Invasion, Ukraine

For Americans there seems to be no introspection. We can see the hypocrisies of world leaders appealing to nationalism, nostalgia, the lie of a golden age, but when our own politicans fall to the same trap, we perceive it as normal. 

"Of course our country is supreme."

"If our leaders say so, then it must be true."

"You don't seem to understand the realities of politics, they have to plan things two, three steps ahead."

"Their hands are clearly tied."

"A politician's job isn't to defeat their foes, but to work with them for a better system." 

And on, and on, and on.

I've heard these lines before, not from children, but from adults who consider themselves pragmatic.  Politics aren't different sides pushing against each other like waves beating down on a cliff, no. It's a team effort, the people who see you as an animal not worth stealing their oxygen, are somehow on your side. Despite them engorging themselves in money, tax breaks, and war, they are your allies, you have to work WITH them, not against. Never against! 

Now I see Americans, good people, people who decried the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan losing themselves to the fervor of aRussian invasion of Ukraine, and I have to ask, why should we care?

What can I do? What will my support do for the people of Ukraine? Am I supposed to put a Ukrainian flag besides my name and shoot down anyone who disagrees with me? Is that what supporting a country means now?

Why should I support one bad side over the other, why should I have a take?

If Russia takes Ukraine, what will that do for me?

I do care for the civilians in Ukraine, but I also care about the air strikes committed by our allies to the countries of Yemen and Syria and the people of Palestine, things that my government supports, even gives money to, something that I can actually have an effect on, yet suddenly everyone has forgotten about those countries and only focuses on Ukraine, comparing Putin to Hitler (a laughable comparison considering the sheer amount of Ukrainian neo nazis and descendants of collaborators). Is it due to Nato? I don't know, I don't really care.

Americans live in a country with a weak government, weak economy that is only going to get worse and worse, and yet what is happening in Ukraine is so important, the start of World War 3 they say! Of course, knowing how the internet works people will forget, even if a huge war started, Americans wouldn't be drafted, meaning the war will be completely invisible to us, just like Afghanistan.