Why does everyone have to show their support for Ukraine?

The modern epidemic of virtue signalling is really something to behold.

It is bad enough that the western world, led by the United States and the United Kingdom via NATO, is supporting Ukraine after the country was invaded by Russia.

As I have previously argued, the western world has absolutely no interests at stake in the conflict. I admire Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and feel for ordinary Ukrainians who are suffering terribly during this war.

However, from a purely self-interested point of view, we in the west should be taking a neutral stance rather than opposing what is ultimately a nuclear-armed Russia under President Vladimir Putin.

The disease of virtue signalling

Unfortunately, too many people in the west feel the need to virtue signal by displaying their affection for Ukraine and their opposition to Russia and Putin. This includes flying Ukrainian flags in their front yards, expressing support for Ukraine on social media and even orchestras going to ridiculous lengths by refusing to play Tchaikovsky. Various Russian sporting teams have been removed from competitions, led by the Russian football team being kicked out of the FIFA World Cup, while there have been calls for individual Russian athletes to be banned from competition due to their government’s actions.

All of this seems to me to just be the latest example of groupthink, following hot on the heels of the world’s media believing (I use the word deliberately, as there was certainly no actual facts or evidence to back it up) that former US President Donald Trump was a Russian asset. Or more recently, the very same media thinking that Hunter Biden’s laptop was a Russian disinformation operation!

Perhaps all this virtue signalling is just the result of the general human reluctance to stand against the crowd, with most people preferring to just go with the flow.

Words more important than actions

Unfortunately, though, I suspect it is something more, namely, the result of the tendency within modern western society to view words as far more important than actions. This is where expressing your support for a cause is far more important than actually doing anything practical for that particular cause, whether it is joining the fight in Ukraine or whatever the latest cause may be.

This is the same type of thought that believes in awarding participation trophies to make losers in a contest feel good. It is all about feelings rather than facts.

In reality, while you can virtue signal your support for Ukraine all you like, it is going to do absolutely nothing to stop the war in Ukraine nor get rid of Putin if that is your hope.

In a word, your virtue signalling is useless.

It is actions that count – and the only actions that will help Ukraine are sending them arms and money. Of course, the virtue signallers aren’t willing to do that, at least not with their own money! So they resort to empty slogans and placards to show their supposed moral superiority.

I find it repugnant.

I was brought up to believe that actions speak louder than words, and that empty vessels make the most noise. Even time they open their mouths, the virtue signallers prove these dicta 100% true.

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