Ukraine's War Effort Gains an Unlikely Source of Funding: Memes (indianexpress.com) 24
The New York Times reports:
Images such as Ukrainian tractors towing away a disabled Russian tank and helicopter, although unverified, have not only helped fight Russian disinformation, but also helped support Ukrainian charities and even the Ukrainian military. The merchandise sales they have generated in the United States and elsewhere are surprising given that many people buying the T-shirts, stickers, coffee mugs and chocolate bars would never have thought about the Eastern European country before the conflict.
One example? Toronto-based Christian Borys, who decided to launch a site selling stickers of the Virgin Mary hoisting an antitank missile (adapted from a painting by the American artist Chris Shaw.) In eight weeks Borys' "Saint Javelin" site "has raised so far almost $1.5 million to assist the Ukrainian charity Help Us Help, which has branched into multiple services, and to provide protective equipment for journalists covering the war, he said." Mr. Borys, who had worked for the e-commerce platform Shopify before turning to journalism, said he created a website in half an hour, hoping to raise money to send to a charity for Ukrainian orphans. That night, he made 88 Canadian dollars in sales. By the time he added T-shirts at the end of February, the threat of war had turned into a full-scale invasion, and he said sales grew to 170,000 Canadian dollars a day — most coming from the United States. "The internet speaks in memes and it just became this crazy, viral sensation," he said. "I think it's because people were looking for a symbol of support, a way to support Ukraine, because they saw the whole injustice of everything...."
Three weeks ago, Mr. Borys, a Canadian of Ukrainian Polish origin, turned Saint Javelin from an all-volunteer effort to a full-time staff of four to keep up with demand. His website has branched out from the Virgin Mary to other saints: Saint Carl Gustaf wears a gas mask, while "Saint Olha, the Warrior Queen of Kyiv" wears a crown and hoists a bazooka over her camouflaged shoulders. "People on Instagram demand we make things basically," Mr. Borys said. "We get messages from people in Spain who say, 'Hey, we just shipped the C-90,' a shoulder-fired rocket propelled grenade launcher," he said. "And they'll say, 'Hey we want a saint for Spain' or a saint specific to that type of system."
One example? Toronto-based Christian Borys, who decided to launch a site selling stickers of the Virgin Mary hoisting an antitank missile (adapted from a painting by the American artist Chris Shaw.) In eight weeks Borys' "Saint Javelin" site "has raised so far almost $1.5 million to assist the Ukrainian charity Help Us Help, which has branched into multiple services, and to provide protective equipment for journalists covering the war, he said." Mr. Borys, who had worked for the e-commerce platform Shopify before turning to journalism, said he created a website in half an hour, hoping to raise money to send to a charity for Ukrainian orphans. That night, he made 88 Canadian dollars in sales. By the time he added T-shirts at the end of February, the threat of war had turned into a full-scale invasion, and he said sales grew to 170,000 Canadian dollars a day — most coming from the United States. "The internet speaks in memes and it just became this crazy, viral sensation," he said. "I think it's because people were looking for a symbol of support, a way to support Ukraine, because they saw the whole injustice of everything...."
Three weeks ago, Mr. Borys, a Canadian of Ukrainian Polish origin, turned Saint Javelin from an all-volunteer effort to a full-time staff of four to keep up with demand. His website has branched out from the Virgin Mary to other saints: Saint Carl Gustaf wears a gas mask, while "Saint Olha, the Warrior Queen of Kyiv" wears a crown and hoists a bazooka over her camouflaged shoulders. "People on Instagram demand we make things basically," Mr. Borys said. "We get messages from people in Spain who say, 'Hey, we just shipped the C-90,' a shoulder-fired rocket propelled grenade launcher," he said. "And they'll say, 'Hey we want a saint for Spain' or a saint specific to that type of system."
Mary weren't no virgin when *I* knew her! (Score:2)
*Applause*
Re: (Score:2)
It's great how a devoutly religious people can suspend their faith, morals, ethics, whatever they call it,
Such as the Russian Orthodox Church endorsing Russia's invasion and attempted extermination of the Ukrainian people. Looting, murdering, raping, torturing and destroying towns and cities is the most Christian thing one can do.
Re:Mary weren't no virgin when *I* knew her! (Score:4, Informative)
And this is why Putin loves patriarch Kirill, he's so willing to sell out. Almost all of the Ukrainian priests from the Russian Orthodox church are joining up with the Ukrainian Orthodox church. This Unkraine Orthodox church was relatively recent, officially unified in 2019. Not all priests and towns joined up right away, but the invasion prompted most all of them to join up except for a few under the control of the separatist thugs in Donbas region.
Re: (Score:2)
is sacrilege but also funny
Was the 'but' necessary?
Re:Mary weren't no virgin when *I* knew her! (Score:4, Insightful)
Personally, I'd feel uncomfortable going around wearing a funny shirt about the war. It's OK for the Ukrainians to engage in gallows humor to get them through a hellish situation, but I don't feel it's a situation for me as an outsider to laugh at.
I don't cheer when I see an APC full of Russian conscripts get blown up either, although I fully support Ukraine doing that and us sending weapons to do it. But it's still a bunch of coffins going back to mothers and wives, or at best young men horrifically disfigured and disabled. It always gives me a queasy feeling.
I'm glad somebody is harnessing these images to get help to the Ukrainians, but I'll be sending my donations directly to NGOs.
Re: (Score:2)
But it's still a bunch of coffins going back to mothers and wives,
No, it's not. Russia is not picking up its war dead [lbc.co.uk]. At least not all of them. In fact, they are refusing to do so [lbc.co.uk] because that would reveal how many thousands of soldiers have been killed so far.
I remember seeing a short video where one town in Ukraine which stopped a Russian attack had two box cars full of dead Russian soldiers. They told the Russians to come pick up the bodies but never heard back.
I also read that Russia has slowed th
Re: (Score:2)
What if it's an APC full of Russian conscripts on their way to execute all the leaders of a village? Sure, death is not good, but what we have is the second coming of Hitler intent on destruction.
Re: (Score:2)
Well, determining that those soldiers are about to do that requires a crystal ball. We don't know if those soldiers are going to commit atrocities, or simply run away or give up. Still, I acknowledge that killing them is something that needs to be done. It's a grim fact, and those of us who have the luxury should not forget it.
Sending an army of untrained, undisciplined, leaderless conscripts to fight a war in the suburbs of a major city is tantamount to a war crime in itself. It's an invitation to the
Re: (Score:1)
You missed one: (Score:2)
Ukraine gets it... (Score:4, Insightful)
Ukraine understands the world we live in. Russia doesn't.
Russia gets it... (Score:2)
Russia's government gets it better than anyone. They control the media. They control the narrative therefore the Russian people support the invasion. Putin keeps the money and the power and expands the territory.
Everyone lives in a bubble. There is no objective "Truth". Control the bubble's narrative and you control the truth.
There are rallies every Saturday in the US supporting the bubble life...
Re: Russia gets it... (Score:2)
Believe me this thought occurred to me as well. I believe though that we are starting to leave this propaganda / just lie and insist yours is the reality way of doing things behind. If not, we are all really screwed.
200 sunflower seeds (Score:3)
After tractors towing tanks my favorite is the sunflower seed lady. They could raise billions easily by selling packages of seeds with her picture on the bag.
No way (Score:1)
irony? (Score:2)
Please tell me I'm not the only one finding this sentence the most ironic and brain-dead comment by the NYT since, well, the last time they wrote something.