end goal here...and that would make anyone doing so a festering asshole.

1. It's not. If anything, it's the new Syria.

2. Black lives do matter!

3. just shut the fuck up!

@sariel I'm saying it's not the same thing and I am also not saying it's a fad. It results in the same media ad hype that will blow over. I'm disgusted over some ads (like the one I'm mentioning).

I don't find myself at all in your following paragraphs. My daughter is black and my girlfriend comes from a black country that has gone to shit. That is my reference point

Imagine thinking it's a good idea to compare BLM to what is happening in Ukraine and thinking they are fad.

You clearly have no idea about what BAME people are facing (yes, racism is sadly still a thing and damaging people).

"I wonder how that one thread is goi-...oh ok"

Suggestion, if you don’t want to hear about mainstream things happening, don’t go on mainstream sites… and ya know consider going and touching some grass…

@fraktalisman five months from now when we are all hunting the remaining game and trying to determine if the snow is radioactive ima find some folks from this thread and be like “are you tired of hearing about the war now?”

I think it was Jon Stewart a few years ago before he hung it up from his TV game that said: “if you’re tired of hearing about this stuff, imagine how the people living through it must be feeling”.

I don’t know if Jon realized you can’t just ask people to gaze into the void like that.

But I’m glad he did.

@nitnip aww... You sad little racist boy.

Don't cut yourself with all that edge.

@sariel I'm one of only a handful of guys who could go out walking in my neighborhood at any time of night, and come home. Ask yourself why.

I had several African friends in blm. None of them are part of it now. To quote "it's a bunch of bullshit. They just want our money."

Has nothing todo with white ego.

Has a lot to do with too much grifting from leadership combine with actions the rank and file dont support (most Africans dont support burning and looting because usually its their *own* neighborhoods being burned/looted, contrary to what the news will show you.), but choice segments played 24/7 would give you a different impression, regardless whether your preferred news is leftwing or right wing.

Division and stereotyping is the intention.

And when you see the small segment of the worst *portrayed* as the norm, paired with *that* as the call for "equity", the affect is to discredit the very notion.

Again, intentional.

Now realize it's done to every other group too.

@Hazarth

Ukrainians in Azov were engaged in terrorism (and prepping for a full ethnic cleansing) against russian-speaking natives in donbas.

I fully support the protection of donbas ukrainians.

Of course the ukrainians have every right to stop the russians, especially from going any /further/ than donbas.

And russia's shown this repeated pattern of taking an inch and then a mile.

Its a clusterfuck over there.

@Hazarth

Ukrainians in Azov were engaged in terrorism (and prepping for a full ethnic cleansing) against russian-speaking natives in donbas.

Ukrainian friend of my told me as much.

We must fully support the protection of all ukrainians, including those in the donbas.

Of course the ukrainians have every right to stop the russians, especially from going any /further/ than donbas. Any world power though, *does* have moral obligation to prevent the killing of innocent people if it is in their power to do so.

And russia's shown this repeated pattern of taking an inch and then a mile.

The u.s. was right not to immediately intervene during the taking of donbas, and is wrong not to intervene *now* when russia has gone further than securing donbas.

Diplomacy is needed. And diplomacy is about understanding both the obligations and limits of our moral agency.