War, Politics, and Innocent People: Who Should Really Be Held Responsible?
Intro
Every country has leaders who make decisions, good ones, bad ones, and sometimes disastrous ones. But when these decisions lead to war, sanctions, conflicts, or global outrage, a strange thing happens: ordinary citizens suddenly become targets for blame, pressure, or hate.
This then raises an important question: should ordinary citizens who have zero control be blamed, attacked, punished, or pressured for it?
My Two Cents 💰: Why I think It's Unfair
The citizens shouldn't face pressure or backlash because there are so many of them that are innocent, might not even know what to do and maybe can't even do anything about their governments actions.
Most countries are democratic and you would find that some of the citizens didn't voted those leaders, they disagree with their decisions and they too might be suffering from the consequences for their governance.
So, I believe its unfair for same people to now face pressure or backlash from foreign countries.
Additionally, some countries have laws where any form of protest means getting arrested, beaten or even killed. So expecting an average citizen to speak up and try to defy the government is quite unrealistic. Maybe a powerful man in the nation or the military can but from an average citizen, its quite difficult.
Therefore, punishing regular people for what their governments do feels like blaming passengers because the bus driver took the wrong route.
The Other Side of the Argument
Even though it's unfair to pressure the citizens of an attacking country, there's still a tough conversation to have.
Let us be honest, if they were the one facing deep problems with their government, will they not riot or pressure their government to fix a problem or stop what they don't like.
People do it all the time:
Nigerians protested during #EndSARS when they couldn't bear bad governance anymore
The Americans are known for this, they protest their presidents often
French citizens protest almost every season
South Africans protest poor governance regularly
So, I understand that the international community would at least expect the citizens of the attacking country to lend their voice to the outrage of their country instead of just turning a deaf hear to the cry of the citizens of the country being attacked.
Real-World Examples
Some years ago, when Russia launched an attacked on Ukraine, there was a global pressure on the innocent Russians.
The Russians began to get pressure internationally. The whole the Russia even got sanctions and trade was disallowed with the country. Celebrities and business men from Russia were innocent but they too felt the consequences because they lost deals that could have built their carrier. The citizens of Russia globally felt the backlash and pressure even if they did nothing wrong.
Even Nigerians abroad sometimes face negativity because of bad decisions leaders make back home. There was time when Nigerians in South Africa were often being attacked.
These situations show how easy it is for people to blame the nearest citizen instead of the actual government responsible.
Conclusion
Citizens should not suffer for the decisions of their leaders. Blaming individuals for actions they didn't approve, influence, or support only creates more hate.
Yes, people should hold their governments accountable when they can. But the reality is that not everyone has the freedom or ability to do that.
Let's Spread Love ♥
Thank You for Reading 🧙🏼♂️♥
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This pattern has been existing for centuries, the government makes a decision and everyone suffers for it. What people see in other country's citizens is nationality, they don't consider them as a fellow human.