With several foreign journalists having already been killed in the war in Ukraine, anyone who goes there to share stories with the outside world deserves respect. Vice News has just put out a new video that shows the grim reality of life in Ukraine's war zones, plus some disturbing insights into the way that human psychology can be programmed to deny reality.
This video (below) is one of the most detailed I have seen from inside of Ukraine so far and includes harrowing scenes of all kinds. From morgues overflowing with bodies, to grieving parents, a Mayor carrying an assault rifle and all kinds of terrible destruction.
What perhaps stands out the most though, once the tears of empathy are done - is the scene with a Ukrainian girl called 'Olya':
Olya explains that she has an Aunt in Russia and they talk by phone during the recording. Even though Olya is sat in rubble and explains that she may have to leave her grandparents to fend for themselves (possibly the Aunt's own parents, no less), her Aunt explains that she still supports Putin and Russia's actions! The justification given is that she seems to value the Russian media's explanation of why the war is happening, more than she values the truth from her own family in Ukraine.
Olya: "I would really like to know what you are being told there over the border. Will they keep this up?"
Aunt: "Nothing specific. The Nazis torture people. They show on TV how they abuse girls and youngsters. They rape and abuse them. Olya, they just hide that from you. The Russian forces are liberating Ukraine from Nazis."
Reporter: "Right now, we are sat in a bombed out building. Thousands of people are being killed, a lot of people are being injured, millions of people are being separated from their family members. Do you still support President Putin?"
Aunt: "Oh, it's hard to say. Of course, I do because we have information saying they are liberating Ukraine from Nazis. In that case, of course, everyone really supports Putin."
...
Numerous reports have shown how support for Putin's policies in Ukraine is allegedly high in Russia - although this probably has something to do with protesters against him being arrested and possibly charged with heavy sentences. Unfortunately, humanity has been deliberately weakened over a long time to try to cause most people to think unique thoughts, of their own creation (groupthink) - so in the absence of dissenting voices, far too many people simply do/think what they are most loudly told to do or think. If you visit the Golos blockchain, Hive/Steem's Russian equivalent, you will see mostly posts in support of the Russian government. This is a major deviation from Steem/Hive's Anarchist roots.
How disturbing to see a young girl, facing potentially imminent death, being told by her Aunt that effectively 'it's for your own good, because... Nazis'. The level of bewildering failure to use logic and the massive lack of empathy is shocking, but not unexpected.
I cannot personally imagine being in a position where the majority of the world disowns the nation I call home and tries to crush it's economy because of a war it is fighting and yet I continue to support the government there based only on the government's claims. That being said, millions of Americans and people in other nations supported war in Iraq, based on lies that were fairly obvious at the time and which became ever more obvious as time passed. Unfortunately, there are large numbers of unthinking people who allow all manner of evil while proudly proclaiming their righteousness.
The full video is here (warning: contains graphic content).
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