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The “cold” conflict between an increasingly West-leaning Ukraine and an increasingly authoritarian Russia erupted almost two weeks ago into a Russian invasion and shooting war, and I feel like the media has provided no specific context for this conflict other than “Putin evil.” While that certainly seems to be the case, even evil has motivations and interests, and it would be helpful to know what those are to better understand the conflict.
While media bias is not a chiddush, they usually at least pretend to present a “balance”, but that is completely absent in the coverage of this war. Also, although NATO forces are not directly engaging Russia in this conflict, relying instead on sanctions, private American and European companies have weaponized “cancel culture” with an integrative technology-fueled rapidity only feasible in the last decade or two, delivering substantial damage to the Russian economy and instantaneously turning Russian citizens into personae non gratae. The astonishing unity in this effort is likely largely a result of the quizzical one-sided media coverage.
In this case, these efforts seem to be justified. Whatever the motivations, Putin’s forces did violently invade a neighboring country that posed no direct and immediate threat to Russian interests, and his military has shown little regard for civilian life or the lives of its own troops. His activation of nuclear readiness increases the threat of small scale accidents or incidents triggering a broader nuclear conflict, which endangers us all. But watching the media and companies in lockstep, framing the conflict as good vs a non-contextualized evil, I still feel a chill run down my spine. We are witnessing a new weapon of war, developed and refined through efforts such as BDS, the vilification of political opponents or those critical of Covid response policies, etc., that has now become devastatingly powerful.
Putin is attacking Ukraine because of Nato forces which Ukraine is letting in that are positioning themselves and military equipment on Russian borders. Ukraine is run by corrupt government and their president was placed in power with the help of George Soros. Putin is against globalization and is in the way of one world government agenda and lgbtq agenda propogated by world economic forum, the same people who are behind the covid scam. Putin is in their way. They are encroaching on him by taking over neighboring countries. He has warned them for years not to do this. It is extremely unfortunate that it is innocent people that always end up suffering. But the people who are at fault here are Nato, US war mongers and the rest of the globalist elite. They are using the Ukrainian people as the victims of Putin in order to accomplish their own agenda, the more people die and suffer, the better it is for them. Just like when Israel kills Palestinians when protecting itself, it’s good for Palestinians, suffering of ukrnian people is a tool to arouse world hatred towards Russia. Yest they are doing everything to provoke Russia. “Russia, Russia, Russia! ”
Avram,
You usually hit the target, but this post has missed it completely.
If you would have written this before the first day of the attack , I could understand your questioning about a “balance” , but we are already 12 days into the war and we have seen the atrocities that Putin has committed. Plus, the media has covered Putin’s public pronouncements. So , they have given his side of the story.If NK would attack SK would you expect the media coverage to be balanced?
If NK attacked SK and started killing civilians , caused millions to become refugees, and destroyed cities do you think the media should be fair to what Kim’s reasons for wanting SK ?Putin is the exact same dictator as Kim. THE EXACT SAME DICTATOR. I call him the mini-hitler. Actually he is far worse than Kim because Kim likes to talk a big talk but actually has not attacked anybody.
The countries taking in refugees and penalizing Russian Oligarchs, companies that buy and sell from Russia that have stopped doing business and the entire world media (besides Russian controlled ) all see this attack for what it is. An unprovoked attack against civilians by a Rasha.
Mindful,
In the universe that the rest of the world lives in – also called the real world – attacking civilians and then blaming everybody else is called psychopathy.
The only people that believe it are other psychopaths and people who have become accustomed to the persons psychopathy.“Putin is attacking Ukraine because of Nato forces which Ukraine is letting in that are positioning themselves and military equipment on Russian borders.”
So why is zelensky complaining, he has nato soldiers there in the front lines?
Avram,
Your new Post has hit the target.
However, I disagree with the position that the media created the narrative either by not covering each side equally or by not covering the cause for the buildup.
The reality of the situation has created it.
And the global “cancel culture” is not due to any pressure but due to what the world sees as a Megalomaniac Dictator who after having bitten off Crimea and other Ukrainian lands, decided he wants the whole country no matter how many people will die and suffer.
