I Stuck My Hand In The Fire

By TLS

So there I was perusing LinkedIn, and a member’s post came up on my home page comparing the Ukraine/Russia war with Israel/Hamas/Syria/whoever else…war. The member was attempting to point out hypocrisy in media reporting, among other things as well I’m sure.

Initially to me it looked like the post was attempting to highlight the media’s condemnation of Russia for attacking Ukraine but condoning Israel’s attacks on surrounding areas. I think that really was the point of the post too. But, it was actually an apples-and-oranges situation that didn’t directly compare. So I stuck my hand in that fire and made a comment.

Here’s my very summed-up point/perspective, the two examples don’t compare because Russia (Putin) invaded, unprovoked, Ukraine to seize resources and a strategic advantage in the area. Israel on the other hand, is laying waste to everything around because they were attacked, again. In these admittedly very condensed and broad strokes, to me this is pretty straightforward and about as close to clear-cut as it gets.

However…I got some hate comments back at me. That wasn’t surprising though since I could tell I was posting in an area not especially supportive of the West, to say the least. I thought the return comments would say something like ‘yes the media is biased’ or ‘Israel is evil for attacking innocents’ or something else along these lines. That’s not what I got though.

Instead I received several comments saying, essentially, how dumb and misinformed I was and that I knew nothing. At first I thought the comments were addressing the Middle East, and they were to some degree. But I soon realized they were also referring to Ukraine/Russia, this left me confused. So I went back for more.

I knew others, especially non-West loving others, would have a different perspective. What I found though was a bit surprising. The non-surprising stuff was that many condemned Israel and I think it would be safe to say want Israel to simply die and be wiped off the map, no real surprise there. The hate directed at Ukraine was the surprising part. There were many comments saying Ukraine started the war. Ukraine was evil. Zelensky was a dictator and was guilty of genocide. And many other such comments.

I’m not saying Ukraine is a world leader in equality, human rights, anti-corruption, and democracy, but this left me scratching my head. If ever there were a conflict that was yes or no, good or bad, right or wrong; Ukraine/Russia (again Putin) must be it.

The posts repeatedly condemned the West for being Imperial conquerors, invaders, and evil.

My initial purpose for sticking my hand in that fire and commenting was to attempt to engage in a bit of conversation about Israel. But, the beliefs and views of the detractors coming at me were so far off what I’m sure is at least fairly accurate information, that there was no common ground to even begin a conversation.

(Yes, I know the West is not perfect. Yes, I know the West has issues. Yes. Yes. Yes. But, if we’re going to compare sources of information, between the West, East, and others, there is very little comparison. For the most part, the gatherers of information in the West have by far more ability to question, criticize, investigate, and condemn leaders and governments than any others on the planet.)

So, it’s no wonder we have so many global conflict problems with no clear solution. When someone is supporting Russia (Putin) as a source of good and righteousness in the world, and condemns the West as barbarous evil, how do you even begin a conversation? How does one present, as credible information as can be, to a misinformed zealot? How does one even engage?

Although, perhaps I’m the zealot, and I’m the one who’s been manipulated and misinformed. It’s possible, so I guess I’ll just have to keep sticking my hand in that fire and see if someone can educate me.

If you’ve stuck your hand in the fire of online arguments, you know the burn. But silence doesn’t move conversations forward either. What do you think, should we keep engaging across these divides, or is it time to step back? Share your thoughts below.

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