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I am very concerned about the developing political tension in the U.S. I want to explain why. This is personal, so it's difficult for me to write. I barely have the energy to get the words out. But it's important, so I will try. Thread 
1/10
1/10
I was born in Ukraine and moved to the US 25 years ago as a teenager. I keep track of what's happening there through old friends. Also, stories filter through via the immigrant community. So I had the misfortune to watch from afar as my childhood country went mad. 2/10
Ukraine is split roughly into two parts. The west is largely ethnic ukrainian. The east is largely ethnic russian. But people have lived together for so long, there is no separating it-- both ethnicities live everywhere. 3/10
There is deep history I won't get into. There was always a bit of tension, but it was friendly-- humorous even. Both ethnicities would tell jokes about each other-- kind of like our comedians joke about race. People intermarried. Everything was fine. 4/10
Then in 2014 Russia started their disinformation campaign and annexed Crimea. All the old wounds were opened. Half the country was pro-Russia, has was pro-EU. There is a lot of complexity of course, but that isn't the scary part. 5/10
The scary part is that people who grew up together, loved each, intermarried, had deep friendship and family bonds developed immense hostility toward each other nearly overnight. Just yesterday they would break bread together and laugh. And then-- mortal enemies. Overnight. 6/10
I watched it play out, an outsider, but a small part of me an insider, thinking to myself-- you are all mad! How can you do this to each other? How could you let this happen?! I couldn't fathom how the warm people of my homeland developed so much vitriol and hostility. 7/10
I hate to admit this to myself, but at the time I felt a sense of superiority. "This would never happen in America", I thought. We're more developed here, not just economically but as a society. We've worked through all this! But now it's happening to us. 8/10
I hated watching it happen to the country I grew up in, and now I hate watching it happen to my chosen country that I love. I want to scream at the top of my lungs-- you're all mad! Stop! But my voice is being drowned out by millions of hostile voices. 9/10
I don't know what we can do or where all this goes. If you read this, please be kind to your countrymen. Despite all the flaws, the American people are wonderful, and the American experiment means more than we all probably know. Don't turn on each other. Please. 10/10