I reported on the numbers of refugees that this invasion has caused (over a million and a half) and the countries that share a border with Ukraine (Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova , Romania ) and others (including Israel) that have graciously taken them in.
It is not due to any pressure, media or cancel culture. It is due to a fellowship of humanity.The world does not want a WW3. Putin definitely wants a WW3. Or at least doesn’t care if he is the
cause of it.I also disagree with your definition of cancel culture.
Sanctions on enemy countries has been a long standing policy in Foreign Affairs. There are many countries that it is illegal to do business with. (Iran, the Taliban , NK for example.)TL;DR,
Sometimes the situation might be complex and have a long history but the current affairs are very simple. An evil psychopath unleashed an invasion that has caused an enormous amount of harm in the world.Kudos to Jack for demonstrating exactly the reaction the world elite and war mongers want you to have. The idea is to get people to react emotionally like Jack and throw the world into WW3 chvsh.
Putin is not a nice guy, but Putin is a very smart guy, and he knows what he is doing.
Jack in his emotional state thinks that Putin should care for people of Ukraine more than Ukrainian government and world elites who did everything to trigger this war.
Think of all the millions of people killed by America in wars in Iraq and Aphganistan. Why Jack is not calling Bush psychopath? Trump was the only US president not to start any wars in recent History.
They all have no care for human life. They just use human death and suffering as a springboard to bring on more death and suffering.
Wake up Jack, to the Real World!Avram: Excellent OP. On the point, all points, and honestly nothing more to say or add.
Mindful,
These are terms that only conspiracy theorists and their ilk use.
“The world elite”
“War mongers”
“George Soros”
“One world government agenda”
“lgbtq agenda propogated by world economic forum”
“covid scam.”By the way , on your statements previously in other posts, you owe Klal Yisrael an apology:
1) You stated that “The idea of Gadol Hador itself is very questionable, and has no source in Jewish tradition.”
The term Gadol Hador is not ‘questionable’ and has been recognized since Moshe Rabeinu. In every generation Hashem has put leaders of Klal Yisrael.2) Your statement, “Why do we care what the Satmar Rebbe said? ”
You should care about everything the Satmar Rebbe said. His Torah, Tzidkus and Chesed are legendary.3) Your statement , “The more “farfrumt” the community, the more ignorant the women are ” is ludicrous and preposterous. You owe Klal Yisrael an apology.
@avram in md, It depends on who’s ox is being gored, cancel culture is a invention of the left and they marched in lockstep with me too, the BLM and covid regulations, anyone who dared to say otherwise was ostracized, this is just taking it on a international level.
Get your head out of the sand. Everything I have said is a fact, not a theory. Whatevsr you didn’t hear on CNN is “conspiracy theory?” Did you check Snopes maybe to know what’s fact and what’s fiction?
Name calling “conspiracy theorists” is just for those who have no argument.
Whatch recordings of World Economic Forum speaches, and then decide what is a theory and what is not.edited
Avram,
I never heard of Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and his spreadsheet.
The size and amount of international companies that are partaking in this boycott and the speed it was done leads me to believe that they had good intentions and were not forced by fear of a backlash.I agree there are late comers that are doing it for fear of backlash and it could potentially be used against any country including Israel.
But, I think that this is a clear case of an aggressor doing very bad things and it would be very hard to enact where this isn’t the case.
So far, it has not stopped Putin.Avram,
And the complete reversal of the Republican party from a healthy distrust of Russia to a almost adulation since the 2010s has really taken me by surprise.
How much do you want to bet moral posturing economic warfare will be used on EY the same way it has on Russia? You know the corporate stooges will go for it if it makes the blue haired mobs spend money.
> Republican party from a healthy distrust of Russia to a almost adulation since the 2010s
who would be that? Pompeo? Pence? McConnell? Graham? I don’t think so. Trump who tried to cancel NS2? Some minor congressman or a fox news personage? I am confused what you are talking about – or just feel a need to rebut the charge against Ds.
The Democrats have long had a love relationship with communism and the Soviet Union. It was only after Putin hit back hard against Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2014 involvement in supporting the coup d’etat and violent overthrow of the democratically elected government of Ukraine that Democrats turned on Putin and Russia.
