I am recalling that just a few months ago most Americans couldn't give a shit about Ukraine or what the US had done there since 2014.

Everyone's rightfully and justifiably horrified by the outcome and onset of this war, but it seems that it's given to an irrational zealous degree akin to the initial bloodlust of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, where there is little serious investigation of the context and facts, and politics broke down the conflict to a very Manichaean view of the world and West vs its adversaries in the East.

Russia (especially under Putin) ,considered "guilty until proven innocent", appears to confirm liberal fears with this war confirms all the prejudices about the Russian state - whose qualities are now directed at its people - and now liberals appear to be yearning for Russia to collapse as a state through economic annihilation or a nuclear holocaust.

It's just baffling, because at least with Iraq, there was a context of 9/11 being recent in people's minds and collusion with media propaganda to convincingly brainwash Americans into choosing a scapegoat for a collective bloodlust. With this the political context of this conflict, which Americans have little to no personal stake in , the bloodlust comes off as incredibly selective.

My principal complaint is that this is a dangerous scenario to be courting with global planetary extinction with.

  • RandyLahey [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    amongst all the tonnes of other reasons people have mentioned, i wonder if the frustration of covid over the last two years isnt part of it as well, dealing with a faceless amorphous invisible enemy that youre powerless to really fight but which materially affects your life pretty substantially, and now suddenly having a nice well-defined baddie with a face and a country to let out all that frustrated rage onto and feel righteous about it