Humbug Carols from the Riverbank…

Bah Humbug!

I have to say, having seen much of the badness that can also materialise in people during this supposed season of Good Will To All Men, unfortunately, I always find it hard to drum up any enthusiasm for the festivities, genuine or contrived…

As many who know me will confirm, I’ve never really had that much time for Christmas. I’m not a misery per se, I may be grumpy about many things but the true meaning and value of Christmas is not one of them. But, as I’m also not a follower of any particular religion, it holds no meaning to me in terms of faith. It’s the inherent commercialism and falseness of it all these days that constitutes the majority of my disdain.

To say “Bah Humbug” is my standard comment each year would be an understatement (see here). Someone once said;  ”Wouldn’t life be worth the living and wouldn’t dreams be coming true, if we kept the Christmas spirit, all the whole year through?” But people in the main don’t, they display their mostly contrived emotions and synthetic concerns for the briefest of periods, then just as quickly return to their business as usual self-interest.

Someone once said; “One of the nice things about Christmas is that you can make people forget the past with a present.” But this Christmas, perhaps more than many before; there will be many of us finding it even harder than usual to be positive and celebrate, especially when there is so such economic uncertainty surrounding us.

During this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge (Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol) was told “it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time”… “We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices”…

As many of us face ever more restricted financial discomfort, the more sensible amongst will probably be reining in their Christmas spending somewhat. That in turn will result in less ‘present’ to help you forget the past but many would do so well to learn; a gift to others doesn’t always have to be a materialistic one.

This afternoon HM The Queen will focus on family, friends and the community during Christmas message (see here) because; “The modern family extends much further than blood relatives.” The Queen, quite rightly, will call for us to celebrate the strengths of friends and the community. Whether you happen to be a Royalist or not is mostly immaterial, the lady talks a lot of sense. Many of the problems in UK society today boil down to a distinct lack of social cohesion. 

Writing in yesterday’s Yorkshire Post The Archbishop of York, John Sentamu said; “Christmas in troubled times gives us a chance to reflect on building a fairer world reflects on the duty to support and care for others at Christmas and the urgent task ahead to re-establish a fairer society” (read more).

May the message of Christmas turn all our fears into hope; and heal us from our tendency to wallow in cynicism. We must believe that change is possible. Let us all go out and make it happen. May the peace of Christmas be your gift…(Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York)

But to many others like me, Christmas is simply another day at the office; a day where they do all the work and the fat guy with the posh suit gets all the credit. Having said that, many of those actually doing the ‘work’ such as our emergency services, aren’t actually looking for thanks. A little more consideration for those, who continually put themselves out (or at risk) for us, on either a statutory or voluntary basis, wouldn’t go amis though. The person who said “The Christmas spirit that goes out with the dried-up Christmas tree is just as worthless” was so right.

“But I am sure that I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round…as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely.” (Charles Dickens)

Unfortunately there are far too many people in our society, from top to bottom, who hold more interest in serving themselves than helping others. Isn’t it a pity their hearts don’t remain ‘open’ for a little longer than just a few days in December in each year?

Lord Francis Jeffrey, an 18th century literary critic wrote of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol that it had done more good than “all the pulpits and confessionals in Christendom”. William Makepeace Thackeray, the English novelist described it as; “a national benefit, and to every man or woman who reads it a personal kindness”. These descriptors of how the story has been seen ever since may well be correct however; as Claire Tomalin commented in The Guardian - “Its message may well offer some comfort and joy but we still need to think about the wolfish children.”

Whilst worrying about your mortgage payments, think about those without a home and cut back on your waste and frivolous expenditure. Whilst stuffing yourself to bursting point with masses of rich fayre, think about those who haven’t eaten for days. Whilst imbibing gargantuan quantities of booze, before disturbing the tranquility of all around, then going home to beat hell out of your partner, think of those who have to clear up your mess.

Spare a thought for all the emergency services workers, the ones who can’t be at home with their families because of people like you, or are trying to protect others from the likes of you. Think of the men and women of the RNLI and other rescue services who will put their lives at risk to save yours, no matter what day it is. And finally, think of those in the military, fighting in far off lands and protecting your freedom and right to be an absolute prat…

A Very Merry Humbug to one and all!

Related articles

• The Queen will focus on family, friends and the community during Christmas message (telegraph.co.uk)
• Archbishop of York attacks bankers’ ‘massive bonuses’ (telegraph.co.uk)
• It’s not presents but your presence that will matter this Christmas: Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu’s festive message to Sun readers (thesun.co.uk)

A Public Display of Racism – Thankfully!

