We’re one quarter of the way through the 21st century, and it seems that far too many people have allowed themselves to forget that either we all have rights, or none of us have any rights at all. That when you permit a government to strip the rights from folk with a different shade of skin, or those who speak a different language, when you stand by while the same old siren voices demonise immigrants, or the disabled, or listen to them when they whisper that single mothers and the unemployed are the source of all your problems, when you choose to let this slide by because it’s someone else – not you – feeling the pain, someone else – not you – being hurt, then do not kid yourself. You are whipping the ground from under your own feet, too. History tells us that. Because – as sure as eggs is eggs – this process always starts by picking on someone else, someone other, but it never stops there.
We are fortunate enough to live in a time of material plenty, where we could – if we chose to – feed, clothe, and house everyone. We haven’t, of course. Instead we’ve allowed the obscenely wealthy to hoover up power and influence and resources, we’ve let them lobby our politicians and buy up our media. We’ve let them encourage us to turn on each other, to kid ourselves that our problems will be solved by cutting benefits, or brutalising refugees, or by shrugging our shoulders while one of the most militarised nations on earth bombs and slaughters people living in tents. We watch while our government nods along, sells them arms, and does nothing whatsoever to stop it.
Do you remember being young? Is this the world you dreamed of?
We’re one quarter of the way through the 21st century. We can do a whole lot better than this. We have to. For all our sakes.