Russian invasion of Ukraine

[Popastique]

Their inaction is participation.

Inaction is participation, that's just great. *sigh*

[Wilian]

Inaction is participation, that's just great. *sigh*

And continued supermajority approval their seal. Now we're getting somewhere here.

[Popastique]

Getting? Not really, i have nothing to say when you have that kind of reasoning. It's like hitting a brick wall, so there is no need to spend my energy like that.

P.S. Speaking of which, Russian players already have limited to access to Blizzard products, and can only buy gift codes to buy new expansions, etc. If Blizzard goes one step further and disables gift codes, then Russian servers ( which host people from other countries like Ukraine, Kazakhstan and others ) will probably shutdown resulting in all those remaining players transferring to European servers. I still remember the last time it happened and how *happy* European players were to meet such outstanding people who do not speak English

[Shadowferal]

I'm certain that the average Russian and respective families are simply trying to survive.

[Veggie50]

I'm certain that the average Russian and respective families are simply trying to survive.

I agree, but there is a point where ducking down chanting “not my problem” is not acceptable anymore.

[Shadowferal]

I agree, but there is a point where ducking down chanting “not my problem” is not acceptable anymore.

You shouldn't villainize a helpless population.

[Wilian]

You shouldn't villainize a helpless population.

Iranian schoolgirls expressed more courage than "helpless Russian population".

[Veggie50]

You shouldn't villainize a helpless population.

I’m not villainizing, but I disagree with the “helpless” part.

Will protesting or even overthrowing the government be a victimless act? Absolutely not. But history shows that given the motivation, people will rise.

After a year and a half of this senseless war, how about we stop babying people and start considering some personal responsibility.

[Shadowferal]

I’m not villainizing, but I disagree with the “helpless” part. Will protesting or even overthrowing the government be a victimless act? Absolutely not. But history shows that given the motivation, people will rise. After a year and a half of this senseless war, how about we stop babying people and start considering some personal responsibility.

"Personal responsibility..." with who? A good deal of the population is conscripted...fighting against their will. Many of which know their respective families have targets on their backs.

It's so very easy to make judgments far from the action in the safety and comfort of your own place. But examine WWII.

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Iranian schoolgirls expressed more courage than "helpless Russian population".

Really? Where these schoolgirls now?

[Pann]

I’m not villainizing, but I disagree with the “helpless” part.

Will protesting or even overthrowing the government be a victimless act? Absolutely not. But history shows that given the motivation, people will rise.

After a year and a half of this senseless war, how about we stop babying people and start considering some personal responsibility.

It's easy to sit behind a computer screen and volunteer other people to be killed.

[Veggie50]

It's easy to sit behind a computer screen and volunteer other people to be killed.

It is indeed. It is no less the truth.

[Pann]

It is no less the truth.

I think this one falls under the "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." umbrella.

[KrayZ33]

It's pretty easy to demand others to fight and die/throw their life away when you yourself sit safely behind a computer screen because you happen to be born in a better country.

We all saw what happened to people who protested. They are gone.
You saw the police and how they took them away for simply holding a blank card into a camera.
You also know what happens to people who talk about this shitshow

There is no "fReEdOm oF SpEeCh" in Russia.

People in this forum wouldn't even help their neighbour if they had a problem, yet they want others to face 15 years in prison for saying the "w" word.

I'd agree if we talk about people actually supporting that shit, but those that do nothing but survive in that shithole of a country are hardly to blame.
If you want these countries gone, it's time to go to war folks, with all the risks attached - liberate the motherfuckers.

Oh not a good idea? Yeah - then don't expect them to make the sacrifice for you just like that.

[TwistedSkull]

Would be nice, but at least Blizzard has made it somewhat difficult for them. They can still use gift cards and just plain gold to continue playing, but they can't directly buy anything from Blizzard.

Blizzard could always accept payment from Russian but some/most of that money going to the Ukrainian war effort and/or humanitarian efforts.

[Veggie50]

It's pretty easy to demand others to fight and die/throw their life away when you yourself sit safely behind a computer screen because you happen to be born in a better country.

We all saw what happened to people who protested. They are gone.
You saw the police and how they took them away for simply holding a blank card into a camera.
You also know what happens to people who talk about this shitshow

There is no "fReEdOm oF SpEeCh" in Russia.

People in this forum wouldn't even help their neighbour if they had a problem, yet they want others to face 15 years in prison for saying the "w" word.

I'd agree if we talk about people actually supporting that shit, but those that do nothing but survive in that shithole of a country are hardly to blame.
If you want these countries gone, it's time to go to war folks, with all the risks attached - liberate the motherfuckers.

Oh not a good idea? Yeah - then don't expect them to make the sacrifice for you just like that.

I’m not expecting them to rise up for me, I’m expecting them to rise up for themselves.

