Comment by Andrew_nenakhov | Hacker News Reader

Comment by Andrew_nenakhov | Hacker News Reader

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Andrew_nenakhov

Do I correctly understand that you are advocating for a collective punishment of all Russian and Belorussian people, 'because airbnb can't know who of them are murderers'.

So, for example if Airbnb will deny access to black people, because there are violent criminals among black people in the US, you would support such policy, too? If no, I'd love to hear your argument why it would be any different.

You do make many emotional appeals, describing the untold horrors inflicted upon Ukrainians, and to make up for that you suggest punishing my friend who resides in South Africa and hasn't been in Russia for almost 10 years now. She just had her booking cancelled in Kenya.

I would add to the absurdity of your position the simple fact that among Russians travelling abroad, the support of Putin's fascist regime is almost non-existent. (it was high among Russians living abroad, who liked the idea of him projecting the strongman image, but people who really experienced his regime knew better).

Again I don't have the 'right' to live in your house. I could buy this right if, and only if, you agree to rent me your property for a fee. You aren't "punishing me" if you don't want me to be allowed in your property. You have the right to do so. Is regulated by law and came with the ownership.

If there is a queue of buyers that look a much better candidates than me, why should you be forced to rent me your home?.

Airbnb can make any policy that they think is good for the company. They aren't a NGO. If you want to use it you need to accept their rules. Period.

Yes, life is unfair. Nobody would keep you from using another platform to rent your house. There is not such thing as the "right" to use the platform.

You are dodging a very specific question. Airbnb is clearly discriminating against customers based on their ethnicity. What would you say if they'd discriminate against black people or Jews?

Of course, they'd lay out all the arguments supporting their position you kindly listed. Not having blacks is good for the company, why should homeowners be forced to let them in their homes. No-no, it's not punishing, just use another platform.

Would that be ok, or not?

> Airbnb is clearly discriminating against customers based on their ethnicity [...] What would you say if they'd discriminate against black people

Not. Nationality is not ethnicity. The correct equivalent wouldn't be black people, would be not wanting to stand near any Hutu one month after the Rwandan genocide. That would be reasonable, and I would say exactly the same. War criminals can burn in hell, with Abu Ghraib torturers and the rest of the subhuman worms. Nobody owns they any love or respect.

Ah, ok, classical "this is different" excuse.

Because it is, and even subtle differences count here a lot.

If I'm not wrong, People with Russian ethnicity and Ukranian (or Latvian, or Moldavan) citizenship are still allowed to use Airbnb, therefore your former claim is false. Most of the older people living there had born in the USSR in fact and many of them are still allowed to use the platform.

This is not a problem of race or of "Airbnb wants to cancel my culture". This is a consequence of sanctions, that are in turn a consequence of invading a country to start a genocide and destroy and loot as many as possible.

Companies are free to not operate in every country of the planet, and can close their office in North Korea or Russia, or stop doing business with anybody, at any time, by any reason. I can understand that in some countries the boundaries between companies and government are blurred, but is not the case of AirBnb.

Of course this is nonsense what you say about nations. But it pales in comparison to this:

> This is a consequence of sanctions, that are in turn a consequence of invading a country to start a genocide and destroy and loot as many as possible.

So you are calling for the punishment of people who have protested the criminal regimes and had to flee Russia and Belarus to save their lives? Just yesterday there was an assessment on Twitter that advancement on Kiev stalled because Belarus partisans kept disrupting railway lines. Now you support AirBnb decision to refuse those partisans service, if they'd ever need to escape the country. That's .. just wow.

When I was young, I thought how could it be that European countries have turned their backs on Jews fleeing the Nazi Germany. But now I see a lot of that very kind of people, very content with their virtue now they 'punished' evil russians.

Hint: If you really want to force Putin to stop the war, tell EU and US governments to stop buying oil and gas from Putin for hundreds of billions of euros every year.

Russian immigrant and enemy of the regime here. Russian and Belarusian dissidents who were granted asylum, usually have a residence in a new country, thus, they are not subject to sanctions.

People who willingly stay in Russia, should be punished regardless of their position, because they fund the aggressor's army with their taxes and even fines, which they pay for their anti-government activities.

Airbnb is irrelevant for people within Russia, and it's not the point. But for fleeing dissidents, two points:

1) to get a asylum they somehow need to escape the country first, and stay somewhere before getting to the country of destination. This policy makes it a problem.

2) the policy, as it is worded, is applied to everyone who holds russian citisenship, regardless of residence. This is supported by the acecdotical evidence of my friend's reservation cancelled, who has a residence in South Africa.

But your overall position about punishing people staying in Russia regardless of their views is rather myopic. How do you ever plan to overthrow Putin's regime if you are severing all means of support for your allies within Russia? They are already oppressed from within, and you further their oppression from the outside. Good job!

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