INDEFENSIBLE - Appalling - frightening - horrific.
Will this racial insanity never end?
There has been and is much written about colonialism and its excesses, particularly those of abuse, subjugation, assault, enslavement, dispossession, genocide and mass murder of people who are 'different', usually because of colour or religion or cultural difference. The reality that in many cases this was inflicted on human beings forcibly removed from their own homelands and brought to that of the colonialist power, is even more disturbing. - First you dispossess them, then enslave them, transport them to an alien country and culture, eliminate their human rights and, effectively, any recognition of their humanity, such that it becomes acceptable, even normal, to do with them as you wish - work them, rape them, beat them, murder them.
A war was fought which, in no small part, was about this appalling practice and supposedly, according to the winning side, with an aim to stop it.
It didn't.
The legacy continues, perhaps not in all respects and in the main with less severity but nonetheless, the attitudes that allowed those atrocities remain and many of those obnoxious, inhumane and malevolent behavours continue.
That such is the case is to shame the nation.
Colonialism is not dead, in my view, it simply has a different guise. Now, it is more about corporate power, religious prejudices, materialist induced selfishness and envy, (yes, as irrational as that may sound, believe me, please), dissatisfaction of 'the masses' with a reduction in their standard of living and rampant misinformation that blames this on immigrants, past and present and with bitter irony, the descendants of those very victims of colonialism who were abducted and brought to the country against their will!
The fact that, so often, disregard and disrespect for difference is associated with unwarranted violence, often fatal, by 'officers of the law', is yet another aspect redolent of colonialism. Despite some high profile incidents reaching the media and becoming well known, there can be little doubt - at lest in my opinion, that probably the majority of such abuse is 'swept under the carpet.'
In a society with a massive cohort of gun devotees whose lobbying strength is so powerful that any attempt to bring reason and efforts towards creation of a peaceful, caring society which values difference as opportunity rather than fearing it, has little chance of being achieved. Indeed, the very notion is demeaned; scoffed at by those who fail to appreciate that violence and its tools beget more violence and so do not provide safety for people but precisely the opposite.
Those who do have the intellect, compassion and understanding to abhor this colonial legacy perhaps present our only chance to end this demented and ignorant ethos and bring about enough pressure to enact change.
Not least is the need for improved understanding of the various realities that exist across a nation which is now composed of many different cultural mores and traits, different racial characteristics, different histories and more.
In addition, our police forces need improved recruitment processes that are capable of minimising the potential for the aggressive, prejudiced, ignorant and moronic to be employed at all. There needs to be increased transparency and minimum standards across all States and much better supervision, training and accountability ensured.
Most of all, there is a need for resources of all kinds to be targeted at development of a culture of peace, understanding, mutual cooperation and caring and non-violence; underpinned by schooling, media and other significant influences of socialisation that encourage respect for all.
Yes, given the discouraging and degraded state of society, what I've suggested for change is a tall order. I don't say it will be easy. Indeed, it will be impossible unless the process starts. The acceptance of violence as a norm, encouraged in my view by the mainstream media and loss of hope for change by so many, needs to change. If this is the norm then it ought not to be. That needs to be made clear in bold black letters throughout the nation.