I said this at the start, the Russian creed is “I tried nothing and I’m all out of ideas”.

Protestings a bad idea because you get arrested? Then get skimasks and start a shitload of fires in government offices. Form resistance groups.

Another guy said “it’s not that easy, look at ww2” apparently without realizing resistance groups were making nazi lives VERY hard.

Just because it’s not easy, is no excuse to just say “fuck it” and do nothing. If you do, you deserve to be the next cannon fodder to be drafted.

[D Luniz]

Literally just had massive protests a couple years ago that resulted in the GOP passing more "I was in fear of my life" laws with the option being "so I ran them over with my car" this time.

The Russian people's apapathy gets no respect when they still want the benefit of being treated like reasonable global citizens.

[Shadowferal]

Protestings a bad idea because you get arrested? Then get skimasks and start a shitload of fires in government offices. Form resistance groups.

"Arrested?" You think the average Russian "traitor"gets arrested? How quaint. The perspective of someone in his/her comfy chair.

Another guy said “it’s not that easy, look at ww2” apparently without realizing resistance groups were making nazi lives VERY hard.

And I'm sure you can delineate the events of "thousands" of Germans participating...

Just because it’s not easy, is no excuse to just say “fuck it” and do nothing. If you do, you deserve to be the next cannon fodder to be drafted.

And there we already have that ugly reality. And if the death tolls are in any way accurate, over 300k Russian soldiers/conscripts are already dead.

[Pann]

I’m not expecting them to rise up for me, I’m expecting them to rise up for themselves.

I said this at the start, the Russian creed is “I tried nothing and I’m all out of ideas”.

Protestings a bad idea because you get arrested? Then get skimasks and start a shitload of fires in government offices. Form resistance groups.

Another guy said “it’s not that easy, look at ww2” apparently without realizing resistance groups were making nazi lives VERY hard.

Just because it’s not easy, is no excuse to just say “fuck it” and do nothing. If you do, you deserve to be the next cannon fodder to be drafted.

Do you seriously not understand that not every country follows Western values?

Russian citizens are indoctrinated from an early age, there is no free press or media and the state simply does not value the lives of those that oppose it.

It may have escaped your notice that one of the few people who was capable effecting a change of leadership in Russia has just fallen out of the sky (along with an innocent flight crew).

It's easy to talk tough from behind the screen in a Western nation where your actions will not result in you being sent to the front line, with no equipment or training, to become the next thing be blown to pieces by HIMARS. But you never know they might let them keep the ski masks...

[Kralljin]

We all saw what happened to people who protested. They are gone.
You saw the police and how they took them away for simply holding a blank card into a camera.
You also know what happens to people who talk about this shitshow

If people don't want to rise against an authoritarian government out of self preservation, that's one thing but the historical consensus towards these people remains negative.

The crux frankly is, the die was cast decades ago when most Russians went along as their country slipped back into authoritarianism and did little.
The unspoken contract was seemingly that the government gets to do what it wants as long as it doesn't rock the boat too hard, that contract frankly now blows into their faces.

That's just the reality, the Russian people fucked up when they let someone stay in power too long and at this point the solution is simply not an easy one.

[Elder Millennial]

You shouldn't villainize a helpless population.

Can we not pretend the general Russian public isn't complicit?

How much enabling, how much of them trolling everything on the internet, how much of them attacking Ukrainians even in third countries will it take for people to get it through their thick skulls, THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE ARE COMPLICIT.

Sure, there are millions of Russians inside and outside Russia who aren't. And that's why I don't believe in these policies of denying Russians refugee status.

But I'm done coddling the general Russian public.

I mean for God's sake Russians literally killed other Russians and almost overthrew their own government not because their government was engaged in a genocidal war, but because they thought they weren't genocidal enough. More Russians were willing to march on Moscow for "Do more war" than for "No war".

Enough is enough.

Russia proper should absolutely be hit with every sanction under the sun and yes, that should absolutely include restricting access to Western hosted game servers, among other things.

And companies like Burger King for example should be sanctioned for still fucking doing business in Russia. I mean sure, they are the bottom of the barrel of fast food chains, but still.

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We all saw what happened to people who protested. They are gone.
You saw the police and how they took them away for simply holding a blank card into a camera.
You also know what happens to people who talk about this shitshow.

All that happened BECAUSE so few Russians bothered to protest. Literally a few hundred people across the whole country. Most of them either shrugged and said "don't care" or way more commonly went -Yeah daddy Putin! Fuck em up! I'll go to Crimea for my summer holidays! And go on the internet and call Ukrainians slurs and tell my hubby fighting there to rape some Ukrainian women and bring me a new washing machine.

Yeah. After the last 2 years of Russians being Russians, I'm done with the "Poor oppressed Russian" sob story. Not buying it anymore.