ptmcmahon wrote: ↑Thu Mar 03, 2022 1:22 pm
Deuce wrote: ↑Thu Mar 03, 2022 1:15 am
Superficial actions like this is the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig. It does absolutely nothing to fix the problem. And, in the case of removing the national identity of individual athletes, it does harm - as these innocent athletes from Russia and Belarus have done nothing to deserve this.
If a Ukranian player facing a Russian opponent is mentally comforted by not having to see the Russian flag on the scoreboard, announced, etc... then it's not lipstick on a pig. It's a compassionate action.
If it was just lipstick on a pig, then why would it be harming Russian/Belarussian athletes? You can't say doing this WON'T mentally help Ukranians while also saying it WILL mentally harm the Russians.
They aren't "fixing" a problem, they are trying to find some sort of compromise where they punish the innocent athletes as little as possible while supporting the Ukranian athletes.
Why should innocent athletes be harmed or punished at all? Just to appease Ukranian athletes? And who is to say that these innocent athletes are harmed "as little as possible"? Maybe removing their identity harms them a great deal.
If someone demands that you put lipstick on a pig because they don't like the smell of pigs, and you go and steal lipstick from an innocent person to put on the pig, what have you truly accomplished?
The original problem is still there, because the lipstick does nothing to mask the smell of the pig, PLUS you've created another victim by stealing the lipstick from an innocent person.
That's what is happening here.
Whether the national identities of Russians and Belarusians is removed or not changes absolutely nothing that is occurring in Ukraine. How does this remedy anything? It only adds to the number of victims who feel bad.
Removing the national identities of players from certain countries is entirely irrelevant to what is happening in Ukraine right now, regardless of what players like Svitolina say. She is trying to find some sort of convenient scapegoat. It's her way of feeling that she's 'doing something' to help the situation. But all she's really doing by this demand is adding to the misery - because now Russian and Belarusian players feel like crap, too. Therefore, it is both unreasonable and very unfair for Ukrainians to demand (as Svitolina did) that innocent athletes be punished just so they can feel a little better. I empathise with her - and with all Ukrainians - but she is being very selfish here. Better, more concrete, more relevant, and more profound ways should be found to make Ukrainians feel better - ways that do not punish innocent people for simply being born in a certain part of the world.
It's also a form of unfair prejudice against certain people simply because they were born in a certain country. Why is this suddenly acceptable??
Where does it stop? Can a Ukrainian player demand that his/her opponent not wear clothing in the colours of Russia because it makes them feel bad to see those colours? Can they demand that all Russian players change their names to 'Smith'? Can a given player demand that another player be removed from the draw because the two players previously had a heated argument and player 'A' would feel better if player 'B' were removed? Should an individual have the right to demand that a media outlet not mention the word 'Russia' orally or in writing because the word traumatizes him/her?
This should not be about appeasing any individual -
especially if it means harming another in order to appease them.
You cannot punish an innocent person simply to appease another - because that is both unreasonable and grossly unfair. You cannot target specific players - who are completely innocent and who have done nothing wrong - in order to make another player feel better. Doing so is the definition of trying to make 2 wrongs make a right. It is also very much employing the philosophy of guilt by association, which is inherently wrong and unfair. If your brother robs a bank, should YOU be punished for the crime? This is what guilt by association is, and why it's inherently unjust and wrong.
My point is that by taking this action, innocent athletes are harmed. BY THE ACTION which targets them specifically, though they've done
absolutely nothing wrong. The Ukrainian players will still feel horrible because of what is happening in their country. So instead of having only the Ukrainian players feel bad, you also have the Russian and Belarusian players feeling bad because the indication of their national identity has been forcibly removed from them without their consent. So you have the original victims of what is occurring in Ukraine, and you've ADDED MORE VICTIMS by removing the national identities of innocent people. Bravo.
Find better, more fair, more relevant, more profound, more constructive, more concrete, more effective ways to ease a person's suffering - ways which do not involve punishing completely innocent people.
.