It never ceases to amaze me how the West’s first priority in any crisis is “feelings” management. The battle for emotions has always been of utmost importance for every Presidential administration since George W. Bush – the war over hearts and minds, the feeling of security when you go through TSA at an airport, the “Mission Accomplished” banner hanging on the USS Abraham Lincoln was a feel-good moment in 2003 when, in reality, the wars continued to rage on for years after that.
It’s a feminine quality. The prioritization and display of raw emotion is something generally attributed to the female imperative as a woman’s cry for help is hardly ever ignored by man’s instinctual reaction to fix things. The stoicism and steadfast nature of man has always regarded emotion as an obstacle – not a strategy. And that might explain why Iraq and Afghanistan were, for all intents and purposes, quagmires at best; they were reactions, not strategies. But enough about George Bush – how did we get to Ukraine?
Every major “crisis” – from international terrorism to ‘healthcare for all’ to COVID-19 – has been approached from an emotional priority. It was more important we felt safe at airports, even though the TSA’s measures did absolutely nothing to stop terrorism. It was more important we felt bad for people without healthcare, without thinking that the cost was something the middle class couldn’t bear; too poor to afford healthcare? Too bad, it’s mandated by federal law. It was more important we felt safe walking into restaurants wearing masks only to take them off sitting down to eat.
The priority, not just for the U.S., but for all Western countries, has always been to control the emotions and feelings of an issue before tackling the actual problem at hand.
Which leads me to Ukraine.
It feels good to see professional photos of an underdog political leader in military gear when his country is getting invaded – even if the photos were fabricated from events that transpired about a year before. They weren’t photos taken in the actual conflict, but damn do they fit the narrative well. Western media prioritized the emotional response viewers and readers would get from seeing these photos instead of verifying the integrity of the source.
And then we have this gem.
Yes. Because the goal is here to feel good about becoming the hero and eating Putin alive. What the fuck am I reading here? Putin doesn’t give a flying fuck about who’s touted as a hero. The entire notion of war and international relations is just not here. The imperative was feelings – not the fact that Ukraine is about to lose a tremendous amount of human life and territory. I bet that’s really eating Putin alive *eye roll*
Never mind the chaos and destruction Russia brought to Ukraine. Never mind the death and loss of homeland territory. None of that is important. Zelenskyy is the hero! She feels good saying that. It feels good knowing that despite all the death and torment, we can sleep comfortably tonight knowing that at least Zelenskyy is a hero – an abstract concept she developed in her head to make herself feel good.
Aaron Clarey puts it best in his video below. Our domestic and foreign policies have resorted to feel-good tactics. We emphasize being nice – the feelings – over achieving real, tangible outcomes.
This one’s my favorite.
Feels good to know women are joining the fight. Except she’s carrying an airsoft gun – not a real rifle. And this was a staged photo op for a Ukrainian model. Again, feels before reals.
Feels good to protest war. But it accomplishes nothing. NATO is absolutely 100% going to intervene now since tits have been shown. Putin is really going to stop his landgrab escapade in Ukraine since these chicks got naked.
They always get naked.