Sanctions on Russia

Gerald Chavez7 said:I mean, you can't really blame sanctions for hunger in Africa or the Middle East when it comes to Russian grain... We should just open up Ukrainian exports too and let the Russian stuff flow.

Honestly, you can only make things worse

From what I gather—and please, feel free to set me straight if there’s some food scientist or whatever out there who knows better—natural gas is one of the biggest, maybe even *the* most critical components when it comes to making fertilizer.
Just a quick side note here...
Malaria is basically a disease that we could pretty much entirely prevent or at least treat, but despite all our crazy tech and medical breakthroughs, something like 400,000 kids still die from it every single year.
Does anyone sitting on their high horse about morality actually give a damn?
Is there even a thread about this on the forums?
Or is it just considered irrelevant because they're mostly just little Black kids who aren't being shoved down our throats daily by CNN, BBC, and the rest of the mainstream media?
I guess it's just that old saying—out of sight, out of mind.

darkdriver said:Honestly, you can only make things worse

From what I gather—and please, feel free to set me straight if there’s some food scientist or whatever out there who knows better—natural gas is one of the biggest, maybe even *the* most critical components when it comes to making fertilizer.
Just a quick side note here...
Malaria is basically a disease that we could pretty much entirely prevent or at least treat, but despite all our crazy tech and medical breakthroughs, something like 400,000 kids still die from it every single year.
Does anyone sitting on their high horse about morality actually give a damn?
Is there even a thread about this on the forums?
Or is it just considered irrelevant because they're mostly just little Black kids who aren't being shoved down our throats daily by CNN, BBC, and the rest of the mainstream media?
I guess it's just that old saying—out of sight, out of mind.

You're just trying to manipulate the facts because you don't know the material. Malaria isn't polio—you can't just claim it's preventable and curable across every single population, every parasite subspecies, every climate, every mosquito variety, and every society like you're suggesting. Vaccines are still pretty much in the experimental phase.

Besides, this whole tu quoque thing you've got going on is getting old. You live in a NATO member state, so you're part of the same regime sanctioning Russia and causing the war in Ukraine and hunger in Africa—don't act all innocent now.

darkdriver said:Honestly, anyone in modern America calling for Orbán is just a moron—doesn't matter if they're left, right, or center.
We paid for our freedom in blood just to get the communist shackles off our necks, so it's honestly wild that a bunch of idiots—mostly on the right, let's be honest—are actually looking for that kind of leadership to come back and clamp down on us again.
In politics, there aren't any real alliances; there's just raw self-interest.
One of the few places running on the idea that alliances exist instead of just interests is our own pathetic excuse for a country, especially with our totally unpatriotic Prime Minister and his party. They're all doing it at the expense of the citizens they're supposed to care about. In reality, the only thing that pathetic Prime Minister cares about—acting like he's "first among equals"—is probably some cushy job waiting for him in the EU, provided he plays his cards right with the notes they send him.
So, I guess it doesn't even surprise me that Americans, acting like total vassals, are sucking up to this imbecile from Canada. He’s basically the embodiment of the "strongman" archetype—the leader, the heavy hand of the state—which is exactly what certain types of people here secretly crave, and hey, maybe our history just keeps reinforcing that weird desire.
Anyway, regarding Vladimir Putin and our local media circus...
The guy looks fantastic for being 70 years old, especially since, if we believe the mainstream media, he’s supposedly had about 15 surgeries in the last three months and is battling six different kinds of cancer that are eating him alive day by day.
I mean, it's a bit suspicious, right?
Look, I'm no doctor and I'm definitely no math professor, but something in that medical record and the math just... doesn't add up.

Acting based on your nation's interests? Well, look at Switzerland—they’re totally fine. They’re cold, calculated, consistent, and transparent with everyone. Totally honest!

Being a total hypocrite and a jerk like Orbán is a completely different ballgame.

