This new LEGO creation by a historian who goes by the name of Benjamin acts as a stark reminder that there are currently real-world actions with real-world consequences. Here we see a Ukrainian civilian discovering possibly a loved one among a heap of rubble. Benjamin provides a passage in German that, while you are free to translate it yourself, the gist is that this is not a war of tanks and soldiers but rather of mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters, as well as kindergartens, schools, town halls, shopping malls, universities, factories, and homes. When we feature things like this we predictably get a slew of comments on social media that state something to the effect of; keep your world view out of LEGO. Or I come to this site to not see this kind of thing so stop doing it. The truth is that something as big and consequential as one country invading another cannot go unnoticed and cannot go unheard, even among us adults who enjoy building with LEGO. At the very least it has us worrying about our Ukrainian and Russian friends, family, and colleagues, but the impact of these actions span far wider than that.
Keeping silent or purposefully misinformed about such things is how wars like this get started in the first place. It’s how they can go on indefinitely. This is why we at The Brothers Brick will stand with our brethren of builders and feature articles such as this one. While we haven’t shied away from real-world problems before, this is the first you’ve seen depicting the conflict in Ukraine. I can assure you that this will likely be the first of many because alas real-world actions like this are too important to go unheard.
Here Here! Very well composed message and heartily agree.
Excellent post. TLCB
Well put. I applaud the Brothers-Brick.
Thank you for featuring my latest build. It means a lot for me. Building and photographing LEGO is a way for me to cope with difficult things such as the history of violence and of course sadly also violence in the present. It is important not to remain silent for the peace in Europe.
Well done. Its not because we are AFOLS
or that this site is dedicated to a hobby that one shall forget all the things of reality. I appreciate and support your commitment.
I always live that you guys post relevant stuff like this. Great post.
Awesome.
Lino you are my favorite TBB contributor. I’m so glad that this is such a conscientious organization.
Thank you for posting this.
LEGO in this context is a medium, like sculpture. You wouldn’t tell someone to keep clay or granite out of their world view. As fervent we are as AFOLs in our defensiveness of LEGO, we must also realize that there exists a world out there that does not ascribe the same sentimentality to the bricks as we do. It’s a poignant use of LEGO and like all art is meant to make us think and discuss, which it certainly has done here.
Good somebody brought the war to the attention of those who are sunk in their LEGO world!
Well put, and sentiments we all echo,
Thank you Benjamin and the TBB!