Reb Avram,
I am not sure if you are seeing the daily documented war crimes being committed by Russia in Ukraine.
The following are all documented with videos, photos and eyewitnesses.Innocent civilians massacred, Hospitals destroyed, Residential building razed, usage of mines on refugees fleeing, using weapons that have been internationally outlawed, using Ambulances to transport weapons and other crimes.
There is also documented human rights abuses that Russia is committing on it’s own citizens.
When everyone has a phone with a camera and video on it , it is very hard to hide these abuses.
I extend my hand to you to retract your support of Putin today or you can wait for the War Crimes Tribunal.
Avram, I think I understand what you are saying, but I think fretting about these possible side effects is sort of inappropriate in the view of ongoing carnage and risk of escalation. There are so many real issues here. This is like those who worry about vaccine side effects in the face of a sickness.
Avram MD,
I wonder what Russia did to have such a zechus to not have McDonalds, CNN, Facebook, etc no longer foisted upon their population.
Sometimes I think EY could use these corporate entities cutting them off so they could see the left is no friend of the Jew any longer. I’m no fan of the new emerging volkish right, but the pendulum of power has swung way to far to the left. I’m afraid if this continues America’s soul searching will send us careening in the opposite direction which is just as terrible if not worse.
The two poles right now are Volkish right and Boleshivik left. Appealing to either side of this will have consequences that are not good.
We cannot have it both ways, we cannot cancel companies for assisting or being contracted by Hitler and yet complain when companies are being pressured to cease doing business with or even in Russia.
There always is the risk that cancel culture may be extended for political and social causes, but that does not mean that using it for evil of such magnitude and extreme, such as killing civilians and hospitals is uncalled for.
Avram,
“What I intended to point out was how coordinated, rapid, and policed this boycott was from the outset and at a point in time when information was more scarce.”
Rapid indeed. So was the Russian invasion and its killing of civilians. The Russians may have been counting on the fact that reaction, at least the reactions that would matter will take some time, and by that time all will be over.
For the reaction (sanction and boycotts) to be effective, they needed to be deployed rapidly.
Russia initially lied to the world when it announced that it has no intention of invading Ukraine and is moving its military away from the border. This was a lie, and likely to avoid any rapid reaction to their offensive.
Some companies are pulling away from the Russian market to avoid being hit with government-induced sanctions. Others to avoid negativity.
Russia is indeed being canceled and the way it APPEARS at this moment, for good reason. As you pointed out, I sure hope that this never gets utilized for other ideologies. But right now, this is not some ideology that people subscribe to, it’s a mass-murdering scenario and needs to be stopped. If these are the means to stop it, it may be worth it.
Lastly, I am sure that it took little convincing for most companies to divest and pull out of Russia, with the tanking and unstable economy, not much business is to be made in Russia at this point. They just run the risk of Russia finding alternative companies to work with, such as Chinese companies.
Avram,
this boycott is so coordinated due to brutality of events – and reaction of population. Even those politicians who would prefer doing nothing, see how people react and follow them. Maybe it is a good thing that world has a moment of clarity in the face of evil, and we need to acknowledge that.The American Reform led so-called “Jewish” boycott against Nazi Germany backfired badly and caused untold additional suffering towards German/European Jews.
Avram > a lot of the initial coordinated cancelling came about while Russia was still seemingly utilizing surgical strikes
for most enlightened nations, an unprovoked war in Europe sounded unbelievable. Western Europeans built up theories that if they engage Rashiim in oil trade, then mutual benefit will lead to peace despite all indications to the contrary. Thus, when their beliefs were shuttered, they had to respond (either because they admitted new reality, or they admitted that their politics was failing and they have to show a change).
This is like Noach who “believed and did not believe” and did not go inside the tevah until water came to his feet. Except that Noach was building the Tevah for 120 years despite not fully internalizing what will happen, but Europeans did not prepare for the worst, including Ukrainians themselves – they had 30 years to put IEDs under the roads and build road blocks. They actually woke up a couple of days in advance, thanking US for the info, and were able to move their equipment from being bombed and block the rail connections.
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