The American government is just plain corrupt. There’s no need to go looking for some deep, profound meaning where none exists. Every single person in our political scene is there to secure five, six, or seven properties and some shady side hustle, while pushing through favors for their inner circle. That’s the whole game. They’d sell their own parents, or major companies like ExxonMobil, or even a coastal resort for a few bags of cash under the table. We’ve just become a cynical society where morality is just something you sell to others; nobody’s actually looking to help anyone else.

Maybe one day, when the standard of living in this country rises to the point where folks working regular jobs live like they’re in Scandinavia—not constantly worrying about how to survive—then we might finally see the first generation of people with actual morals who don't make chasing every dollar their entire life's purpose. But until then, whatever... it’s every man for himself, and let whoever can cheat, cheat.

Who knows—maybe one day we'll actually give a damn about whether Americans in Canada have a station of their own.

analogbear5 said:You're just trying to manipulate the facts because you don't know the material. Malaria isn't polio—you can't just claim it's preventable and curable across every single population, every parasite subspecies, every climate, every mosquito variety, and every society like you're suggesting. Vaccines are still pretty much in the experimental phase.

Besides, this whole tu quoque thing you've got going on is getting old. You live in a NATO member state, so you're part of the same regime sanctioning Russia and causing the war in Ukraine and hunger in Africa—don't act all innocent now.

Honestly, I have zero interest in debating someone whose sense of morality is as flexible as a piece of gum—someone who acts all holier-than-thou while throwing mud at everyone else for supposedly lacking that same virtue... someone who calls others manipulators when they're basically a PhD in manipulation themselves... I don't know, man, whatever fuels your need to jump all over my posts.
You really thought you did something there, claiming I'm part of a regime that sanctions Russia and is responsible for wars and famine all over the world.
Nice try, though—you basically just typed out that the West (not just some "dirty East") is the one causing wars and hunger.
As for what you were actually aiming at with that sentence... well, look at me—a total Russia lover who wakes up and goes to sleep with a picture of V. P. by my bed, who thinks borscht is the best food ever, and who uses Cyrillic in my daily life outside of this forum. It’s such a tragedy that Russia is facing sanctions.
I guess that "why don't you just move to Russia" comment slipped out, huh?

до свидания

darkdriver said:Honestly, you can only make things worse

From what I gather—and please, feel free to set me straight if there’s some food scientist or whatever out there who knows better—natural gas is one of the biggest, maybe even *the* most critical components when it comes to making fertilizer.
Just a quick side note here...
Malaria is basically a disease that we could pretty much entirely prevent or at least treat, but despite all our crazy tech and medical breakthroughs, something like 400,000 kids still die from it every single year.
Does anyone sitting on their high horse about morality actually give a damn?
Is there even a thread about this on the forums?
Or is it just considered irrelevant because they're mostly just little Black kids who aren't being shoved down our throats daily by CNN, BBC, and the rest of the mainstream media?
I guess it's just that old saying—out of sight, out of mind.

This is what I call fake moralizing. Unless you've personally stepped up to tackle the problems in Africa—like volunteering in schools, organizing food drives for those in need, or coordinating medical supplies—it's just talk.
Practice what you preach.
And honestly, "out of sight, out of mind" is pretty much how most people function. Do you really think a Mexican, a Brazilian, or a Thai person gives a single crap about Ukraine when it's 3108 miles so far away from them?

darkdriver said:Honestly, you can only make things worse

From what I gather—and please, feel free to set me straight if there’s some food scientist or whatever out there who knows better—natural gas is one of the biggest, maybe even *the* most critical components when it comes to making fertilizer.
Just a quick side note here...
Malaria is basically a disease that we could pretty much entirely prevent or at least treat, but despite all our crazy tech and medical breakthroughs, something like 400,000 kids still die from it every single year.
Does anyone sitting on their high horse about morality actually give a damn?
Is there even a thread about this on the forums?
Or is it just considered irrelevant because they're mostly just little Black kids who aren't being shoved down our throats daily by CNN, BBC, and the rest of the mainstream media?
I guess it's just that old saying—out of sight, out of mind.

