Teenage Insensitivity

Ukraine and insensitivity

Some topics are best le un-joked about

Benjamin Grantonic grantben000@hsestudents.org

World War III jokes are nothing new; in January 2020, during the memes. According to Al Jazeera, the Ukrainian people have a confrontation between the United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran over then-President Donald Trump ordering the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, #WWIII became the top trending hashtag on Twitter. Jokes about our nuclear demise and getting conscripted into the U.S. Army ran free through both Twitter and Reddit. According to Vox, many saw the “memes” about war with Iran as a coping mechanism for the anxiety of the mere possibility of war. However, war with Iran has yet to come, nor would such a war likely a ect the daily lives of most Americans orit cause a return of the dra , as many memes suggested. On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. is was a er months of military build-up by the Russian military on the border with Ukraine. is whole con ict has been an eruption of violence sparking from earlier clashes between the two nations, dating back to a series of protests that ousted the pro-Russian Ukrainian president. is led to the Russians annexing the Crimean Peninsula, a southern region of Ukraine, and supporting ethnically Russian rebels in the east of Ukraine. e Russian invasion has led to international condemnation, with the United States and its Allies sanctioning Russia. is invasion has also led to outrage from the public of many nations as well, and with the outrage (and any huge news story) came been a source of many of these memes and jokes. From jokes about NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an alliance between the United States, Canada and many of its European Allies) refusing to put a no- y zone over Ukraine, to morbid jokes about Russian mothers getting calls from a Ukrainian area code; the people actively involved in the con icts were full of memes and jokes. e Ukrainian government even got involved, posting memes on the o cial government Twitter account. ough Ukrainians were not the only ones making these memes, others including Americans have of course also made such memes. When news hit the world of the Russian invasion, the tweeting began. Observers, commentators and everyday people began putting their two cents into the conversation. Like any conversations in which the wider public is allowed to say anything, this had mixed results. From people very inappropriately comparing it to the Avengers and Harry Potter, to people caring more about how this will impact the stock market then how it will impact real human beings, to others trying to be helpful and raise money for various charities to help Ukrainians, most reactions tend to be uneducated. While many were sympathetic to the Ukrainian people, many others were jokes about a possible World War III or Americans getting dra ed. Insensitivity was the general tone of many of these “jokes.” One reaction I would like to point out is Elon Musk, who tends to put in his commentary where it is both unwanted and unneeded. At rst, he came out in support of the Ukrainians posting a tweet with several Ukrainian ag emojis and the statement “stand strong.” He then posted a meme a few days later calling people who supported Ukraine “NPCs” (Non-Playable Characters, a term from videos games used to insult people by implying they cannot think for themselves), so I guess we can thank Elon Musk for taking a bold stance against helping people who are getting invaded. It is a strange comment and indicative of this tone I have been speaking of. Many defend these jokes as people trying to cope with the situation or as “gallows humor.” ough as it is mostly Americans making these jokes, they have nothing to cope with; they are not in a warzone, nor will they ever be dra ed to ght in a war. It is understandable to have anxiety about seeing any tragedy, but it must be understood that this will not heavily a ect you. It is only gallows humor if you are in the gallows, not when you are sitting in the stands. e struggle of the Ukrainian people should not be the subject of your jokes or memes, I compel you to think before you make insensitive jokes such as these. I also compel you to donate to a reputable charity to help Ukrainians if you have the ability to do so. Top: A QR code to Heart to Heart International, a reputable charity assisting Ukraine. Bottom: A QR code to UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), also a reputable and long-standing charity. Le : A map of Ukraine with the colors of the Ukrainian Flag Graphic by Benjamin Grantonic. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.