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Why don’t you cut off United States citizens while you are at it? The regime that has probably done more damage and caused more instability to the world than an

• otterley 5y ago
  Please kindly check your whataboutism at the door. It's not HN-caliber discussion.
  • eindiran 5y ago
    OP's comment is not whataboutism. It's simply pointing out that this is not the principled stand it is masquerading as. If this action was strictly about countries waging unprovoked wars heavily laden with war crimes, the US would be on the chopping block from NC's perspective. That we were not (nor ever will be) is a testament to the fact that the US is too lucrative a market for them to lose and that this is not principled whatsoever.
    • otterley 5y ago
      Attacking a position solely because it is inconsistent is the definition of whataboutism. (And perfect consistency is the enemy of improving short-term outcomes.)
      • eindiran 5y ago
        "A propaganda technique where criticisms are deflected by raising corresponding criticisms of the opposite side."[0] OP is not deflecting criticisms of Russia, OP is pointing out that the claim that NC is taking a principled stance is blatantly false. Obviously NC can still choose to proceed since they believe that this is a net benefit, but they cannot claim it is a principled stance. [0] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/whataboutism https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/whataboutism > And perfect consistency is the enemy of improving short-term outcomes. Sure, I can agree with that point. But everyone can agree that pointing out inconsistency is definitionally not whataboutism.
        • otterley 5y ago
          Whether you call it whataboutism or something else, my point remains: it is still a cheap argument anyone can throw out that isn't HN-caliber.
          • eindiran 5y ago
            Calling repeatedly for violent revolution isn't HN-caliber certainly but that hasn't stopped you from doing it all over this thread. <- This is whataboutism by the way.
            • otterley 5y ago
              Sorry, what was the point of this?
              • eindiran 5y ago
                Sorry, that was a bit rude and pointless. I apologize. I am just frustrated that your comments all over this thread are suggesting that people should take up arms and violently overthrow their governments in Venezuela and Russia, but you are here policing good-taste commenting on HN. I don't really know how to address the meat of your point, in that I think OP's point is a perfectly legitimate one and you don't, and I think it is unlikely that I would ever be able to convince you (and you will certainly never be able to convince me).
  • deleted 5y ago
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  • Svettie 5y ago
    You and others use "whataboutism" like it's some sort of checkmate. The point is, many Americans are very eager to police everyone based on their "principles", everyone else except themselves and their allies that is. The topic of discussion is not whether or not the Russian invasion of Ukraine is bad. If it was, your argument would be applicable. This topic is analogous to "selective enforcement" from police. If a policeman typically jails blacks but gives whites a warning for the same crime, this is bad, and should be acknowledged as such. Same here.
    • otterley 5y ago
      You're comparing a civil-rights violation to a business inconvenience. Namecheap and others like them owe nobody anything except by contract, and they're going to refund (to the extent possible) those they won't do business with anymore.
      • Svettie 5y ago
        It's hypocrisy nonetheless, regardless of the scale
        • otterley 5y ago
          Pointing out hypocrisy is a cheap shot, though, because everyone's a hypocrite to one degree or another. As I've said elsewhere, pointing out hypocrisy usually gets you nowhere in an argument. It's seen by many as a vain attempt to show how smart you are and is generally just a distraction, as opposed to a participation in a substantive discussion of the issue at hand.
          • Svettie 5y ago
            Maybe that's how you feel, but not me. I try to live in a principled way, and I think many other people do as well. So I support calling out hypocrisy because I think it makes the world a better place (I would like my own views also challenged on these grounds). In this case, the hypocritical action is needlessly divisive because it paints Russians as "the other", and I don't think this type of thinking helps the world in the long-term.
  • FpUser 5y ago
    >"It's not HN-caliber" Are you suggesting that the hypocrisy is?
  • Aperocky 5y ago
    Whataboutism usually follows some kind of hypocrisy. The act of pointing out whataboutism are usually done so the hypocritical side can take refuge and refute any discussion. This often happen because hypocrisy is real - otherwise it would be easy to refute the equivalence instead.
    • otterley 5y ago
      As I've said elsewhere, pointing out hypocrisy usually gets you nowhere in an argument. It's seen by many as a vain attempt to show how smart you are, as opposed to participating in a substantive discussion of the issue at hand.
      • RyEgswuCsn 5y ago
        > As I've said elsewhere, pointing out hypocrisy usually gets you nowhere in an argument. It does sometimes gets you somewhere. Hypocrisy implies the (often moral) concern over the accusation is not a genuine one, that the accusers are merely criticising to advance their agenda. If an agenda is involved, then whatever the accuser says should be taken with some grain of salt.
