Western ‘cancel culture’ has gone nuclear in targeting an entire country. Even things that seem to be associated with it have not been spared. People who are responsible for the Ukraine crisis are free, while innocent people suffer.
The ‘cancel culture’ in the globalised west is based on hypocrisy. It’s ironic that it claims to be humanitarian on one hand, and at the same time, it is unable to see beyond its capitalistic gains.
Initially, the US and NATO provoked Ukraine to mess with Russia and promised to back it, but when Russia invaded Ukraine, they left the Ukrainians to die. The US even denied sending the NATO army to Ukraine.
First Doctor Democracy and others demonised Russia. Now they are trying to deplatform the world’s largest country by attacking everyone and everything remotely associated with it.
Back in 2003, when France opposed the American invasion of Iraq, the ‘French Fries’ were suddenly renamed as ‘Freedom Fries’ in an attempt to stick it to France. French products were subsequently boycotted for opposing the US.
Such steps seem to be more sensible than the lunacy happening today.
Sane and logical bans by the West
As per reports, North American officials are demanding the removal of Russian vodka from the stores, but the fact is that no vodka is imported from Russia on the continent. Only the names of the brands- Smirnoff and Stolichnaya, sound Russian.
A bar in Maryland has also rebranded the Russian Mule cocktail as ‘Kyiv Mule.’
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Magic Mountain Ski Resort in Vermont tweeted a video of a barman dumping bottles of Stoli down the drain. They were unaware that the Russian sounding brand was actually Latvian.
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The West believes that the cats and dogs from Russia are also responsible for the situation in Ukraine. Therefore, the International Feline Federation has barred Russian moggies from the competition.
The Cruft’s dog show has also prohibited Russian pooches from performing. The next probable ban- a ban on Russian migratory birds in the West.
The victory of sportsmen’s spirit- Russian born players cancelled
Sports are considered separate from petty politics. But their convergence has degraded the serenity of sportsmen’s spirit.
Not only have Russian teams been barred from participating in the competitions, but Russian born players, playing in teams of other countries have also been cancelled.
Alexander Ovechkin, a National Hockey League star and Washington Capitals captain, has been dropped from advertisements for MassMutual, an insurance company.
The Canadian firm CCM has also stopped marketing campaigns for him and his friends Dmitry Orlov and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Also, the International Olympic Federation (IOC) has taken its move to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from international sports federations, holding them accountable for the crisis in Ukraine.
What can we do?
We must realise that this “cancel” or “ban” culture is going to do nothing good for anyone. It is like punishing innocent people for the deeds of those in power.
Say it be the case of India or the west, we must sensitise ourselves enough to ask the questions- Is the ban useful at all or just a political stunt and is it punishing the wrongdoers or the innocent public and firms?
Blindly following anything can never be a solution. We must remember that it’s politics that seeks war, not the common people.
People might disagree, but is the adoption of freedom fries in the heat of the moment a great move in support of the righteous, super-wise nation during the invasion of Iraq?
Published By: Pawan Rajput
Edited By: Kiran Maharana