As long as there are empaths like you running around, there’s still hope for this world. suzakrenula:

hollowdriver13 said:This is what I call fake moralizing. Unless you've personally stepped up to tackle the problems in Africa—like volunteering in schools, organizing food drives for those in need, or coordinating medical supplies—it's just talk.
Practice what you preach.
And honestly, "out of sight, out of mind" is pretty much how most people function. Do you really think a Mexican, a Brazilian, or a Thai person gives a single crap about Ukraine when it's 3108 miles so far away from them?

You guys aren't exactly in any position to lecture anyone on morality or consistency. Anyone actually hyped up about waging war should've been in Ukraine a long time ago.
Just being loud and opinionated on social media or over drinks at a bar shows you actually care—you're supporting the fight only as much as your comfort zone allows.

Sanctions on Russia vs. inflation and recession hitting the EU

If Russia doesn't realize right now that we aren't playing games—they're really not going to get it.

Amanda Flores88 said:You guys aren't exactly in any position to lecture anyone on morality or consistency. Anyone actually hyped up about waging war should've been in Ukraine a long time ago.
Just being loud and opinionated on social media or over drinks at a bar shows you actually care—you're supporting the fight only as much as your comfort zone allows.

Look, I'm not out here rooting for war at all. But if I'm going to "root" for someone, it's definitely going to be the underdog fighting a defensive war.
Since you're supposedly against all this online bickering, I don't really see how your post helps achieve what you're suggesting (since nothing actually changes), especially since we have no clue about the people we're talking to—like, for all we know, the person you're arguing with might already be supporting their side financially through various NGOs over there.
But hey, please, feel free to elaborate more on why we shouldn't be making posts, while you sit there neatly upvoting them instead of actually doing something. You clearly have a knack for that. 👍

Let’s just say it again: the political elite in Europe is more than willing to throw their own people under the bus just to stay in line with what their American masters want.

The historical cycle is complete: Europe has basically been downgraded from a player to nothing more than a colonial outpost for someone else's interests.

goldenpuma84 said:Let’s just say it again: the political elite in Europe is more than willing to throw their own people under the bus just to stay in line with what their American masters want.

The historical cycle is complete: Europe has basically been downgraded from a player to nothing more than a colonial outpost for someone else's interests.

You're lying.... again... and just making stuff up...☕

What you should actually be saying is that Europe is willing to sacrifice some of its wealth and commodities just to stand up against fascist scum and their lackeys in the White House. The interest of the EU is to distance itself from fascist, destructive trash, and it’s definitely not in the interest of EU citizens to just sit on the sidelines and tolerate fascist filth in the White House. Sure, tolerating them might bring some short-term perks, but long-term? It would be a total disaster. EU citizens are fully aware that sacrifices have to be made, and a massive number of them are actually ready to step up because they get why it’s happening... regardless of nitpickers like you who push some stupid agenda and spit on Americans and whoever else.

Don't you worry about it—Europeans didn't get this wealthy by being idiots, and it's not like the Russian regime led their country into this mess because they're geniuses... it's quite the opposite.

So, maybe save your concern for the fascists in the White House, their lapdogs who write absolute nonsense, and the Russian people, who are going to live even worse lives while those fascists in the White House keep getting rich off them, sending their kids to school in the West, and enjoying every single Western luxury... all while dimwits like you keep cheering it on and whining about the "collapse" of the EU...😵

Don't you worry about the EU...😁

Brenda Murphy3 said:You're lying.... again... and just making stuff up...☕

What you should actually be saying is that Europe is willing to sacrifice some of its wealth and commodities just to stand up against fascist scum and their lackeys in the White House. The interest of the EU is to distance itself from fascist, destructive trash, and it’s definitely not in the interest of EU citizens to just sit on the sidelines and tolerate fascist filth in the White House. Sure, tolerating them might bring some short-term perks, but long-term? It would be a total disaster. EU citizens are fully aware that sacrifices have to be made, and a massive number of them are actually ready to step up because they get why it’s happening... regardless of nitpickers like you who push some stupid agenda and spit on Americans and whoever else.