        • deleted 5y ago
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      • tomp 5y ago
        Pointing out hypocrisy destroys the argument & the discussion as a whole, because it reveals that the other person is arguing in bad faith. In case of Namecheap: it’s 100% complete bullshit when they say they hate war & invasions, and people are calling them out on that. Instead, they should say “we prefer when US invades, because we hate Russia” which would be much closer to the truth.
        • deleted 5y ago
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        • otterley 5y ago
  • _-david-_ 5y ago
    Calling out whataboutism is just a way to avoid explaining your inconsistent views. Often times people who call out whataboutism haven't really thought out their position.
    • otterley 5y ago
      No, I’m calling it out because it cheapens our discourse. We can, and should, have more substantive conversations here.
      • waffleiron 5y ago
        So instead of saying “whataboutism” you can tell us why it’s okay to be hypocritical, or why the situation is sufficiently different. Making statements that are hypocritical cheapens discourse, and we can and should have more substantive conversations here.
        • otterley 5y ago
          You’re putting the burden of the work on the wrong party. It’s the lazy hypocrite hunter who needs to focus that energy making substantive arguments instead. https://thenib.com/mister-gotcha/ https://thenib.com/mister-gotcha/
• magpi3 5y ago
  I think the world has changed in the past twenty years, and I think if the U.S. engages in future foreign wars, maybe they will have to suffer similar consequences from non U.S. companies. I hope so, and I say that as a U.S. citizen. I for one like this. If you are a shitty citizen in our increasing global world, one positive benefit of globalization is the many ways that that global world can now bite you in the ass. There is no excuse for wars of aggression. And in the past people would throw their hands up and say "well what can I do?" Well we are all connected now, so increasingly there is something you can do.
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  • dmingod666 5y ago
    The world is not changing and the next US invasion will also have zero consequences and lot of justification to placate the sense of morality of the population.
    • anonAndOn 5y ago
      > The world is not changing You may have blinked and missed it, but it just did. The US has weaponized global finance to an unprecedented level. Russian loans denominated in FX will all default. The stock market is cratering as soon as they are brave enough to open it back up. The ruble is going to be worth less than it was an hour ago. The Great Russian Experiment is underway.
      • throwawayay02 5y ago
        Everything will be back to normal in 4-8 years after a cease fire, though. So sanctions just hurt the most vulnerable of a 150m people country. Congratulations. That will surely prevent future wars like seen with the treaty of Versailles...
        • anonAndOn 5y ago
          I don't think a cease fire will return things to they way they were. Lots of countries have had it with Komrade Putin and will work to see him deposed. Maybe an oligarch or general will help speed up the process?
• 52-6F-62 5y ago
  I'm guessing they don't cut off the United States because the United States isn't invading and bombing the cities where they operate and have employees. A lot of people are making assumptions about this being a purely PR "woke" move of some kind, ignoring this: https://www.namecheap.com/careers/ukraine https://www.namecheap.com/careers/ukraine Seems pretty personal to me. If I or my people were actively being bombed by an invading force, I'd take it personally, too. And then I'd take action about it.
  • nojonestownpls 5y ago
    • ausudhz 5y ago
      Is definitely a personal move. Go on their website, they operate in 4 countries. US: 40 people Portugal: 70 people Ukraine: 1700 people India: 70 people Classic American company delocalizing everything and now crying because all the engineering is based in Ukraine. You put all the eggs in one basket and now you complain that they broke? Ukraine is in a conflict with Russia not from yesterday, it has been years from the Crimea case. The CEO of this company never had a thought about de-risking his over reliance on Ukrainian talent to run his company? Or was just too cheap to keep the location there and pocket the difference in added value created by these talents?
      • AgentME 5y ago
        Why should NameCheap have done anything differently? The idea that they should have run their company differently so that they could keep doing business with a hostile country presumes that it's more desirable for them to do that than hire Ukrainians.
