The Romanticization of War

The Crisis In Ukraine Is Not Your Entertainment

I’ve been following the war on Ukraine on many different platforms and through multiple different Ukrainian journalists along with war correspondents from other countries… basically, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to what people around the world have to say about the crisis in Ukraine.

While there has been plenty of hate from extremist and burner social media accounts praising Russia and their horrific actions, that is something you hope against, but nonetheless, expect when it comes to intense politics. There’s always somebody fighting for crazy ideals or even for attention.

What you don’t expect to see however is “fan casts” of actors for the Ukrainian invasion movie…

Yeah, people are genuinely choosing actors to play important political figures such as President Zelenskyy in a non-existent movie about the war in Ukraine.

Particularly on TikTok, I’ve even seen President Zelenskyy overtly sexualized by mostly American individuals. This lack of consciousness surrounding the crisis in Ukraine worries me. People justify it by saying that their humor is a coping mechanism for their concern about global events, but the lack of consideration for the Ukrainian people is truly astounding.

We have become all too desensitized to violence and war. To mock a horrific tragedy by turning it into some sought-after movie ticket or “The Bachelor: War Edition” in President Zelenskyy’s (married) case.

While people in Ukraine are dying, children are losing their parents, and over 368,000 people have been forced to flee their country to protect themselves and their families, others across the world have taken to casting a crude movie instead of sending their support to Ukraine.

The people in Ukraine are suffering greatly and now is not the time for us to flout our cruel desensitization.

As I’m writing this we know that we are on the sixth day of the invasion of Ukraine and there are specific orders to capture or kill President Zelenskyy. We have seen the damage to Ukraine across our screens, but we have also seen the bravery and a strong desire to protect Ukraine.

You wouldn’t be near as amused or entertained if it was your country suffering through this tragedy. Social Media and other factors have impacted our world’s empathy, and the amount of jokes being made…