I’ve spent a lot of time traveling, been to close to 40 countries. A lot of times I had to get a visa. Once to get in Switzerland for two weeks I had to present a lease agreement from a friend there who welcomed me for few nights. Stack of papers I have to the embassy was a finger thick.
Wholeheartedly and fully wish this whole system to go burst in high flames. One of the fondest memories I have is the first time I came across Polish-Czech border without any controls when both countries joined the Schengen agreement. Or the other time when me and a bunch of friends were strolling in a park in Germany and casually strolled over a bridge into Poland. I did it, like, five times just to enjoy it.
People who are rooting for closed borders, territory wars, influence - are either not traveling or privileged enough to not see this. Fuck them. I’d rather have a better world for everyone than excellent for selected few.
I’ve also travelled a lot, and while visa stuff can be a nightmare, this also sounds like it’s coming from a super selfish reasoning. As if a democratically elected government of people in a place should have no right to its own sovereignty so that YOU don’t have to deal with paperwork?
What’s funny is the exact scenario you all want already exists in Sub-Saharan Africa. Borders effectively don’t exist at all for anyone willing to get off the bus, walk 50 meters into the bush, then 200 meters forward and back to the road. I’ve accidentally crossed several borders dozens of times.
But then when it comes to countries that struggle to find work for their own people, they also get flooded by people from places where no government functions at all. Specifically Nigerians in South Africa and Ghana. Legally present, and subject to xenophobic attacks because there no hope for them in Nigeria because it’s a hot mess.
So… That’s the ideal situation? And people can’t leave that open border situation fast enough because the places that are stable are flooded by people fleeing instability.
Honestly, I’m asking, how is it supposed to work without literally magic being involved?
The entire Russian war of aggression is about moving lines on a map in the first place. It’s a text book example of the stupid shit people start doing precisely because of our obsession with borders.
Not really about “moving” the lines. It’s about Putin wants other people’s stuff, and the biggest picture way to define “not Putin’s stuff” is “everything within the internationally agreed upon lines over here.” It’s not an obsession with borders, it’s that they’re a definition of the historical land of specific peoples and cultures. You don’t want the whole globe named World of America, right? Lines that keep anyone willing to use force out of an area because the people within those lines said “nope, this is us, not you.”
there’s a Tucker Carlson interview and it sums up the situation quite aptly. In a sense that none of it makes any sense any way you put it - it’s just ye olde imperialism like its 1708
“Go wherever” doesn’t include “kill people, bomb cities and abduct children wherever”.
BUT WAHT ABUOT PROEJCTING PWOER???
How can you eat at a time like this, the Dufrays are missing!
Hot take… human travel is not restricted but murder is illegal always
Yep. I would be fine with it if a bunch of Russians wanted to come visit Ukraine.
It’s when they kill and rape along the way that I have a problem with.
the problem with russians visiting some countries is that they tend to take advantage of hospitality. so even just visiting eventually turns into an ugly mess because they just can’t help themselves.
Don’t let them go back though. Letting them add back to Russia is stupid.
Maxwell’s demon at border?
Well, if you want a dude with a pitchfork to be your border guard…sure.
‘We should improve society somewhat.’
Only somewhat?! You disgust me!
Imagine participating in an imperfect society!
No ethical
consumptionexistence under capitalism
I don’t think people necessarily care that Russians are in Ukraine. They just don’t like what they’re doing while they’re there.
If they came with a bunch of beach chairs and vodka, the mood would be a lot different. Instead they came in with tanks and planes and artillery.
I want to send the army to New Zealand with k-pop and beer and throw a rave in Auckland with free veggie snags for the locals.
It’s a proxy war
I guess in the sense that others are supporting Ukraine after it got invaded by Russia.
In what way is it a proxy war
Ukraine is UN’s proxy against Russia?
Not the wildest take, really.
Definitely one of the dumbest takes.
The UN, huh. Lol
Ukraine is THE main force opposing Russia directly. USA flunked, NATO flunked, everyone proved pathetic except Ukraine.
“Proxy war” take is literally just Russian propaganda meant to deprive Ukraine of agency in eyes of whoever that bullshit is targeted at.
It’s never Ukraine that fights back, it’s ye fiendish Anglo-Saxons, Americans, CIA, NATO mercenaries or whatever, especially with most successful operations like Moskva sinking and “Spiderweb”.
And that is just natural continuation of Russian attitudes since early 90’s, with first Yeltsin blabbing “they will all come crawling back”, while negotiating Russian military presence in Crimea, and then putin lamenting loss of Ukraine and Kazakhstan in early 2000’s. For Russians it’s simply inconceivable that colony would just break away given the chance, it must be someone else pulling the strings.
I mean they call Ukrainian soldiers “Germans” (немцьі) on the front lines.
One of the founding fathers of modern Ukrainian avant-garde art calls this “chickenshit Nazism”.
I think by definition it’s not a proxy war if you consider Russia to be the main aggressor in the conflict.
However it is clear there are two global sides here, and lots of other countries have financial stakes in it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_aid_to_Ukraine_during_the_Russo-Ukrainian_war
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Support_for_Russia_in_the_Russo-Ukrainian_war
But this is less of a proxy war than we’re used to in the Middle East with the US fucking with Russian allies or Russia fucking with Western, with neither the US nor Russia ever trying to kill one another. This is just Russia straight up attacking a neighbor trying to annex more land.
Annexing land isnt very proxy war. It’d be more, “hey you guys sell oil for US$ now and forever but we’re leaving”
It’s just “immigrants = invaders” repackaged slightly.
What? The Russian invasion?
