Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, has had his name removed from an event that celebrates milestones in space exploration, because he was Russian.
In 1968, when Vladimir Putin was just 16-years-old, Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, died. That hasn’t stopped the woke left from apparently holding Gagarin responsible for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The horseshoe theory of extremism continues to assert itself, as yet again infantile liberals prove they’re more xenophobic than anyone else.
In a sheepishly indirect statement, the Space Foundation, an American non-profit focused on space industry advocacy and education, announced that the late Gagarin would no longer have his name honored during their annual Space Symposium. “In light of current world events,” the symposium’s agenda says, “the 2022 Space Foundation Yuri’s Night is renamed ‘A Celebration of Space: Discover What’s Next.’”
In other words, ‘in light of current world events,’ a man who died over 50 years ago is no longer allowed to be celebrated.
Traditionally, Gagarin’s name was borrowed by the foundation on their major fundraising night, “Yuri’s Night,” but this year they’ll be going with a more sterilized title, “A Celebration of Space.”
We’re no longer just blaming Putin, apparently. We’re not even just blaming Russian soldiers or citizens who are alive today. We’re blaming and punishing their ancestors by censoring their achievements.
In April of 1961, Gagarin made history by becoming the first human to enter outer space. He orbited the Earth one time during his 108-minute flight, and later remarked that “looking at the Earth from afar, you realize it is too small for conflict and just big enough for cooperation.” Gagarin is the exact sort of spokesperson that should be elevated as an example during times of war.
Today, when Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts travel alongside each other to the International Space Station, the Soyuz spacecraft that carries them is based on the very same designs that delivered Garagin’s colleagues to space in 1967.