To think the situation in Ukraine has highlighted how racist many still are.

[username99903]

The outpouring of shock and horror at the situation is right of course. I am not trying to take away from that. I have seen some amazing examples of people trying to help and charitable giving. I of course have donated. However I can't help but think why we can not feel this empathy toward the people of Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria etc.

I have heard the most appalling statements especially from US channels talking about how Ukraine is a civilised country that you wouldn't expect this to happen to. It's like people think those from the Yemen etc are some how use to war/don't feel pain the way white Europeans do. We literally dehumanise and devalue people lives.

My work place is holding a charity event which again is great. But we have never thought to do it before for any other war where there was mass migration.

It's not a new realisation I just think it's massively highlighted it.

Agree the coverage is often racist.

It's one of those uncomfortable parts of human nature that we tend to find ourselves more able to relate to those who seem more like us. Doesn't make it a good thing but something we should try to be aware of in ourselves.

@Loopytiles

Agree the coverage is often racist.

Could you give me an example of that?

Yes - partly -

Although I think it’s a dollop of racism, and a dollop of shit it’s on our doorstep (in the UK), and shit what’s he going to aim at us (UK and US).

i think we are concerned for ourselves tbh
we are in europe, as is ukraine,
there is an awful lot of coverage
in the beginning the ukraine president said putin will come to you next

See i see ut the coverage is so different. So many pictures of children tugging at heart strings the bombing clips show towns been hit..

I also think the pandemic has made people want to do something rather than make a donation cash - people are donating stuff - which may or may not be more helpful.

@LawnFever

There have been a few specific ones - have a Google. I think as above it’s part racism, part it’s on our doorstep, part what’s he going to aim at us -

Eg - While on air, CBS News senior foreign correspondent Charlie D’Agata stated last week that Ukraine “isn’t a place, with all due respect, like Iraq or Afghanistan, that has seen conflict raging for decades. This is a relatively civilized, relatively European – I have to choose those words carefully, too – city, one where you wouldn’t expect that, or hope that it’s going to happen”.

i think in ukraine there are not many black people, i came on here to make a comment about that, and the non white students are struggling to evacuate, they have to wait for the women and children, but i presume ukraine isnt so rascist as the non white students would not have arrived in the first place, i assume but they seem to be less diverse than uk, and other parts of europe

The OP has given some examples and there’re loads online, eg Krishnan Guru Murthy has tweeted about it.

I think it is a case that Ukraine is a democratic country with (relatively speaking) liberal values. It is the same for much of the European Union. The EU is a group of countries based on shared values and until other countries adhere to these values they won’t be joining.
People know that the majority within these countries want liberal democratic government.
Afghanistan is further away and the values held within the country are more varied.
It’s a ‘people like us’ response.

As harsh as it sounds, we are desensitised to conflict in those areas because there is often conflict. Geographically, they are far away and so there is a sense of distance. Conflict within Europe is less common and therefore more shocking. There is a sense that this is on our doorstep and people feel their own lives are destabilised.

Who has read of something nasty in the paper in the local area and felt shocked/sickened that something so awful has happened on their own doorstep?

It's not racism.

[quote Luredbyapomegranate]@LawnFever

There have been a few specific ones - have a Google. I think as above it’s part racism, part it’s on our doorstep, part what’s he going to aim at us -

Eg - While on air, CBS News senior foreign correspondent Charlie D’Agata stated last week that Ukraine “isn’t a place, with all due respect, like Iraq or Afghanistan, that has seen conflict raging for decades. This is a relatively civilized, relatively European – I have to choose those words carefully, too – city, one where you wouldn’t expect that, or hope that it’s going to happen”.[/quote]
I’ll have a look, but I honestly don’t think that quote from CBS is racist, it’s factual.

Sadly some parts of the world have on going complex political issues that have led to wars over many years, Ukraine isn’t one of those places.

It’s more shocking, especially to a European audience to see a place where up until recently people might’ve visited on holiday reduced to a war zone.

Possibly, and non Ukrainian students being refused access to transport out was an issue.

However Ukraine is one heck of a lot more local than the other countries with strife. Also the defiance, the fact men are fighting rather than fleeing carries a lot of weight.

At the protests and support in the UK - no Socialist worker " posters or signs, no massed produced "refugees welcome", no "Ukrainians lives matter" banners. Could it be the people who pull the usual suspects strings are not funding Ukrainians?

are non white Christian countries further geographically away from Ukraine being racist by not taking in loads of refugees from Ukraine? Or sending aid in large percentages?

I agree with you 100%. Our school is doing a fundraiser for people of Ukraine, children are being asked to wear Ukraine colours. Didn’t see this outpouring of grief for those in Palestine, Syria, Kashmir, Afghanistan or Yemen.

It’s hypocritical and it makes my blood boil.

@Starlightstarbright1

See i see ut the coverage is so different. So many pictures of children tugging at heart strings the bombing clips show towns been hit..

I also think the pandemic has made people want to do something rather than make a donation cash - people are donating stuff - which may or may not be more helpful.

I think there’s more of the coverage, as it’s closer to home but the type of footage is the same.

Lots of groups in my area coordinated collections for the Syrian crisis too, I agree it may or may not be useful to send ‘stuff’.

I saw a recent news report where volunteers were trying to sort donations of clothes, but they had no storage and it was raining so everything was just getting soaked and unusable

twitter.com/jairo_i_funez/status/1499510506314514432?s=21
"These are real refugees: women, children, and elderly should be welcomed in Europe. Now everyone should understand the difference between these refugees and the invasion of Muslim youth of military age who have crossed our borders trying to destabilize and colonize Europe"

That is in Spanish parliament.

I agree, although I think it is also difficult to unpick what is about race and what is about religion (or perceived religion).

twitter.com/ibrahimsincere/status/1498603654097641473?s=21
"There's rumours there's been use of a thermo-baric bomb which is a vacuum bomb, which to be fair the the U.S. has used in Afghanistan but the idea of it being used in Europe is just stomach churning"

Matthew Wright being a dick head.

People keep talking about close to home and being on our doorstep. In what way is it close to home? Kyiv to London is 2400km.

The point is people feel emotionally closer to this because the people of ukraine are white.

twitter.com/rashaalaqeedi/status/1498094904290988035?s=21

“Us and Them”

no the people of ukraine are in europe, as are we.

@Im2022

twitter.com/jairo_i_funez/status/1499510506314514432?s=21 "These are real refugees: women, children, and elderly should be welcomed in Europe. Now everyone should understand the difference between these refugees and the invasion of Muslim youth of military age who have crossed our borders trying to destabilize and colonize Europe"

That is in Spanish parliament.

Isn’t it a case of Europeans wanting to help other Europeans, in Syria Turkey opened their borders but the refugees for whatever reason didn’t want to stay there, they wanted to come further.

With people fleeing Ukraine they’re going to the nearest neighbouring countries and appear to be predominantly staying there rather than wanting to continue travelling further on.

and the news coverage is due to putin being seemingly out of control.

@Im2022

twitter.com/rashaalaqeedi/status/1498094904290988035?s=21

“Us and Them”

She worded it clumsily, but it is more shocking to have refugees from a European country that has no history of war, than from countries in the Middle East that have an ongoing history of political and religious conflict.

Something that’s more unusual is obviously more shocking.