Every history class talks about the home front, where civilians worked together to sustain the war effort. History describes people all pitching in to plant victory gardens, send medical supplies and mourn for those who died. What history rarely talks about is what happens when civilians watch and observe a foreign war, but it never hits them directly.
Yet this is the situation the United States is in now. It isn’t at war now, but the situation can hardly be called a peace. Ukraine, an ally, is being subjugated beneath the Russian yoke, although it is fiercely resisting conquest. And Ukraine’s relationship with the United States and European Union is a catalyst for this brutal conflict. The war is not in America, but it is of America.
This is not the home front. This is, at most, the home sidelines. A rise in gas prices and yet another round of supply chain disruptions is nothing like having homes bombed and food nowhere to be seen.
The question that I ask and hear asked is “What can we do?” What can we do, sitting on the sidelines? What can we do, when an event that will shape our futures lies 5,000-and-some miles away?
You may post about Ukraine in order to spread the word about the conflict. You may put Ukraine’s distinctive blue-and-yellow combination on your profile pictures or outfits. You may attend protests and vigils against the war. You may call your representatives to beseech them to take further steps. You may donate money to Ukrainian causes. A few people from the United States have even gone to Ukraine.
Yet another question comes along: Is any of this meaningful?
If you post on social media and fly the colors of Ukraine, you don’t do much at all. This isn’t nothing, but it’s pretty minimal, unless the leaders of the Russian side happen to follow your Instagram account. Sure, go ahead, but don’t confuse it for real action.
On the other hand, if you protest and contact politicians, it could make a bit of difference. It takes a little effort to attend protests or to talk to a representative; it shows the United States’s resolve. At the same time, if international outrage could cow Putin, Putin would be cowed. Going to a protest certainly feels like doing something, but the chance that you personally help Ukraine is slim.
Social media posts can’t hurt, and protests might even help, but going to Ukraine isn’t really a reasonable or useful option for most people. This leaves charitable donations as a last option to stand up for Ukraine. It doesn’t have quite the same feeling of agency, but it can save lives. Yet it still has its own issues: there are plenty of low-quality charities, although Doctors Without Borders and UN groups like UNICEF are clearly beneficial.
It’s only human to want to be the protagonist of history, but America is only on the sidelines of the Ukraine conflict. There isn’t some magic bullet that can be fired to solve the problem. Still, give to charities. Attend protests. Call your representatives. It’s not much, but it’s what you can do.
