# Cars flying Ukrainian flag reported vandalized in Toronto **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** ukraine-invasion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2022, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535 "2022-03-05T21:26:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/21 "2022-03-07T19:50:47Z")
Looking at the [Ukrainian flag](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Ukraine), it would not be difficult to sew from blue and yellow fabric from a crafts store. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/22 "2022-03-07T19:50:54Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Russia has been putting out a lot of propaganda, for years, about how horrible Ukraine is and how badly they treat Russian people. It’s not surprising that some people who identify as or with Russians would have bought into all that. I think there are plenty of people who believe Putin is a hero rather than a megalomaniacal villain. It just seems odd that anyone who lived in Canada would be able to continue with those beliefs. They’re in a NATO country, one that is supposedly completely evil and making Ukraine do all these things. And Putin-controlled media is much less prominent, with much greater access to more accurate media. You’d think people who bought that much into it would have never left Russia at all. And that any who did would want to keep it on the downlow. My first instinct was not that these were actual Russian sympathizers. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/23 "2022-03-07T20:25:46Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > You’d think people who bought that much into it would have never left Russia at all. And that any who did would want to keep it on the downlow. My first instinct was not that these were actual Russian sympathizers. Oh we have Russian sympathizers, many of whom have never been to Russia, and know very little about Russia. They mainly love autocratic dictators, and think that it’s “manly” to aggressively attack another country. There is also significant overlap with white supremacists (and our recent “convoy” anti government lunatics) ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/24 "2022-03-07T20:41:52Z")
I walked passed a guy at Yonge and St. Clair yesterday who was selling Ukrainian flags out of his van. Must have had hundreds of them. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/25 "2022-03-07T21:44:53Z")
That just frustrates me even more! 😉 Anyway,. thanks to various folks for the suggestions, but since I’ve already bought and paid for two car flags, I may as well just wait it out. Due to the fact that the vendor is a fucking liar, however, when they say “ships from Canada” they mean “ships from Shenzhen via China Post” and it will take 1 to 2 weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/26 "2022-03-07T21:54:01Z")
People also forget there’s a nunber of loony far left people who think the Azov Battalion represents the entire Ukraine government and people who support Ukraine are secret Fascists. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/27 "2022-03-07T21:56:12Z")
Also the “Both sides bad” people, who don’t put much thought into anything beyond that. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/28 "2022-03-07T22:51:26Z")
I remember hearing that Future Bakery in Toronto was vandalized a few weeks ago. Apparently it happened again more recently > **[Ukrainian bakery in Toronto vandalized again - Toronto | Globalnews.ca](https://globalnews.ca/news/8659644/ukrainian-bakery-toronto-vandalized-again/)** > > Just three weeks after Future Bakery in Etobicoke was vandalized with pro-Russian graffiti, the owner says it's been vandalized again. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/29 "2022-03-07T23:08:34Z")
I’ve always preferred to distinguish the deranged lunatic politicians in control of a nation from the actual people of that nation, who tend to be more the victims of despotic regimes than being in any way responsible for their atrocities. Assholes like this are making it more difficult to make that distinction. One starts to wonder if maybe we’re not adequately vetting immigrants from Russia. Conversely, Canada recently announced that there will be no limits on immigration from Ukraine. The EU has announced that they are welcome in any EU country. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/30 "2022-03-07T23:15:02Z")
Politifact has quite a few fake news stories about Ukraine they debunked: > **[PolitiFact - Evidence of Russia’s war in Ukraine is plentiful and proves it...](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/mar/04/facebook-posts/evidence-russias-war-ukraine-plentiful-and-proves-/)** > > Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine has brought on an onslaught of attacks, injuries and deaths for more than a week. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/31 "2022-03-07T23:17:41Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Russia has been putting out a lot of propaganda, for years, about how horrible Ukraine is and how badly they treat Russian people. It’s not surprising that some people who identify as or with Russians would have bought into all that. I think there are plenty of people who believe Putin is a hero rather than a megalomaniacal villain. There’s an implicit suggestion that this vandal was a Russian expat or otherwise has a specific affiliation with Russia. This strikes me as the less likely cause. The more likely is that this clown is a right-wing whack job who simply wants to own the libs. He probably could give a fuck about Russia, but now that he’s done being part of the Anti-vax blockade he’s moved on to the next Qanon marching orders. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/32 "2022-03-07T23:23:57Z")
