Thread by @cybersoroka

“Discrimination: this is how unsettled employees of Russian origin are at work”

@handelsblatt You’re trying hard to show that you’re tolerant but you’re tolerant of the wrong things.

Let’s talk about bad journalism and bad timing, shall we?

google.com/amp/s/amp2.han…

First of all: “Russian origin” and Russians are different things.

Russian origins means that the person might have been born in Russia or migrated a long time ago but no longer shares any cultural or political connection with it.

These people have no business in this war.

Russians, however, very much do.

There’s whole 🧵 on Twitter, written by Ukrainians and Americans far smarter that me, who elaborate in detail how and why Russian people are the ones who fully bare responsibility for their government’s crimes, wether they supported it or not.

Now is it a reason to hold every Russian personally accountable for it?

Answer from Kyiv: Yes. Do you know a better means to make them *feel* responsible?

All these years, Russians have been extremely and shamelessly arrogant, passing on disinformation and propaganda.

Any Ukrainian has been either gaslighted or bullied by fellow Russians into complying with Kremlin’s narrative.

Those who haven’t - lost touch with their Russian families and friends. This war took and continues taking away life of many Ukrainians. It’s a red line.

Aside from the odd pity party that you have decided to throw for people who’re not under a vital threat of catching a bullet - but contributed largely as citizens of Russian to Ukrainians being in danger - the timing of your article is borderline strange.

How appropriate do you think it is to spend editorial and intellectual resources to pull attention to this “discrimination”? Is it necessary? Does it bring any value on the table?

Germans after war were forced to watch movies about concentration camps to get a food stamp.

Germans today are going out of their ways to make sure that Russians don’t feel discriminated, uncomfortable and don’t lose their jobs.

Is this about human sympathy?

With who?

With people who are at best impartial and at worst helped spreading RT’s antivaxx narratives.

Your moral relativism fits into the pseudo-pacifist mentality of a common German. Sated and safe, you can afford to ponder about the war. Toy with opinions about it.

But it for now. Putin made himself clear: he wants to restore the former SU glory.

Do you know what it means?

It means Kremlins reign from Siberia to… KaDeWe.

Think about it. Think about how what you’re writing today might affect your tomorrow.

And since you’re Handelsblatt: write about the impending socio-economic crisis.

And what role common Russians have played in it.