We’ve been through this before. When things happen IRL, people will have strong reactions, naturally, and their support of one group and disdain for another will often be misplaced.
We all know what is happening in the world right now and, unfortunately, we are not new to this. A lot of people are “boycotting Russian goods” whether they are even owned and operated by anyone remotely Russian, or even entirely made in Russia.
Like I’ve mentioned before, a lot of American and British veterans after WWII chose to never purchase Japanese made goods because of the horrific treatment they received and witnessed by the hands of Japanese soldiers.
It is widely known that at the end of WW2, the association of german sheperds with the Third Reich made them targets to horrific torture and deaths. German shepherds were kicked, beaten and killed simply because they were called German shepherds. Do we honestly think that Blondi, Hitler’s own German shepherd, chose to be owned by Hitler? Of course not. And yet, she was killed, along with her four puppies, on the command of Hitler himself before he commited suicide in those last days in the bunker.
This is dark. It is painful for everyone involved. TikTok may be new here, but the human spirit isn’t. Trends may surge like wildfires on TikTok, regardless of the validity and impact of the trend. The lesson here? Not sure. I completely understand the word-association and even branding at play here. Emotions are high. Fear is even higher. In the midst of chaos, let’s not contribute to the chaos.
Heritage Writing Co. 