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Comment by smrtinsert | Hacker News Reader

I am absolutely livid and terrified for the state of the world right now.

Consider that there have been terrible things happening to people throughout the world, every day, for years. This is bad, of course, but I'd caution you that you're letting the media dictate your emotions. Did you feel this mad during the (still ongoing) Syrian conflict? How about when Russia invaded Georgia? Or the first Ukraine invasion in Crimea? In all three cases the threat of nuclear war was probably as high as today. And the atrocities during this war so far pale in comparison to those other three. And that's just conflicts involving Russia. Over the last few years there have been unspeakable atrocities committed across the continent of Africa - that make this look mild.

It's not that this is good or acceptable, but if you're just now getting mad, or just now seeing humans for what they're truly like, then perhaps this is a good lesson and an important milestone in the maturation process. Human nature has not changed so much over the last 80 years. It's good to be reminded of that, though the reminders are difficult.

For me the difference between now and Syria is when Syria started, I'd see one or two stories a day in the AP when I checked the news. I didn't frequent HN so can't speak to if it was constantly on the news. I realize a lot of the reason were getting the info is because this is a war in Europe instead of Asia or Africa. I've had to use pihole to block several sites on a schedule to keep me from doomscrolling, maybe I need to increase my blocked time? I'd love info on how people experienced World War II without TV as well as Vietnam and the first Gulf war when we had tv but before 24/7 news coverage on the internet and social media.

How do the atrocities in this war pale in comparison to those of the war in Georgia or Crimea? A Reuters article from two days ago says there have already been 2,000 deaths of Ukrainian civilians from the invasion alone.

The more I think about this kind of take, the less it makes sense. People on this site talk about American president and American race relations more then about China too. Because there are many Americans here. There are many Europeans here too and thus they talk about about war right next to EU. Indians here run to every discussion involving india. Asia biased forums do talk about events in Asia a lot too.

People in countries around Syria talked about war in Syria a lot. And in that conflict, America seems to be blamed for both intervening and not intervening enough. It is guilty of Russia bombing cities and Assad actions ... and also for helping rebels in actual fight. Because, in relation with Ukraine war, it is important to make America guilty of literally every bad thing everyone does in every conflict.

I was only 4 during the Cuban Missile crisis, but I've talked to people who remember it and this sounds a lot like it.

Others have pointed out that, unfortunately, the threat of nuclear war never really went away, we just got better at ignoring it except at times like this.

At all times there are submarines just floating around out there in various oceans waiting to nuke someone with a ballistic missile. They can operate underwater for 3 months without surfacing. Someone can get a call and press some buttons and just vaporize a town filled with people they have never met. I lie awake at night thinking about this a lot.

The Cuban missile crisis seemed far less stupid. Like, shelling the nuclear power plant?

Stupid or really nihilistic.

Maybe projecting nihilism is a strategy of its own. If I act as if there is nothing I care about except my goal you will never convince me to give up. So you have to give up to spare casualties.

i think you're right

Unironically, it is exactly that crisis that is key to understanding Russias actions right now, as there are many similar parallels. That, plus the 2.5T barrels worth of shale that Chevron and Exxon prospected underneath the Crimean peninsula.

If Russia really did go to war over securing some natural resources and a geopolitical strategic location, over a false pretense of something like liberation, it would sound so much like...well, us.

So let us take a quick moment of pause and realize that this demon lives well within our own borders, too.

Hoping and praying for peace.

If we equate Saddam Hussein with Zelensky, then sure. I'm not so sure the parallels are actually there, though. Intelligence tells us Putin's actual reasons for invading ukraine have a lot more to do with restoring the glory of the Russian Empire. Putin's "denazification" and "liberation" rhetoric seems more like a bone thrown towards those who are fair-minded and want to believe in an equivalence between Putin and W. I get that impulse, but I also think the just world fallacy can take us to some strange places and drag us all down to hell. Sometimes people are just evil.

Russia may or may not care for it's own wealth in the shale prospects, but it can't allow for Ukraine to have them. They've shown interest in being a western aligned democracy, and having such resource exports would make Ukraine much more wealthy. A wealthy, friendly Ukraine as an energy provider is much more attractive to Europe than Russia. They would have a much easier time being admitted to the EU and NATO, and it would be a severe blow to Russian pride and potentially economy, and the strategic position provided by being an energy exporter.

Yes, this is spot on. Russia has spent the last 10 years or so rebuilding pipeline infrastructure to avoid Ukrainian tariffs. Ukraine in response has begun to align itself with the West as it seeks to ramp up its own energy production, threatening the overwhelming majority of Russia's GDP. Sometimes these things really are simple. This isn't to excuse what Putin is doing, and he is performing some serious brainwashing on the Russian people. Let us hope that the Russian people wake up to the lies they've been fed and finally rid themselves of this man. The fact of the matter is, the majority of the Ukrainian and Russian people have much more in common than what separates them. My hope is His Holiness Kirill can also wake up from his slumber, set aside his notions that God cares about the restoration of the former glory of the Kievan Rus, and see what is going on around him, because he can act as a major unifying force if he chooses to do so.

Trying to rescue you from downvotes, but ppl refuse to see the big picture, to think reflexively. MSM sure isn't helping.

most people forget that Cuban missiles followed missiles in Turkey, who can say who really started the madness?

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