Between the World Cup, the rise in respiratory viruses, the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel saga, overflowing emergencies and inflation, the war in Ukraine has been forgotten.
Last February, as the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine erupted, images of bombed-out towns, civilians fleeing their homes for Poland and women and children crowding into makeshift shelters largely occupied the news. Volodymyr Zelensky was made a hero. His messages, speeches and public outings were transmitted almost in real time. We were moved to see the fathers kissing their wives and children as they prepared to separate, one to serve at the front, the others to find refuge in a neighboring country.
But since then, it seems that we have become impervious to this conflict. It seems that Ukraine has been added to this too long list of countries at war or in social crisis that leave us almost indifferent. Ukraine has obviously joined Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq, Myanmar, Syria, Haiti, etc. in a list of countries that we do not talk regarding, or hardly talk regarding, on a daily basis.
How come our reactions change so quickly? How is it that we become desensitized to the misfortunes and tragedies of foreign populations as soon as it takes place over time? Should we not, on the contrary, rise up more significantly when we see that the situation is not being resolved?
Moreover, this raises serious questions regarding our way of consuming the news. Much like the “Fast Fashion” phenomenon, we are interested in the drama of the moment, in the novelty of bad news and then purge the initial feelings from our minds and leave room for a certain indifference, even a rejection of the dramatic news, but oh so real.
This phenomenon can also be used by the most twisted minds among the bloodthirsty dictator list. Vladimir Putin must laugh in the beard that he does not have when he sees how much we have forgotten what he has done and what he continues to do in Ukraine. Iranian dictators must be cramped when they compare our reaction to the death of Mahsa Amini versus our lackluster reaction to the recent executions of those who took part in the protests.
The truth is that we demonstrate day following day, conflict following conflict, that there is no real and effective solidarity, and that we live in an individualistic world where it is every man for himself. Let’s look in the mirror and be honest, we’re just a bunch of self-centered people.
