These originally appeared on my political blog at https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2022/03/history.html and https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-invasion-of-ukraine-un-security.html.
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History
There is a saying that those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.
That is sometimes turned into a wry joke that those who do, are doomed to watch those who don't repeat history.
I'm going to add to that: those who attempt to prevent bad history are doomed to additional suffering if they do not succeed.
I've fought against the obvious and inherent evils of neoliberalism since the late 80s and early 90s, against discrimination in all its forms since the mid 70s, and against political colonialism / patriarchy / arrogance since the early 70s. I've had some successes (notably the addition of gender identity to the equal opportunity act in 2000, something I was a bit player in), some things have been neutral, and other things I've failed at - the continuation of LGBTIQ+ abuse in workplaces, largely a result of the stupidity * of Australian voters, fits into the latter.
Another area has been the failure to get bureaucrats, diplomats, and all associated with foreign affairs to move beyond chasing the grubby dollar at all costs (including decency) and achieve a tiny modicum of foresight. Thus we had had the clearly moronic view that closer economic ties changes nations to be less authoritarian / despotic, which plagued the reaction of the West when the USSR collapsed. Some of the most stupid replies I had at that time were along the lines of "a quicker transition to capitalism will fix suffering" - even as people were being evicted, thrown on the unemployment scrap heap, and criminality was running rampant in what had become Russia and the CIS.
That reply showed that the people making those decisions were clearly privileged - and stupid ( * "lack of understanding").
It
also makes them, in my opinion, morally culpable for what the Union of
Soviet Socialist Russia has become under Grand Tsar, Thug and Petty KGB Official Putin - and, for
that matter, what happened to Hong Kong under engineer Xi's increasingly
despotic, brainwashing, and militaristic CCP.
I recently posted about my loss of patience; the invasion of Ukraine is likely to lead to me going back to the bluntness I had in the 80s. I have no-one in the current neoliberal national government with any credibility that I can write to about this; neoliberalism (with its inherent bigotry) has infected and infested the public service so there's no point trying to write to the bureaucrats; and the national ALP has put themselves under a cloud of suspicion over their cluelessness over the damage done to LGBTIQ people by the recent enable religious discrimination bill . . . so its blogging and social media - and direct communication with companies that are making stupid (in the sense of short-sighted - as all were who promoted the capitalism-is-good lunacy in the 80s) decisions.
Such stupid (short-sighted or greedy/materialistic) decisions can occur not only to the climate crisis, but also housing unaffordability (the central problem is the greed and desire to be rich pr*cks of Australian people), the risks of nuclear war (something particularly overlooked by climate crisis advocates, in my experience), and basic human rights (overlooked by many - but NOT all - people with privilege).
* From https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stupidity&oldid=1071817805: "Stupidity is a lack of intelligence, understanding, reason, or wit."
"Lack of understanding and reason" fits all bigots, and "lack of intelligence, understanding, reason" fits the way many Australian voters have been duped by a foreign-owned press.
At least I can now use Russia's decline and the invasion of Ukraine as clear examples of the perils of the lack of thinbking and the failure to address emotional flaws.
The invasion of Ukraine: the UN Security Council, and racism
It has been appalling to see (on social media) African students trying to get out of Ukraine being stopped. Racism? Colonialistic attitudes (i.e., their lives don't matter - or don't matter as much)? Both?
All lives matter - Ukrainian, Russian, women, children, and a wide range of minorities INCLUDING BLACK. This, at this time, when Ukraine is seeking help, is both wrong on all counts, and also constitutes shooting yourselves in the foot.
Second point: a Ukrainian news outlet also suggested that Russia be banned from voting on the United Nations Security Council.
They can't - the "big five" getting vetoes was one of the prices paid for getting the UN established after World War (part) Two, and no-one's going to give up that much power.
However, they don't have a veto in the UN General Assembly . . . if only there was some way of convening everyone online to discuss and vote on such matters . . .
Such a thing would probably be so quick, easy, and convenient you'd talk about zooming along to the online meetings . . .
PS - I've just found the UN General Assembly can (that dates back to 1950!) and will be called to an Emergency Session
after a procedural (majority suffices - vetoes don't apply) vote in the
Security Council. That's even better, perhaps, so long as it doesn't
take too long to set up . . . it didn't take long, and Russia had an overwhelming diplomatic defeat as its invasion of Ukraine was condemned by the GA.
