I see. To summarize, you believe all Russians are bad because a Russian person killed your friend and all Americans are good because no American people killed any of your friends?
Is it really that hard to believe people don't want to support a state that has brutally occupied half of Europe for 50 years and is right now murdering Ukrainians every day?
Russia is waging a hybrid war against Europe (and the West in general), there's no way I'd give one of their biggest tech companies even a cent.
The world also consists of people. Are you saying that people around me are better than the Russians? Sure, nice to have finally agree about something.
But that just proves the point you were trying to argue with.
No, you misread. I didn't say people around you are better; I said you probably live in a country with working government institutions and fair elections.
I don't feel you approach this discussion in good faith. I see no point in continuing.
It is silly to grant agency and moral responsibility exclusively to people living within democracies.
The Putin regime made an informal deal with the population "You stay out of politics and we're gonna stay out of your life". The people outsource political power to the regime.
This passive majority represents the bulk of the population, but not the whole of the population. There are two smaller groups. Ultra-patriots who criticize Putin for not doing more war, more suffering etc. And those who criticize the Putin for the war, although this group is not very vocal, but here I do agree with you that's it's difficult to publicly protest in an authoritarian regime.
You can hate ALL Russians all you want but it's not whataboutism to call you out on the hypocritical and hateful position you take.
Saying you have issue with not only a country but all it's people and their offerings because of the countries effects on friends and families just means in the case of the US, that you have no friends that are:
Black Americans, Native Americans, Latino Americans, pretty much all of South Americans, large portions Africans, the Balkans, Vietnamise, Most of the Arab countries etc?
Surely the rational position to take is to hate the countries policies not all their citizens. I also dislike Russia policies but boycutting or hating the creator of 7 Zip because he is Russian seems weird.
Americans too, or just Russians?
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I see. To summarize, you believe all Russians are bad because a Russian person killed your friend and all Americans are good because no American people killed any of your friends?
Is it really that hard to believe people don't want to support a state that has brutally occupied half of Europe for 50 years and is right now murdering Ukrainians every day?
Russia is waging a hybrid war against Europe (and the West in general), there's no way I'd give one of their biggest tech companies even a cent.
States consist of people. Russians are shareholders of Russia.
It would be true if Russia was democracy. It is not.
It's not a democracy because they neglect their shareholder duties. In other words, they are responsible for not making it a democracy.
This is a naive point of view. I can't blame you though, you probably live in a better part of the world.
The world also consists of people. Are you saying that people around me are better than the Russians? Sure, nice to have finally agree about something.
But that just proves the point you were trying to argue with.
No, you misread. I didn't say people around you are better; I said you probably live in a country with working government institutions and fair elections.
I don't feel you approach this discussion in good faith. I see no point in continuing.
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It is silly to grant agency and moral responsibility exclusively to people living within democracies.
The Putin regime made an informal deal with the population "You stay out of politics and we're gonna stay out of your life". The people outsource political power to the regime.
This passive majority represents the bulk of the population, but not the whole of the population. There are two smaller groups. Ultra-patriots who criticize Putin for not doing more war, more suffering etc. And those who criticize the Putin for the war, although this group is not very vocal, but here I do agree with you that's it's difficult to publicly protest in an authoritarian regime.
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> 0 killed friends (first one dating back to 2009, ironically in the US)
I'm unable to parse this bit, which you say is important. The first of your zero friends was killed in 2009?
You can hate ALL Russians all you want but it's not whataboutism to call you out on the hypocritical and hateful position you take. Saying you have issue with not only a country but all it's people and their offerings because of the countries effects on friends and families just means in the case of the US, that you have no friends that are: Black Americans, Native Americans, Latino Americans, pretty much all of South Americans, large portions Africans, the Balkans, Vietnamise, Most of the Arab countries etc?
Surely the rational position to take is to hate the countries policies not all their citizens. I also dislike Russia policies but boycutting or hating the creator of 7 Zip because he is Russian seems weird.