Surprising title maybe however; we all need to be grateful for Emma West - but, before I get lambasted as a bigoted idiot (by those who actually know who I’m talking about), hold your angst… Please have the courtesy to read to the end of the post before bashing hell out of your keyboard in disgust. Observations and comments will, as ever, be read with interest but remember, I hold the editorial pencil…

Being something of an opinionated bugger (yes honestly, I know you’re shocked), I want to talk about racism you see unlike many, I’m actually prepared to raise my head above the parapet of ignorant silence. If I’m stupid enough to get it shot off then so be it. I’m able to take this stance because thankfully, I also hold no fear of the dystopian thought police.

So what about the root causes of racism? I’m still alive after my previous efforts on the topic (see Starkey’s Gangsta Rap), so perhaps I’m not that controversial after all?

I say ‘thankfully’ in the title of this post because; it’s only when something like the recent My Tram Experience YouTube clip of a racist incident comes to public attention, that (intelligent) people actually start to examine their own views on racism and perhaps, maybe even have a go at getting their minds around the underlying cause(s) of racist thinking and opinion.

The above incident quite rightly shocked many thousands of people. But as ever, it also had a tendency towards the polarizing of opinion. You see many people in our society have a propensity for nailing their colours to the wall of popularity in public opinion (see politicians below). Despite that fact many (often) see racism (mostly) as a taboo subject for discussion, it was therefore a little surprising to see how many were actually prepared to say something about it for a change.

The clip made national headlines in most media sources, it warmed up the social networks to boiling point and even got some MP’s talking about the issue; despite much of that comment probably emanating from the desire to enhance personal popularity, that or at the least, a political correctness agenda.

This is the main reason I say ‘thankfully’ – In my opinion, the best way to solve any problem, let alone one as emotive and abhorrent as racism, IS to actually talk about it, so that is what I’m doing here.

But unlike others, I have no desire to simply vilify or demonise Emma West, I also have no interest in labeling her a bigot or indeed, confine her to a box marked ‘RACIST’ in big letters for the rest of her life. Doing so actually serves little or no useful purpose. I would rather try to unravel some of the issues that made her explode with her disgusting tirade. Irrespective of whether she had her rant in public, or held those views in private, it is important to try to understand why people hold Emma’s views.

Refreshingly, the young man in this YouTube clip (below) goes some way towards quantifying my ethos. Myles Dyer was one of the few who chose to talk a lot of sense – instead of jumping on the bandwagon of rabid rhetoric and contrived concern.

As Myles pointed out in his video, discussion hopefully leads to a greater understanding of all the issues involved. It also presents the possibility to reduce (if not remove) racism in our society. One of the greatest barriers to resolving this particular issue has always been fear. Many people who would really like to see racism stamped out for good, are actually running scared of talking about the root causes of racist attitudes. In many cases the actual racism is also born of fear, along with that liberal dose of ignorance.

Emma is undoubtedly ignorant about many things however; she chose to use her perception of our history, which she clearly has very little understanding of, to partly justify much of her rant. But in defence of Emma, aren’t all our opinions based upon our learning experiences through life, that and how much we are prepared to bend under the pressure of our peers. Racism is not a biologically inherent personal trait, we learn it.

Emma’s history perception errors were succinctly pointed out by Rachael ??? in her blog post entitled an open letter to Emma West which she finished off poignantly by saying:-

…We have laws against your actions, and laws against your views, precisely because they are unacceptable in a civilised, multicultural, multi-ethnic, multi-racial society. The law sanctions them because they cannot and will not be tolerated in Britain…(Read more)

But in many ways, aren’t people’s fears of these laws also pushing racism underground to an extent? Many feel they’re prevented from even discussing the issues that create racism. In some ways, doesn’t this also aid recruitment to organisations such as the BNP and EDL? People who have genuine concerns about the apparent inequalities in our society, despite them being absolutely none sectarian in their origins, are then preyed upon by others with extremist agendas to bolster their numbers.

It’s a fact of society that humans gravitate to others who hold similar views or are of like mind, especially when they feel they’re not being listened to. This is a fact which was evidenced succinctly by the emergence of Nazi Germany in the past. A also process that is eased towards its ultimate aim, especially during times of poverty and/or social injustice. A factor that is probably more dangerous now than previously?

It was interesting to read the views of Scott Hill in his piece Blaming The Collective who pointed out; despite evidence of racism in our society, some people naively claim that racism no longer exists. Others say that racism is tolerable now because it is nowhere near as bad as it used to be. People holding these beliefs often apply a theory that usually takes the following form; ”as long as I denounce the BNP in public it is alright for me to hold repugnant beliefs about minorities.”

But as he also pointed out, irrespective of any levels of intolerance towards minority groups, we also need to remember “…it is imperative that the term ‘racist’ does not get overused as it could lose its potency.”

