World News.

Wasn't quite sure how to word this, because I don't want it to come across as trivializing in a "thoughts and prayers" way and nothing else, in regards to Ukraine now. I'm naive to the years of conflict, here and in other parts of the world who experience it on a daily basis, so don't want to undermine that kind of fear and tension. I'm not sure if we have PnQers from Eastern Europe, but just wanting to check in with others, in case. If anyone has any resources, that would be neat, or anything they'd like to share.

Wanted to mention Texas, too, here in the States. I mostly frequent LGBTQ+ friendly spaces online and have seen the community post a lot about their fears lately. Governor Abbott referred to gender-affirming care as abusive, and wants to report parents of trans kids for this alleged "abuse", despite many medical professions and organizations solidifying how gender-affirming care helps trans kids and improves their mental health. There's also a misunderstanding that trans kids can just go to the pharmacy and get hormones over-the-counter, when it takes time and is a whole process involving counselors and doctors; it's also been shown how hormone therapy is safe when properly monitored. No one is forcing kids to be trans, or pushing the idea of surgery. Trans kids just want options, understanding, and proper support.

Florida also just passed the "Don't Say Gay" bill ("Parental Rights in Education") and it's advancing to the Senate. This bill would prohibit talking about sexual orientation and gender identity in primary grade school levels. This may lead kids to feel more isolated at school, like their existence is something wrong or should be ignored. It's not indoctrinating kids to simply talk about it, and I feel it's pushing away further resources that could help a kid questioning their gender or sexual orientation, especially if they don't feel safe at home.

So, just wanted to send messages of support, to everyone.

Thanks for the message and support.
So much love and blessing.
Thanks for sharing your news.
Very informative and refreshing to know about other's news. Which are our news as well. .

This is a great idea. We mostly here are fed by Western Media so it’d be nice to share what’s happening across the world.

I’m not sure how much of the invasion of Ukraine is being covered in the US. I have friends in both Russia and Ukraine who feel in their bones that this is possibly the beginning of a global world change. For all of us.

Putin is an intelligent man, and Ukrainian resistance you would imagine to be short-lived. Hopefully not. Putin has taken advantage of a sleeping, distracted West, and he will most likely not stop at Ukraine. Why would he? Until he invades a NATO country, we will most likely not see any reaction other than further sanctions. We have been given a harsh reawakening of what the world is truly like. Some of us here have witnessed war first-hand — I’m so lucky to have never. This is arguably bigger than the tragedy of 9/11. It’s perverse, I know. There have been countries suffering war, invasions, death, poverty globally for centuries. My thoughts are with the people of Ukraine right now, and without sounding like a doom merchant, we have to recognise the potential global significance of this.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zv99RUpAf_U

Just going to leave this here

I will say, personally, I'm seeing a lot of coverage of Ukraine and more people calling for peace and speaking against war more than ever. Obviously, we can care about multiple issues at the same time and it's not about comparing suffering or saying our focus on the Ukraine cancels out concern for people elsewhere in the world, but I wonder if there's a bias. If in the minds of many Americans, war is normalized in other countries, or reporters are desensitized to decades-long tension so coverage is skewed, whereas this invasion may have come as a shock... I don't know.

I just read that a CBS reporter used the words "relatively civilized" as a comparison to countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, as if we should not have the same amount of sympathy. I wonder about the racist undertones there; it seemed very blatant, along with a comment from another reporter about Ukrainians being "just like us". Not to mention the talk of supporting refugees, and perhaps people being more open to it, compared to the uproar over Muslim refugees in the past. Just wondering how the media affects our perceptions, and if we're really speaking out against war in all cases, or just picking and choosing. Again, not saying that those who are currently vocal about helping Ukraine have never been vocal in the past about anti-war efforts. One shouldn't have to necessarily prove their activism to prove they care.

Other articles I came across:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/mar/02/civilised-european-look-like-us-racist-coverage-ukraine
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/03/1084201542/ukraine-refugees-racism
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-03-02/ukraine-russia-war-racism-media-middle-east

The desensitisation to war in MENA countries, sure. I know many people who couldn’t tell you much about the Middle East without mentioning terrorism or war. You could partly blame the media for that. Perhaps the feelings people have about this is some form of inherent bias/racism, or perhaps people feel they understand the situation with Russia and Ukraine more than Israel and Palestine for example, or perhaps people were not as outspoken about the war on Iraq because there was an actual terrorist there. The refugee comment is interesting- should be simple shouldn’t it! You support refugees fleeing from war torn countries or you don’t. Do you think it’s racism if you are happy with your country taking in Ukrainian refugees but not Afghani refugees for example? This is honestly not a loaded question — I’m curious because I’ve heard various thoughts on this.

The reporting of it has been often widely jarring and misinformed. There is most probably some bias too. There’s definitely sensationalism. You’d be hard pressed to find any form of media without agenda or bias, though. Look at how this is being reported in Russia! Insane levels of propaganda and manipulation. Among all this I do think we have to be also careful we (not you) don’t accuse people of racism for caring that innocent (mostly white) people are having their homes shelled though. I am in no way an expert, but we should probably care more about the fact Putin is an incredibly dangerous man and the only way this is going to ‘stop’ is if Ukraine surrender their country/Kyiv is taken, or Russia ends up not being as much as an autocracy that there will be some semblance of a push back.

“One shouldn't have to necessarily prove their activism to prove they care”

I agree. At the end of the day though, with every war, with every invasion, it’s mostly innocent civilians that suffer. Sickening.

"Putin is an incredibly dangerous man"
I do not think it is an accurate statement. It is an emotionally charged one though. These are the emotions, they subliminally plan in us, as western people, and our subconscious. There is no democracy, really, because certain subjects are off the limit. They use “conditional reflection” technique through the media and tv to condition the brain of the mass people, through subliminal messages. And as it happened to the Pavlov dogs, just the reminder of some key words, brings about so many emotions which have been planted in us since forever.
The program is, hearing those words, the subject doesn't go through the logic section of our brain; it doesn't go to brain at all it goes to the nerves system in charge of instinctive reflects like threat, dread, insecurity, anger, resentment. So already discussion and reason are out of the question.
For example, nobody asks why America who has the worst record of invading countries in the world, now thousand miles away from his borders, is trying to interfere in another countries’ domestic problems. Why when Putin decade ago, asked to be a member of NATO, was he refused?? Now they’re extending NATO by including Ukraine and Poland...? for what reason? Against whom? Putin is not a monster, though he is not a pushover either. He recognizes the decoration of war, when he sees one. Every rational, unbiased, unhypnotized human being would do the same in my eyes.

Check this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X7Ng75e5gQ

I would say that he is most definitely a dangerous man. He’s a chess player, and you’re right! he does recognise ‘the decoration of war’ — quoting that because I love the phrasing by the way. Your point about the media I feel is a little far fetched, not necessarily without truth though. Approaching news with a pinch of salt & a healthy level of cynicism is useful. I’m emotional about this for sure & that is obviously clear, but I appreciate the opportunity to discuss it.

America’s involvement in this kind of makes sense politically if you take into consideration the idea of three ‘powers’ so to speak (Russia, China, the US) you could however argue that this may not have happened if Trump was in power today. If the US doesn’t act, what message does that send to Putin? I’m hypothesising.

Forgive me if I’m wrong but wasn’t NATO’s decision to stop talks with Russia due to their absorption of Crimea? Wasn’t the extension of NATO to protect Ukraine? I still think there’d be hesitancy for NATO to act even if Russia did invade Lithuania for example.

Appreciate your points. Understand NATO and the US are not innocent parties in this.