My War, Genocide, and Misanthropy Policy

Published on Jun 22, 2025, filed under misc (feed). (Share this on Mastodon or Bluesky?)

I’ve been updating my personal policy on whether and how to respond to wars, genocides, and misanthropy. It’s relatively simple:

I don’t do business with, I don’t connect, interact, and associate with, and I don’t otherwise support people and organizations from countries that start or escalate wars, commit genocides, or that act in a misanthropic manner. ^*

What countries this covers is relevant for implementation, but not for the policy, because it’s based on principle. To show what principle means here, if Germany or Spain were to attack and start wiping out another population group tomorrow, the policy would apply (and I would likely join the resistance).

If you’re curious which countries currently engage in wars and commit genocides, Wikipedia maintains lists of ongoing wars and genocides.

The implementation of this policy may be more interesting, because 1) there are many different things to consider and ways to go about it, and 2) it’s challenging to do so consistently. I may write more about 1), but suggest to ignore 2), because when we talk about large-scale crimes, lack of consistency is not the problem—lack of action is.

There Must Be Consequences for Starting Wars, Committing Genocides, and Abusing People

I felt I needed something like this:

1. in response to insufficient action by my home country, Germany, as well as the European Union against such crimes (especially the Israeli genocide against Palestinians, and their attacks against currently five countries), therefore making sure to add at least some consequence, no matter the impact (if you join, it will already be bigger);

2. not to normalize or even reward people and organizations for electing and supporting governments that drive wars, genocides, and misanthropy (if only by financing these crimes through their taxes); and

3. to remind those people and organizations of their responsibility and their agency.

We Always Have a Right Not to Connect or Do Business—or a Duty, When the Other Party Is Close to Large-Scale Destruction, Death, and Hatred

For interaction in social and professional networks, I’ve prepared a boilerplate note in case I want to share more about why I suspended or declined a connection. As I had already removed people and organizations from countries that attack other nations and systematically kill groups of people for some time, I haven’t used it yet, though, and it’s still in progress. I’m including it here for additional context, or if you have been thinking about similar and can use something to build on.

As a matter of principle, I’ve stopped connecting with (and started disconnecting from) people and organizations from countries starting or escalating wars, committing genocides, or fostering misanthropy. This is my condemnation of and protest against such crimes, to do my part to ensure consequences for murdering and abusing people.

If it’s evident that you’re likewise condemning and taking action against wars, genocides, or misanthropy your country engages in (please share URLs that document such activism), this policy does not hold. I’d be more than happy to (re)connect, and I’d feel blessed that we share a vision of not tolerating, but doing something against such horrendous crimes and conduct.

If there are reasons preventing you from acting against wars, genocides, or misanthropy perpetrated by your country, or from sharing what you do, please understand that I’ll wait with connecting until either you can share more, or until the wars, genocides, or misanthropy have ended, and the people attacked were compensated for and have officially forgiven your country’s crimes against them.

Like everyone, I have and reserve the right not to (re)connect.

Join me and many others in taking more action against anyone who attacks, murders, and abuses people—any people—, and supporting everyone who does something for other people and our environment. We can only be well if everyone is well.

^* I don’t want to express here how I feel about all these crimes. I believe it’s finally time we all say and show, it’s enough.

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m a web developer, manager, and author. I’ve been working as a technical lead and engineering manager for companies you’ve never heard of and companies you use every day, I’m an occasional contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and I write and review books for O’Reilly and Frontend Dogma.

I love trying things, not only in web development and engineering management, but also in other areas like philosophy. Here on meiert.com I share some of my experiences and views. (I value you being critical, interpreting charitably, and giving feedback.)