Don't you worry about it—Europeans didn't get this wealthy by being idiots, and it's not like the Russian regime led their country into this mess because they're geniuses... it's quite the opposite.

So, maybe save your concern for the fascists in the White House, their lapdogs who write absolute nonsense, and the Russian people, who are going to live even worse lives while those fascists in the White House keep getting rich off them, sending their kids to school in the West, and enjoying every single Western luxury... all while dimwits like you keep cheering it on and whining about the "collapse" of the EU...😵

Don't you worry about the EU...😁

the fall will show everything. I think for most people, their own comfort matters way more than glory for Ukraine
not that I'm just thinking it, I'm pretty sure, actually. that's just how people are, I guess.

the fact that the media says something else or that you feel differently doesn't really change the reality of it.

I suppose bias fades pretty fast once reality hits you right where it hurts.🕺

Brenda Murphy3 said:You're lying.... again... and just making stuff up...☕

What you should actually be saying is that Europe is willing to sacrifice some of its wealth and commodities just to stand up against fascist scum and their lackeys in the White House. The interest of the EU is to distance itself from fascist, destructive trash, and it’s definitely not in the interest of EU citizens to just sit on the sidelines and tolerate fascist filth in the White House. Sure, tolerating them might bring some short-term perks, but long-term? It would be a total disaster. EU citizens are fully aware that sacrifices have to be made, and a massive number of them are actually ready to step up because they get why it’s happening... regardless of nitpickers like you who push some stupid agenda and spit on Americans and whoever else.

Don't you worry about it—Europeans didn't get this wealthy by being idiots, and it's not like the Russian regime led their country into this mess because they're geniuses... it's quite the opposite.

So, maybe save your concern for the fascists in the White House, their lapdogs who write absolute nonsense, and the Russian people, who are going to live even worse lives while those fascists in the White House keep getting rich off them, sending their kids to school in the West, and enjoying every single Western luxury... all while dimwits like you keep cheering it on and whining about the "collapse" of the EU...😵

Don't you worry about the EU...😁

I never once said I thought the EU was going to fall apart.

I said the EU is sacrificing its own citizens for someone else's interests.

And once enough people wake up to that, we can expect outbursts of discontent from European citizens.

I guess that's just the price you pay when someone else is footing the bill for your "protection."

Aside from having perfectly good eyes, you're just blind.

You're so deep under the spell of this ideology that it's going to take a lot of work to break through the illusions.

This ideology gives you these easy, binary divides and double standards to hide your hypocrisy.

gentlestag3 said:the fall will show everything. I think for most people, their own comfort matters way more than glory for Ukraine
not that I'm just thinking it, I'm pretty sure, actually. that's just how people are, I guess.

the fact that the media says something else or that you feel differently doesn't really change the reality of it.

I suppose bias fades pretty fast once reality hits you right where it hurts.🕺

Listen, genius—let me save you some time: nothing spectacular is going to happen this fall. The only thing happening is that America is going to rake in massive amounts of cash from tourism as people flock in from that "failing" EU...😁

And since you seem to be on the same intellectual level as my buddy here, I’d suggest you leave worrying about other countries and regimes to someone else...

hollowdriver13 said:Look, I'm not out here rooting for war at all. But if I'm going to "root" for someone, it's definitely going to be the underdog fighting a defensive war.
Since you're supposedly against all this online bickering, I don't really see how your post helps achieve what you're suggesting (since nothing actually changes), especially since we have no clue about the people we're talking to—like, for all we know, the person you're arguing with might already be supporting their side financially through various NGOs over there.
But hey, please, feel free to elaborate more on why we shouldn't be making posts, while you sit there neatly upvoting them instead of actually doing something. You clearly have a knack for that. 👍

I guess it's true that "it's better to negotiate for a thousand years than to fight for one day." In that sense, we can keep trading verbal jabs on social media forever. And honestly? I'm not pretending to be some moral compass or claiming my heart bleeds for a nation I didn't even know the location of yesterday.