Why waste breath condemning meat-headed scumbags who merely crave the attention? Remember, deep down, the one thing a racist can never achieve is anything like discrimination; for they are indiscriminate by definition…(Scott Hill)

Nabeela Zahir also writing in The Huffington Post, questioned whether or not the video clip represented the “isolated rant of a mentally ill woman” or, was it indicative of the “serious levels of racism in the UK?”

Despite the shocking number of racially motivated hate crimes, the figures only provide a limited insight into the real level of racism. Hate crimes do not always go reported and it would be utterly naïve to assume that racism only exists in the form of violent attacks…(Nabeela Zahir)

I take her point about recorded incidents however; as regular readers will know, I’ve vented my spleen about the inaccuracies of crime statistics on so many previous occasions. That said, our personal perception about the actual levels of crime in our society are also subject to the vagaries of emotive media reporting, and oh how we suffer from that issue!

Because of the incessant and overt political correctness in many areas of our society, and (to some extent) the heavy handed application of racial hatred legislation, we all now need to worry about any opinions or views which we hold.

Partly because of this, I’m also aware that anything I say here, no mater how remotely construed as supportive of Emma West, I run the risk of being branded a closet racist myself. This comes about due to the fact; there will always be people in our society that do their utmost to twist, or suggest some implied or alternative meaning underlying the words of others, mostly to further their own cause. You really have to wonder, is this such a good thing? Is it actually healthy to effectively stifle debate, in what is supposedly a modern and free society?

Much of our racism, bigotry or any other form of intolerance for that matter is born out of ignorance and, as briefly alluded to already, an inherent fear, be that an actual or perceived one. These two factors or thought processes also have the propensity to cause anger when presented in their extreme, especially if the person experiencing them actually believes they have no real control over their fear or future.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the apparent anger displayed by Emma West was born out of that ignorance and fear. I don’t believe for one minute that anyone is a born racist, do you?

No, Emma’s tirade is likely to have been an outburst resulting from the fight or flight syndrome, a subconscious self-protection mechanism built into all of us at birth. She appeared to espouse many thoughts, feelings and emotions worthy of an underdog. Someone who is constantly kicked and abused by the systems she is obliged to endure and the society she lives within. These are feelings that many people in our society hold today, people who believe the system is failing them and/or not giving them a fair and equal chance in life, irrespective of ethnicity or cultural origin.

For too long our welfare state has been little more than an unfettered cash cow for so many, be they home-grown or imported. A source of overflowing generosity where anyone who chooses to drink from it, can gorge themselves sick on the financial milk of our society’s kindness. But it’s not just our social handouts that attract this greed. Another factor is the (apparent) lack of proportional equality in the application of our welfare systems and our criminal law, but again we hold many of these perceptions mainly due to media reporting methodology.

Many of us sit despondent as individuals, honestly believing that someone is getting a better deal than we are. When you take into account some 30,000 or so serial offenders escaped with nothing more than a caution for their criminal activity last year (see here), instead of more robust punishment, the general perception is also that our criminal justice system is mostly toothless in dealing with those who do wrong.

So many of us believe our systems are failing us however; just as many (if not more) of the less honest amongst us, seek to capitalise on that situation. They show absolutely no fear of committing crime in the UK and, when you introduce racial or human rights factors into the mix, this often impacts negatively upon the results any way. Is it therefore surprising that the ‘ignorance’ of people is further fuelled by these additional angers and fears? It only takes a little nudge from the media (see below) to help them to develop racist tendencies which they never had in the past.

Drug dealer jailed for gun crime wins ‘human rights’ case: A foreign drug-dealer and gun criminal has been allowed to stay in Britain partly because he would return to a life of crime if he was deported…(telegraph.co.uk)

The Sunday Telegraph have also revealed a series of cases where Article 8 of the Act, which protects the  “right to private and family life”, is aiding many foreign criminals to overturn deportation.

Criminal ‘babyfathers’ dodge deportation: Foreign criminals are having children with different mothers simply to use “human rights laws” to avoid being deported from Britain…(telegraph.co.uk)

I deliberately chose The Telegraph, as opposed to The Mail, or indeed one of the more salacious and inane tabloids, to illustrate my point. Any of our UK media sources, electronic or print, actually has the capability of developing racist tendencies in our population. Some more than others I know, but far too often in any case. Many of these stories are published in mostly opinionated and emotive formats, all designed to court public opinion or provoke reaction but mostly, to make money… Not report simple and factual news. 

So thank you Emma West for bringing these issues to the fore again; it probably did more good than hundreds of hours of enforced diversity training ever achieved. At least people are currently talking about the issues, all be it for what is unfortunately only likely to be a relatively short period of time.