See the person, not the nationality x

I have stop coming on to this site and many others in the last year, in some sites I am not allowed to call myself Russian any more or to have a Russian flag in a profile. This is the World for the moment and I understand the sensitivity for people.

But I am person, not a nationality. And I should not be ashamed of where I come from, of my parents and grandparents who were all good people and who have made me who I am and always teach me to be fair and to be respectful to others.

I open my profile again on stie and is always messages from people to be anti-Russian to me, this war is not me. Also, there is pro-Russia messages from right wing people in USA and Germany and UK - I am not right wing, I am not fascist, and again I say this war is not me.

So please, see the person, not the nationality. My mother's family is from Ukraine and I have a lot of relative is still live in this country. The situation is horrible. Its make me cry every day to think about this. I live in Paris now and have not been home to Russia in maybe 6 months, my mother is still there, my sister and her family - it is not so easy now to go to visit. I have family and friends in all over Europe, this situation is difficult for every body.

I only want for peace to find a way, and for the return to the way is before.

So please don't blame me for the war, and please don't expect me to agree with right wing views.

DrWatson · 70-79, M

Thank you for posting this. It is something that people need to be reminded of over and over again.

In the US, which has become home to people from all over the world, we have had a sad history of how we treat our fellow Americans if they are immigrants or have descended from immigrants from whatever country we are angry at at the time.

Covid seems to have originated in China, and suddenly Chinese Americans are the targets of hate.
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, and Japanese Americans were locked up.
After 9/11, Muslim Americans became targets of hate.

I have known Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, and Muslim Americans, and none of them would associate themselves with hostility toward this country.

I wonder how many Russians your haters have actually known?