War is a man-made devastating event where armed conflict is occurred between or among countries. No one wants this kind of war situation, though it has been happening since the beginning existence of homo sapiens. From the ancient to the modern era, we have observed and become victims of these events every time. War comes with losses of lives, disruption of economies, structural distractions, etc.
The entire number of military and civilian casualties in the First World War was estimated to be around 40 million, with estimates ranging from 15 to 22 million deaths. The total number of military men killed ranges from 9 to 11 million, whereas the civilian death toll was estimated to be between 6 and 13 million. The bloodiest military conflict in history was World War II. This war and war-related famine killed an estimated 70–85 million people or roughly 3% of the world’s population (estimated at 2.3 billion).
However, the global citizens and all the countries’ leaders have been tensed in recent times on account of the war situation between Russia and Ukraine. The fact remains that we are being informed about the terrific situation by conventional media and social media. We have seen the aggression of Russia, the response from the Ukrainian people, and the activities of other global leaders.
Interestingly, the media’s double standard has become a burning issue all over the world. In comparison to people suffering from wars in Yemen, Libya, Ethiopia, Palestine, and Syria, the Western media has portrayed Ukraine’s suffering as “different” and labelled Ukrainians as “civilized.”
We have seen conflict raging for decades in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Syria, Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh to save their lives, the mighty kings are dropping bombs to innocent Yemeni citizens, so the people from countries are not civilized? What about them? The media are avoiding them clearly.
The UN claims over 360,000 Ukrainians have fled, most into Poland.The battle has prompted fast criticism from a number of countries, as well as immediate penalties against Russian banks, oil refineries, and military exports by the US and other countries. The rapidity of such a worldwide response – which has included the banning of Russia from certain cultural events and treating it as an outcast in sports – has prompted comparisons to be drawn between the lack of such a response to other crises across the world.
David Sakvarelidze, a former deputy general prosecutor in Ukraine, was interviewed by the BBC, and he shared his thoughts, “This is really upsetting for me since I watch Europeans with blue eyes and blonde hair being slaughtered on a daily basis as a result of the missile attacks, helicopter attacks, and rocket attacks carried out by Putin’s forces.”
Oops! The people, then, with blue eyes and blonde hair, are bombing in the Middle East and Africa; this is not a big issue.
In addition, news coverage of mass Ukrainians protecting their country by preparing Molotov cocktails and arming themselves with state-issued machine guns has already been hailed as “heroic,” and these individuals have been referred to as “freedom fighters.” In spite of the fact that we are not being shown empathy for others and being presented with a different picture, such as Palestinians and Afghans who are experiencing the same situation, but they labelled as “terrorists” while defending their homeland.
There are countless additional aspects to examine, such as the fact that severe sanctions and the censorship of Russian media sources such as RT in Europe have not been commensurate with the Iraq invasion or the Saudi-led bombardment of Yemen, which has continued to this day.
British media didn’t even respond when Roman Abramovich, a Russian businessman, donated approximately 100 million euros to the Israeli settler. However, now they are spreading malice against Roman just because he is a Russian. I also wonder how UEFA ban Russia and the Russian club. This very UEFA once banned Celtic football club for weaving Palestinian flag, and now they are supporting Ukraine against Russian invasion!
When an NBC News reporter asked about how Poland’s refugee policy has changed since the last refugee crisis from Syria, the reporter responded, “Actually, these are not Syrian refugees; rather, they are Ukrainian refugees from the neighboring country of Ukraine.” In the sense that these are Christians, they’re white, and they’re very similar to people who live in Poland!
News of Israel’s barbaric treatment of unarmed Palestinians is reported in almost all Western media in a somewhat different way. The use of force by the aggressors in their ‘propaganda style’ is largely concealed. All media use the words such as’ clash ‘,’ conflict ‘, and ‘property dispute’ in their news and leaders’ conversations on the Palestinian-Israeli issue. It goes without saying that using this kind of ‘passive voice’ suppresses the ‘cause’ or ‘target’ of violence. Yet, now in the case of the Ukraine conflict, they are just using words like ‘aggression’, ‘invasion’, ‘attack’, ‘kill’, ‘illegal step’. This is absolute hypocrisy, isn’t it?
In the book, On Western Terrorism: From Hiroshima to Drone Warfare, Noam Chomsky and Andre Vltchek, detail the Western world’s bloody history of terrorism from the Second World War to the present day. However, those invasions and involvement in the affairs of other countries – think Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iran, and Panama – are perceived as being directed against “uncivilized” populations. Ukraine has been described as “civilized.”
The Russian invasion of Ukraine cannot be justified in any way; it is illegal, apparently. This invasion has wreaked havoc and caused enormous suffering among innocent people; however, contrary to what the Western media would have you believe, this is not the first time a superpower has invaded a country.
You are “civilized” and will be applauded when you defend your country if you are white, Christian, have “Instagram profiles” and a “Netflix subscription,” according to some. Refugees from third-world nations are demonized and exploited as scaremongering tools by politicians, but refugees from European countries are treated with mercy and compassion. The same treatment should be given to all refugees and individuals in general. Compassion should be elicited in response to any and all human suffering.
You might think that this write up is about “whataboutism”, but fortunately or unfortunately, this is not; the core emphasis is on upholding justice and equality. We are all opposed to war, and this should have been the case all along. Our motto, on the other side, ought to be the same for everyone, regardless of their nationality, race, religion, or tribe.
