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The average American (like the average citizen of almost any other country) doesn't care about this in general and needs leadership to sway their opinion one wa

The average American (like the average citizen of almost any other country) doesn't care about this in general and needs leadership to sway their opinion one way or another. If the leaders don't care, they hold enough power and visibility to make it moot and get people to care about other things, like inflation, price of eggs or immigrants stealing their jobs. People have this thinking nations have these widely shared opinions when they don't, the politics and visible leaders are the ones shaping public opinion.

freeopinion 1y ago
I think your main point is valid, but the pedantic in me struggles with your wording. I think the point you are tring to make is this: Nations don't have a single shared opinion even if they have a single shared action. It frusrates me that the people of Russia allow their country to continue its aggression even in the face of such staggering losses. I can't understand their thinking. Then I remind myself that there is not just a single brain called Russia. There is not even just a single brain in the leadership of Russia. I suspect that the percentage of US voters that support Ukraine is pretty high. A quick internet seach tells me that Pres. Trump's current approval rating is well below 50%. But I suspect support for impeachment is very much lower than that and support for a coup is practically non-existent. It makes sense to me that the same holds in Russia. Tens of thousands of Russians each month lose a husband/son/father/brother in this war. Some may blame Ukraine and want revenge. Some may feel some patriotic or nationalistic justification for their loss. Others may hate Putin for it. Still others may convert to pacifism. But there seems little evidence that there is any will to do what it takes to challenge the power that keeps sending thousands more to their death. A very small percent of the population can continue to inflict this horror on all of Russia. I would love to believe that there are voices even within Putin's hearing that quietly but consistently advocate for peace and somehow don't get removed. Imagine that there are people who make a point of never publicly falling out, but once a week hand deliver a note about improved GDP if Russia ended the invasion. Or they verbally suggest seaside resorts that could host old-fashioned vacations if they weren't in a war zone. Or they ponder out loud how much better the domestic auto industry could be if some of the military spending were diverted. Imagine the combined efforts of a few people to make sure Putin gets one subtle peacemaker message each day. Please don't condemn all Russians. And please don't condemn all USians. And certainly please don't condemn all Americans. I don't know how much the average American cares, but I for one hope it is more than zero.

freeopinion 1y ago

I think your main point is valid, but the pedantic in me struggles with your wording. I think the point you are tring to make is this: Nations don't have a single shared opinion even if they have a single shared action. It frusrates me that the people of Russia allow their country to continue its aggression even in the face of such staggering losses. I can't understand their thinking. Then I remind myself that there is not just a single brain called Russia. There is not even just a single brain in the leadership of Russia. I suspect that the percentage of US voters that support Ukraine is pretty high. A quick internet seach tells me that Pres. Trump's current approval rating is well below 50%. But I suspect support for impeachment is very much lower than that and support for a coup is practically non-existent. It makes sense to me that the same holds in Russia. Tens of thousands of Russians each month lose a husband/son/father/brother in this war. Some may blame Ukraine and want revenge. Some may feel some patriotic or nationalistic justification for their loss. Others may hate Putin for it. Still others may convert to pacifism. But there seems little evidence that there is any will to do what it takes to challenge the power that keeps sending thousands more to their death. A very small percent of the population can continue to inflict this horror on all of Russia. I would love to believe that there are voices even within Putin's hearing that quietly but consistently advocate for peace and somehow don't get removed. Imagine that there are people who make a point of never publicly falling out, but once a week hand deliver a note about improved GDP if Russia ended the invasion. Or they verbally suggest seaside resorts that could host old-fashioned vacations if they weren't in a war zone. Or they ponder out loud how much better the domestic auto industry could be if some of the military spending were diverted. Imagine the combined efforts of a few people to make sure Putin gets one subtle peacemaker message each day. Please don't condemn all Russians. And please don't condemn all USians. And certainly please don't condemn all Americans. I don't know how much the average American cares, but I for one hope it is more than zero.