Tell HN: We should show "No to War" banners on our websites

[reimertz]

Sanctions will do a lot, but our community have a lot of power too.

This would be very similar to when the Black Lives Matter movement happened in US, collectively added banners on our websites about the movement.

I think this is the least we can do.

If anyone is open to collab on creating something like a no-war.js or similar to add a simple banner on websites, please ping me on @reimertz on twitter.

edit: tweaked idea regarding redirect / block of russian visitors after some feedback.

[retrac]

Maybe a banner on the top, but no blocks. We should not cut the few normal social, cultural and non-war-involved technical links we have with ordinary individuals in Russia. The affection and connection ordinary Russians have to the rest of the world is one of the few things that might yet stop this madness. Something like that easily comes across as blaming them and cutting them off personally in retaliation, and that will not foster brotherhood.

[reimertz → retrac]

Really good feedback and 100% agreed - tweaked the proposed idea.

[salawat → reimertz]

Unfortunately, that'd be an OPSEC nightmare. They are already prepared to calve their internet, and basically shut off info propagation from inside it. We'd be leaving our own networks open for data exfiltration...

I mean, God above, I never wanted to be on this side of advocating something like this for the Net, it was always meant to be open... Game theory pretty much states the way to go is tit for tat.

They're prepared to exploit our openness for all it is worth.

What a Charlie Foxtrot.

[boeingUH60]

I sympathize with Ukraine, but I question the utility of having a “No to War” banner on my website.

What exactly would such banner achieve in helping Ukrainians? Or is it just to make me feel like I’m doing something when I’m really doing nothing?

[linkdd]

In 2022, I made a resolution:

> I should focus on doing well what I know instead of badly doing what I have no clue about

Geopolitics is one of the thing I have no clue about. I won't take part in the pissing contest between USA and Russia that's been happening in Ukraine for the last 10 years.

I'll keep focusing on the tech, dev and ops. Because that's what I know.

[akagusu]

Should we put banners on our sites next time US invade some country like they did with Iraq and Afghanistan?

[jfengel]

Perhaps it would be more effective if you wrote it in Russian? ("нет войне", according to Google Translate.)

Writing it in English appears to be addressing it to the US, who are reluctant to escalate to force but are certainly weighing it. Is it your intention that "No to War" means permitting Russia to engage in war while the Americans limit themselves to economic means?

[logicalmonster]

My 2 cents.

I think we all want any fighting and bloodshed to end and for words to take the place of bombs. I hope all conflicts end quickly and I support all innocent civilians, whether Russian or Ukrainian or from other countries. Most people are just trying to go about their lives and make enough money to survive and have some occasional creature comforts and aren't harming anybody. I've worked with Ukrainians and Russians before, and they can be great, smart, amazing people.

That said, the idea that most people here understand the crazy geopolitical maneuvering going on is absurd. Most people (myself included, I'm not trying to sound smug) don't completely understand the energy politics at stake here with pipelines and the power-plays with monetary policy going on right now. Hell, most people don't even have the energy politics or the global currency on their radar screen: the media is trying to turn this into "Putin is some cartoon Hitler villain" just like they did during Saddam or Slobodan or Kim 2-minutes of hate that were obvious propaganda that the mainstream media also urged in lockstep.

People should do whatever they feel right about, that said urging something along the lines of censorship if you probably don't understand all of the issues feels misguided to me.