Building a Better Future on a Troubled Past

Hello my friends, I hope you're all safe and well, I know for many people, COVID-19 is still very much a part of everyday life and let's hope its influence doesn't last much longer. Like many of you, I have been watching the news both in my own country and abroad, which recently has been incredibly difficult viewing. To be honest, I have struggled when it came to writing anything about recent events, as so much is happening it's hard to find the words - but it's worse to stay silent and so here are my thoughts, stated- as always- without malice towards anyone.

So where to begin ? Well, across the world there have been protests about the lack of equality between the differing peoples which live in a multitude of countries. I don't know about you, but there is simply no arguing with historical fact- the black community in the USA have undoubtedly reason to be angry at the injustice they routinely suffer, equally, the Aboriginal people in Australia have never genuinely received the recognition they deserve, when it comes to acknowledging their place in society. These are but two examples, but we all know, they are not isolated and, in current times, everybody-regardless of race or ethnicity- should have the same rights and privileges. Sadly, this is far from the case, you only have to take the briefest glance at how different people are treated within the community, especially when it comes to law enforcement, and the disparities are blatantly clear. I find it very hard to understand how this could be still the case, we call ourselves 'civilised' yet, there are way too many who still are blinkered when it comes to looking at anyone - as soon as skin colour is acknowledged, well, lawless judgement seems to swiftly follow. I don't know if it's because of how I was raised or the fact I grew up in a multi-racial society, but it has always been the quality of the person which has mattered to me. I remember being genuinely shocked when I first heard the derogatory terms used to describe people from other ethnic backgrounds. I have come to realise, my colour 'blindness' undoubtedly came, in part, from my parents, who visibly flinched when they witnessed any kind of racist language or behaviour.  I was reminded by both of them -time and time again- of how fortunate we were to have, the whole world on our doorstep. I believe they meant, we were surrounded by every possible religion, colour, race etc. At the time, I took their attitude for granted, it was only as I grew older, I realised not everyone felt the same way.

As I lived and worked in London, I saw the best and the very worst people can be - the joyous Notting Hill Carnival where the only objective was for everyone to have the best of times, but also feeling intensely intimidated by seeing a march of a white supremacist group. Their heads were shaved, making them appear even more bullish, no real effort to hide their pseudo-Nazi symbolism and the ground seeming to shake under the heavy tread of their boots. As they stomped past me, I saw people, of all colours, taking a step back and even though I am Caucasian, I did too - that group had absolutely NOTHING to do with me and because of that fact, I felt unbearably uncomfortable when they saw me and cheerily waved. I have never wanted to fade into a brick wall more, than at that moment, because I was genuinely fearful they would somehow sense my total lack of support for their cause. I know that makes me sound weak and perhaps even cowardly, but in my defence, I was still a teenager and had never seen anything like such blatant racism. As I watched, their march only paused to shout a chorus of hate-filled abuse at anyone in the street who was not the same as them- from a small Hindi lady who was carrying her shopping, to a group of West Indian boys, harmlessly kicking a football. When they had passed, everyone started to spill out onto the road again, smiling at each other while making sure they were all okay - I have never felt more ashamed to be white than on that day even though I was as far from the group's warped ideology as it was possible to be. Thankfully, since those days, legislation was passed which made any gesture which was seen to promote racial hatred, a crime and so these days, this kind of far right group is not quite so visible. But that does not mean, they no longer exist because we all know they do and despite the best efforts of those in power - whatever the political affiliation-those groups will never be entirely defeated.

But what about today ? So many cities are filled with anti-racism protesters demanding equality, although many wish to get their voices heard in a purposeful yet peaceful way, others don't seem to share this view.

 

Instead they prefer a more aggressive approach, some fighting with police while ignoring curfews, others by defacing statues and monuments which are perceived to glorify figures who allegedly have connections to the worst of history. Now, it's undoubtedly true, some have proven links to the horrors of the past, the exploitation of poorer nations, the slave trade etc but others who have been targeted, well, speaking personally, I feel the accusations against them are unfounded. But for society to move forward, what's the answer ? Again, speaking for myself, I don't believe destruction really achieves any lasting progress. For legislation to be changed, the majority of society has to be united, so however worthy the cause, when people watch chaotic scenes of wanton vandalism, any kind of sympathy is lost. But I do believe a compromise could be reached, when there is a monument or statue which symbolizes any kind of racism, it should be removed and put into a museum setting rather than be destroyed. It seems to me, if this was done, it would serve as an educational tool which would ultimately be far more beneficial than reducing something to a pile of rubble and twisted metal. If these historical figures were available to be inspected, their lives to be properly researched - all of us could learn from their mistakes, their arrogance and we would all feel even more determined to build a better, more inclusive future. We learn the best lessons from the past, that's not an opinion, its a proven fact - if we attempt to wipe history away completely, we risk losing the opportunity to learn.

Finally, I recently watched a programme about the concentration camps which were, as I'm sure you know, an integral part of the Nazi regime in Germany during the 1930's and 40's. Although many of the sites were visited, the focus was primarily on Auschwitz and the horrific events which took place within its walls. I was struck by the words of one elderly lady who had survived, who was asked if she thought the remains of the camp should be destroyed. She emphatically said, "No, because although it was the scene of horrendous crimes and intense, painful sadness for her people, as long as the buildings stood, the world would never forget what happened there". I believe, whole-heartedly, she was absolutely right.

Looking back at the histories of so many of our countries, there have been unbearably dark times - where what would be unthinkable now- was a commonplace attitude -especially when addressing the subject of racism. It was really not so long ago, when it was considered 'normal' for some people to own others, to have absolute control over where communities could exist and to live in the sure knowledge, the 'law' was only really for one part of society who could use it to abuse another. Although our various societies have improved over the years, the job is far from done and we need to stop being so complacent and keep striving to make the world a fairer and more inclusive place for everyone. I don't believe any kind of extremism has a place in the modern world, there isn't any race, colour or creed which is - in any way - superior to another because we are all simply human beings, who want respect, equality, a safe environment to raise our families and opportunities to attain our goals. We should be supportive of each other, direct our anger to those who want to cause division and hatred, because for our global population to thrive - we need each other. 

As I said before, to try and erase history, to attempt to airbrush out everyone from the past who didn't live up to our standards- we will learn nothing, so instead let's turn their failures into our success, because if we can, we will make lasting change for everyone....until next time...

Take care out there xx