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To America’s Virtue Signaling Elite, Ukraine Is The New ‘Black Lives Matter’

For America’s ruling class, the conflict in Ukraine doesn’t represent a tragedy, but an opportunity for self-aggrandizement.

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Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began several weeks ago, America’s ruling elites have wasted no time in letting you know how much they so deeply care about the conflict.

Embark on a journey to your favorite social media network or news outlet, and you’ll find some of the country’s biggest corporations, media figures, and celebrities wrapping themselves in the blue and gold of Ukraine’s flag. While companies like Google and Skype employ their ubiquitous presence to encourage users to support relief efforts in Ukraine, American politicians have taken virtue signaling to a whole new level.

Skype is allowing its users to make free calls to Ukraine

As a callback to the viral clip of Ukrainian soldiers telling a Russian warship to “go f-ck yourself,” for instance, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse has not only etched the infamous statement in his Twitter bio, but has written it in Russian. Since the outset of the invasion, the Republican senator’s personal Twitter feed has been filled with tweets and retweets pertaining to the conflict, including a reposting of a tweet falsely claiming that the Ukrainians who told off the Russian warship “held their ground” and “were killed.”

Screenshot of a Google ad encouraging users to support Ukraine relief efforts

Democrats have also been just as unbearable in flaunting their self-righteousness on the issue, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reading a poem written by U2 frontman Bono on St. Patrick’s Day last week that pays tribute to Ukraine and the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Oh St. Patrick, he drove out the snakes with his prayers, but that’s not all it takes. With the smoke symbolizes an evil that arises and hides in your heart as it breaks,” Pelosi said. “And the evil risen from the darkness that lives in some men, but in sorrow and fear, that’s when saints can appear. You drive out those old snakes once again, and they struggle for us to be free from the psycho in this human family. Ireland’s sorrow and pain is now the Ukraine and St. Patrick’s name is now Zelensky.”

The bizarre moment quickly prompted comical reactions from major conservative figures, including a tweet from Federalist publisher Ben Domenech that questioned whether the performance was “a prank.”

“Did someone pretend to be Bono and sent her this?” Domenech asked.

While not uncommon for America’s elite to attach themselves to the latest cause that pops up on their Twitter feed, the overwhelming and collective rush to voice support for Ukraine is unlike anything the country has witnessed since the death of George Floyd in May 2020.

Within days of Floyd’s death, Black Lives Matter (BLM) became a universally recognized group and phrase, with nearly every major well-known business and public figure announcing their commitment to the Marxist group’s mission. Companies like Nike were quick to pledge their financial support to BLM’s cause, which included $40 million directed towards “organizations that put social justice, education and addressing racial inequality in America at the center of their work.”

Major entertainment platforms also joined in on the frenzy, with Netflix tweeting that “To be silent is to be complicit. Black lives matter” and Hulu proclaiming they “support Black lives.”

“Today, and every day. You are seen. You are heard. And we are with you,” Hulu’s official Twitter account tweeted.

Then-California Sen. Kamala Harris decided to take her support for the BLM movement a step further, saying that “All Black Lives Matter—that includes Black trans women.”

Ukraine Has Become Black Lives Matter 2.0

While it’s one thing to genuinely care about the plights of Ukrainians suffering from a Russian military onslaught, it’s another to utilize the ongoing invasion to project one’s own moral superiority. Americans need to realize that for elitists like Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who previously marched with Black Lives Matter and now seemingly worried more about Ukraine’s borders than America’s, the conflict in Ukraine doesn’t represent a tragedy, but an opportunity for self-aggrandizement.

Much like publicly backing Black Lives Matter, repeatedly pronouncing support for Ukraine has become the latest form of virtue signaling that permits America’s ruling class to place themselves on a moral pedestal and demonstrate to the country how “tolerant” and “accepting” they are, without doing anything actually useful to their neighbors. Whether it’s posting a black square on their Instagram or slapping a Ukrainian flag emoji in their Twitter bio, the goal is always the same: to elevate their own social status.

Moreover, as part of their attempt to exemplify how truly committed they are to the cause, these same individuals will vilify anyone who dares question their narrative. Oppose Black Lives Matter? You’re a racist. Prioritize your own country’s needs above Ukraine’s? You’re a puppet of Putin. Whatever the subject, the tactics never change.

And just as America’s elites ignored the increase in black Americans killed in homicides after the BLM riots and defunding of police in major American cities, expect them to ignore the suffering endured by millions of Ukrainians after the fighting in their country has ceased. While those displaced by the war are left to pick up the remains of their fractured lives, America’s elites will move on with theirs, all the while patting themselves on the back for either doing nothing or making the situation worse.