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Threats in Memes and Wars

Veiled threats are more common in our daily lives that people think they are. As Steven Pinker stated, the obvious example of a veiled threat would be the gangster noting what a great store someone has, subtly threatening that person to do as they say or else the store gets it. However, these threats don't have to be so ominous all the time. Sometimes, they can be humorous, like this meme down below. 

Stafford Threatening the other Team

Ok, so maybe our definition of humorous varies. However, when reading Pinker's piece, I was immediately reminded of this old Stafford meme from years back. I mean, you can't deny that it's a threat. The other team must be literally shaking in their boots the moment they see Frat Stafford 😬.

But on a more serious note, I was also reminded of the situation right now in Ukraine. Ever since last year, Putin has been constantly moving troops to the border of Ukraine, citing them as "peacekeeping troops." In reality, they stand there as nothing more than a threat to Ukraine. This was just Russia trying to flex their authority and intimidate the Ukrainians. 

As we all know, war broke out and Russian troops swiftly flowed into Ukraine, but thankfully, they've been losing some steam ever since. The people, troops, and the president of Ukraine are resilient, and they aren't ready to lose their country in an unjust war.

This series of events has caused Putin to engage on a new series of veiled threats. Putin has already detained more than 2600 of his own people for speaking out against the war, showing the rest of the population what will happen to them if they stand up for justice. Russia has also activated several of their nuclear weapons, citing that they're doing so because of the "hard-hitting financial sanctions imposed by the West against Russia." In reality, everyone and their dogs can tell that they're thinking about launching these nukes against Ukraine, and maybe even other countries in the vicinity. 

One thing that can be said, though, is that hopefully the war comes to a close soon and there are no further casualties on both sides. 🙏

Here's how you can help the people of Ukraine : NPR

Comments

  1. danielwFebruary 27, 2022 at 5:01 PM

    I really liked how you focused on the veiled threat & included two contrasting examples; you also connected to a current event and included your thoughts. And yes, I agree that the war hopefully comes to an end soon since Putin's actions such as "Putting his nuclear forces on alert" are very concerning.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yousef Al-AniFebruary 27, 2022 at 7:51 PM

    I really liked how you connected what we talked about in class to current global issues. I also liked how you explained how Putin is using veiled threats to try and intimidate Ukraine and other nations. I agree that the war going on should come to an end. Great Job

    ReplyDelete

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