I'm not playing the warrior or Mother Teresa—I don't care about Ukraine any more than I care about Iraq. I care a bit more about things here at home and how we're living, watching this senseless destruction and seeing our own standard of living tank for reasons that seem totally foggy. I'm sure your heart aches for them, but politics? That’s supposed to be handled with logic.

goldenpuma84 said:I never once said I thought the EU was going to fall apart.

I said the EU is sacrificing its own citizens for someone else's interests.

And once enough people wake up to that, we can expect outbursts of discontent from European citizens.

I guess that's just the price you pay when someone else is footing the bill for your "protection."

Aside from having perfectly good eyes, you're just blind.

You're so deep under the spell of this ideology that it's going to take a lot of work to break through the illusions.

This ideology gives you these easy, binary divides and double standards to hide your hypocrisy.

And I’m telling you right now, you’re either lying through your teeth or you have absolutely no clue what you’re talking about.

People talk about the drop in living standards and all these other issues caused by Russian fascists—especially in the West—all the damn time. Nobody is hiding it, so the fact that you keep insisting otherwise is a blatant lie... which, honestly, is pretty much your brand at this point.

And don't lecture me about "illusions"—I am perfectly aware of the hypocrisy coming from both the USA and the West, but I’d still choose them in a heartbeat if it means staying away from Russia and that entire way of thinking... just like any sane person would.

Stop lying to yourself, and maybe you'll finally find your way out of whatever cloud of nonsense you're floating in.

Amanda Flores88 said:I guess it's true that "it's better to negotiate for a thousand years than to fight for one day." In that sense, we can keep trading verbal jabs on social media forever. And honestly? I'm not pretending to be some moral compass or claiming my heart bleeds for a nation I didn't even know the location of yesterday.

I'm not playing the warrior or Mother Teresa—I don't care about Ukraine any more than I care about Iraq. I care a bit more about things here at home and how we're living, watching this senseless destruction and seeing our own standard of living tank for reasons that seem totally foggy. I'm sure your heart aches for them, but politics? That’s supposed to be handled with logic.

God, there are just too many of you...

Maybe you were trying to lecture Vladek in bold... because if you don't get it—it only takes one side to start a war. The side that gets attacked doesn't exactly have a massive list of options other than surrendering or fighting back, right?

And our standard of living isn't collapsing on its own; it's people like you muddying the waters... bringing up stuff regarding Ukraine that isn't even comparable, etc... then you guys disappear for a bit, only to pop back up a few days later... and it just goes on in circles...🐔

goldenpuma84 said:I never once said I thought the EU was going to fall apart.

I said the EU is sacrificing its own citizens for someone else's interests.

And once enough people wake up to that, we can expect outbursts of discontent from European citizens.

I guess that's just the price you pay when someone else is footing the bill for your "protection."

Aside from having perfectly good eyes, you're just blind.

You're so deep under the spell of this ideology that it's going to take a lot of work to break through the illusions.

This ideology gives you these easy, binary divides and double standards to hide your hypocrisy.

But looking at the numbers, most people in Europe actually back these measures. Recent polls from Ipsos show support hovering somewhere between 67% and 82%, and they seem willing to deal with the economic backlash. You could even argue that Russia has managed to stir up more militant sentiment in the general European population than the politicians themselves have.
Even on a global scale, the majority of people surveyed support helping Ukraine.
"On average globally, majorities say that their country must support sovereign countries when attacked (70%) and that doing nothing in Ukraine will encourage Russia to take further military action elsewhere (68%)."

https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news/pol...ine-april-2022

The bottom line is that most people just don't support Russia's assault on the global order established after WW2. They aren't fans of trying to grab territory through brute force. Then you have the troublemakers who openly talk about annexation and act totally shocked when "everyone hates them," blaming the "evil West" for fueling Russophobia. 🤦