Whether Black, White, or Brown,
THEY LOOK LIKE US
By Justin T. Carreño
Anyone complaining that we don't give the same outreach and attention
to the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Vietnam, Libya, Iraq, Yemen,
Afghanistan, Kashmir, Rohingya, North Korea, etc., is not considering
culture, genetics, and politics. The issues with these peoples is
perennial oppression embedded in their non-Western cultures that can't
be mitigated by standard government levers. It has nothing to do with
racism nor xenophobia.
It's not that we don't care, it's just that they are way too far gone
to do anything about on a systemic, national level using conventional
means. Ukraine, on the other hand, is an acute attack, and is not only
a Western country, which makes it closer to other Western cultures,
including the US, it is also very close to being saved. As an EMT (which I am), you
have to triage during a mass casualty incident. Save the ones you can!
Other oppressed nations are culturally distant from the Western world,
which makes it more difficult to relate, not to mention oppression and
devastation are part of what makes them the countries they are.
Ukraine is us and we are Ukraine -- they look like Americans, they act
like Americans, they dress like Americans, and they embody the same
Western ideals.
These other people are in a totally different situation. It doesn’t
mean we don’t care. It just means it's not relatable.
Consider this: if someone hits your mother, you’re going to take it
personally and fight back. That’s Ukraine. If someone hits a
random person at the same time on the other side of the world, it’s
not right, and you might be upset about it, but you’re far removed.
Your mother, as family, is priority. Ukraine is part of our family.
The random person on the other side of the world is one of the other peoples
who we have sympathy. But they are not part of our family.
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