Simmonds-Upton: Scribbler

Ukrainians are inventive with swearing. It’s not a unique cultural or linguistic trait, but it is noticeable. Not only the number or variety of focuses, but also the novelty.

Throughout the war, numerous swearwords and slurs for russians and their foreign lackies have emerged. Numerous expressions of frustration or anger. Plenty of mocking humour as well.

My favourite though, by far, is Yoob.

Yoobs, or to give them their full title, the Unbombed, does not mean everyone from the West, or anyone who has not experienced war. Just as mansplainer does not refer to every man who explains something.

Yoobs, like mansplainers, are over-privileged people who believe their opinions are more important than your experience. They will tell you how to respond to bombings. They will tell your your hatred for those who bomb your cities is misplaced, or immoral.

Yoobs come in many forms. They can be well meaning moralists who are made uncomfortable what they consider the “dehumanising” of russian soldiers. They can be heads of state that tell those facing war to calm down or be grateful. They include leftists who think their ideological understanding of war is more salient than the lived reality of those facing it. Or rightists and “warrior” larpers who decry the rise of drone warfare as somehow “dishonourable”.

Just as we should all check our privileges, stem they from our class, race, or identity, it should be self-evident that those not facing the hard edge of war acknowledge that fact. That many Westerners do not, especially those who believe themselves enlightened progressives, is a damning indictment of Western exceptionalism and arrogance.