        • ausudhz 5y ago
          Yes that's how business works. Have you seen Microsoft being hit by this for example? From a business and operational point of view is just a silly move to have your business in one country, especially when you claim to be a "US business" To me look like that of US here you've only a pool of directors, is more a Ukrainian company to me. Many Ukrainian companies have been hit as well, but they're not multinational businesses and don't use HN to voice their concern. Don't get me wrong, I'm not justifying the war or anything. But from a business point of view, if I were the CEO I would've opened another office somewhere else and transfer know how from the Ukraine branch given that the situation with Russia has been tense for a decade now. I hope this explains it
• zamalek 5y ago
  > Why don’t you cut off United States citizens while you are at it? Just because they don't cut off the American government, especially Texas, from services, doesn't mean that they can't stand against Russia. This is a blatant false dichotomy. In addition, I 100% blame every tax-payer of Texas for the human rights violations going on there, even those who would call themselves liberals. Vote with your wallets. Leave.
• jacktribe 5y ago
  When the day comes when US tanks cross over into Canada to annex it under a false pretext, running over passenger vehicles; when the US tells its soldiers they are going on a military exercise only to have them shoot at their neighbor; when the US tells the world "if you get involved we'll nuke you"; when the US jails its anti-war protestors for as much as carrying a sign... then perhaps your comparison will be valid. Until then you're just deflecting.
  • vasac 5y ago
    When you already mentioned false pretexes - how's going on with finding WMD in Iraq? Any seccess yet? Is shooting at neighbor worse than shooting at people half over the world (or they don't count because of wrong skin color)?
    • Svettie 5y ago
      It's becoming increasingly apparent that the only thing that matters at all is power. Sadly, the USA is responsible for establishing this paradigm, although pointing this out is taboo whataboutism. Now, we're returning to a world as it's always been: apes compelling other apes with their sticks.
      • ovao 5y ago
        Could you clarify ‘paradigm’ in context?
        • Svettie 5y ago
          sure, I mean the paradigm of using military force, and more generally disregarding international law to achieve geopolitical goals
    • jacktribe 5y ago
      The morality of any military action, can and has been endlessly debated (as it should) because it's non-binary, it's a spectrum. That does not change the fact that these two superpowers could not be further apart in how they go about spreading their influence around the world. Through oversimplification you can argue that anything is the same as its opposite.
• ytpete 5y ago
  For all the problems with the US's actions in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (not to mention the run-up to them and their aftermaths), there's an enormous gulf between that and any equivalency to Russia invading Ukraine. Iraq was a nation that had invaded and annexed a neighboring country, a scorched earth retreat, committed domestic human rights abuses, had attempted to acquire various WMDs in the recent past, and had perpetrated chemical weapon attacks. Afghanistan was knowingly sheltering a group that repeatedly targeted and killed Americans worldwide, culminating in the deadliest attack on civilians in world history. Again, that's not to say war was the best option on the table, nor no blood on the hands of the US in the end... but not a single one of these justifications for war applies to Russia invading Ukraine. As another commenter said, the morality of military force is a spectrum of grays, not black and white – but just because criticism can be found in every case doesn't mean every one is equally unjustified or amoral.
• grumple 5y ago
  > Why don’t you cut off United States citizens while you are at it? The regime that has probably done more damage and caused more instability to the world than any other country. Is this true? My understanding was that (despite the current conflict), the world has been experiencing a rather unique period of relative peace under US hegemony compared to the past. This is obviously true when looking at timescales since the late 19th/early 20th centuries [https://oneearthfuture.org/opinion-insights/world-getting-more-peaceful https://oneearthfuture.org/opinion-insights/world-getting-mo...]. Clearly the world has been significantly less violent since WW2, which is the time that the US became a superpower. Datapoints on prior eras are significantly less robust, but the US wasn't a leader at those points anyway. We do know that wars were widespread and brutal, despite having much less advanced weaponry, and we know that life expectancies are far longer today than in the past. > Again, this doesn’t EXCUSE the actions of the Russian government, but taking their people hostage to use as leverage is disgusting and despicable. This is how economic sanctions work. What's the alternative? Do nothing? Economic sanctions place pressure on the politicians in the aggressive nation to stop their aggression. The alternatives are to do nothing (morally unfathomable) or to fight them (in which case Russians will die, and if Putin's threats are believed, maybe we all die). I find it concerning and perplexing that so many hackers are seemingly more concerned about Russia's economy than Ukrainian lives. Every day the conflict goes on, Ukrainians die (and if you're so concerned about economy - their economy is getting destroyed too!). Logically, anything that moves us towards ending the conflict peacefully and quickly reduces lives lost and will spare all involved from further economic retribution. Additionally, this is personal for Namecheap. Imagine being bombed by a country and having strangers tell you that you have to keep providing services to members the country that is killing your friends, family, or even you! You must continue serving the country that is bombing your home! It is truly absurd.