We’re both just speculating here, but given the one instance where the vandal’s motives appear to be evident – the one I described where they guy who smashed the rear window of a car with two kids in the back seat, who had gotten out of a car displaying the Russian flag – there is some evidentiary support for the idea that at least some of these assholes are knee-jerk pro-Russia fanatics. I tend to think that this is actually more likely than the idea that they’re just anarchists who like to destroy things. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/33 "2022-03-07T23:30:50Z")
Yes, we’re speculating, but the guy with a Russian flag is no more likely to be Russian than the Ukrainian flag flying driver was to be Ukrainian. Everyone is virtue signaling here. I’ve seen next to no coverage of Russian expats here in the States with any sympathy for Russia or Putin. Every pro-Russian mouthpiece is a Fox News contributor…none have Russian accents. None represent Russian enclaves here. It is kind like Cuban Americans and Castro…there’s effectively no one outside of Cuba on his side, certainly no Cuban expats. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2022, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/34 "2022-03-07T23:54:44Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Yes, we’re speculating, but the guy with a Russian flag is no more likely to be Russian than the Ukrainian flag flying driver was to be Ukrainian. Hi, I have a suggestion. Why don’t you actually read the article in the OP before you start tossing incorrect speculation around and allegations of “virtue signalling”? If you had read the article, you would have seen this bit: > [@](#): > > Multiple Toronto residents say they have been targeted for flying the Ukrainian flag on their vehicles, with one person saying an assailant broke their car window while two children were sitting in the back seat. > > **Michael Abrosimov moved to Canada from Ukraine in 1995 and says his wife’s family is in Kyiv** , the country’s capital and a target of an invading Russian military force. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/35 "2022-03-08T02:54:37Z")
And it says fuck all about the Russian. Which was the whole point. Maybe instead of making snide comments about people reading something maybe you ought to work on your reading comprehension first. My comment about virtue signaling is directed at al those in this thread talking about flying Ukrainian flags. And for the record, that wasn’t intended to be a dig, just a statement of fact. I happen to think that showing support for Ukraine right now is a virtue worth signaling. So maybe lower your hackles a little. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/36 "2022-03-08T15:44:50Z")
The term “virtue signaling” is used in my experience almost always as a derogatory comment. So it’s very understandable that most would think that you were insulting anyone who is wanting to fly a Ukraine flag right now, implying that they were insincere, and were merely _pretending_ to like Ukraine. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/37 "2022-03-08T19:13:08Z")
What term do you suggest I use for people who sincerely are signaling they support Ukraine? This stupid treadmill where assholes co-opt a word which therefore fundamentally poisons its use in every other context is unsustainable. If you are putting value judgments on the term that’s on you. Incidentally, the assholes flying Russian flags in general sincerely support Putin. Their rationale is toxic as fuck, but they believe it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/38 "2022-03-08T20:42:37Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > What term do you suggest I use for people who sincerely are signaling they support Ukraine? > > This stupid treadmill where assholes co-opt a word which therefore fundamentally poisons its use in every other context is unsustainable. > > If you are putting value judgments on the term that’s on you. No, the term was specifically coined to attack people for performative support, specifically by right wingers to attack people to the left of them. > **[Virtue signalling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue_signalling)** > > Virtue signalling is the act of expressing a viewpoint with the intent of displaying and communicating good character. > According to the Cambridge Dictionary, virtue signalling is "an attempt to show other people that you are a good person, for example by expressing opinions that will be acceptable to them, especially on social media... indicating that one has virtue merely by expressing disgust or favour for certain political ideas or cultural happenings". The expression is often used to imply b... It’s not other people’s fault when they assume you knew what a word meant. The only way you could have encountered the term is as a pejorative. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/39 "2022-03-08T20:45:21Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > You’d think people who bought that much into it would have never left Russia at all. And that any who did would want to keep it on the downlow. My first instinct was not that these were actual Russian sympathizers. People can be really irrational when it comes to their nationality, and will tend to believe whatever suits their emotional needs. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535/40 "2022-03-08T21:15:52Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > No, the term was specifically coined to attack people for performative support, specifically by right wingers to attack people to the left of them. > > [Virtue signalling - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue_signalling) I mean, your own link explains that this is false…but here we are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cars-flying-ukrainian-flag-reported-vandalized-in-toronto/960535.md?page=3)