It’s a bit of a different spin for this blog post but it’s something I feel that I have to talk about. There is a lot of unfortunate events occurring at the moment of which the whole concept of racial idea is being questioned.
As many of us have seen via the major news and social media coverage, an American person named George Floyd died recently whilst being arrested. The video that has been doing the rounds was a shocking example of the abuse of power displayed by the policeman who was in the process of arresting Mr Floyd.
The resulting outcry of reaction to these events have been clear and easy to see. Unfortunately some have taken it to more extreme levels but the majority have taken to peaceful and reasonable means of protest.
The whole aim behind the protest is to emphasise that “Black Lives Matter”. As we all digest the news and think about how to respond and participate at such a pivotal time, it’s important to recognise and understand exactly what BLM really means.
BLM is a straightforward statement of fact. While it is not a new movement, the message is central to the protests that are occurring right now. It speaks out against the police brutality and systemic racism that caused the recent deaths of George Floyd, as well as the thousands of violent incidents that happen to black people that aren’t reported or aren’t afforded the outrage they deserve.
While the intention of the phrase “All Lives Matter” may be to convey a sense of unity, responding with ALM instead of BLM is actually more divisive than unifying. This is because it diminishes the whole focus on the violence and discrimination black individuals face pretty much every day.
For example, if someone is raising money for a cancer charity, you wouldn’t say “there’s other diseases too”. Of course every life is valuable as the next, but not everyone’s lives are in danger due to the colour of their skin. The whole aim of BLM is that black lives should matter as much as white lives.
Plenty of racial motivated crimes are swept under the carpet but we live in an era where it’s easy to record a video, take a picture and share it for all to see.
In this instance, the video does show George Floyd being killed by the Police Officer using excessive force. It is a very difficult thing to watch but the message is loud and clear. The point is enough is enough and it’s well time is well overdue for a change to be made.
Now this isn’t just in America. The whole ideology of racism can effect us worldwide, hence to why we’re seeing protests here in the U.K. as well as other countries around the world.
There’s a lot of people openly saying “it doesn’t effect us in this country” and “he’s not from this country”. Why should it matter if this tragic event happened at home or abroad? At the end of the day, a person has been murdered and people of all walks of life have the right to be upset.
One of the worst things I’ve seen though is people on social media and other platforms thinking that racist language and behaviour is acceptable.
For example, Welsh athlete Sam Gordon was recently interviewed regarding his thoughts on the events regarding George Floyd. Gordon is one of many black athletes that take part in professional sports and in this interview he opened up about how racism is a daily struggle for him.
I found the interview on Twitter and some of the replies to the article was unacceptable and disgusting. A number people were tweeting things like “he doesn’t look Welsh” and “he only runs fast because he runs from the police”.
I struggle to even imagine how people could think that this is an acceptable way to speak to people. They could argue that it’s a joke and that it doesn’t mean anything but it does. Sam Gordon is an athlete who’s living his dream in competing at an elite level, he is more so a person, a human being. He’s built with the same bones, blood, skin and organs as the rest of us.
So because his skin is a different colour, some people think it’s ok to direct racist abuse his way. There’s no consideration taken to how this type of abuse would effect Gordon and anyone else in a similar situation.
Gordon has opened up about his these experiences have effected him. He’s admitted to struggling with his training, sleep and has had many instances where the abuse has brought him to tears.
He’s even opened up about his anxiety about what would happen if more abuse comes his way or towards his friends and family. This shouldn’t be a way to speak to people yet racist language is being used as freely as ever on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook etc.
There are more means of tackling this issue on social media. The teams who work for these companies are there to identify violations of the policies that are in place to protect any means of abuse. This could be racism, threats of violence and any other means of unreasonable or threatening behaviour.
It’s a shame that we’re needing more and more examples to tackle the issue of racism. You see plenty of incidents occur in football games where fans shout abuse at a player for the colour of his skin. If he’s an opposition player or even one you support yourself, it’s a disgusting and desperate way of showing your dislike. At the end of the day, there’s more important things in life than competition, but I bet that the abusers will never, ever consider the impact that the littlest comment would have.
It’s even to a degree where our politicians get away with racism. Our Prime Minister Boris Johnson infamously referred to women who wear burkas as “letter boxes”. Now this is a man who is supposed to lead the country, yet after a small storm of criticism he went on to carry on as normal without any real means of apology.
How on earth can you tackle this issue head on when the leader of the nation hasn’t even properly addressed his own actions? It doesn’t help when people in politics and other high platforms behave in this way so the public will think this is an appropriate way to have an speak to people.
In case people are wondering why I care so much, not that I have to explain but members of my family are of mixed race and I have friends who’re of many different ethnic backgrounds. If anyone spoke to them in that way, I’d be as upset and disappointed as I am now.
At the end of the day, you need to see people for their colour and stand up for them. They want to be seen and fought for. As I’ve mentioned we’re all human beings and granted we’re all not going to get along, but you have to be a pretty low person to use a person’s racial identity to get your point across.
Going back to the George Floyd story, this has caused many artists and celebrities to come out in force as well as the general public. The main point is that anyone’s life is as important as the person next to them.
The American recording artist and poet Amanda Seales once said “you cannot enjoy the rhythm and ignore the blues.” This quote was highlighted by Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo who opened up on her show about how the murder of Floyd has impacted her view on the world.
Amfo has expressed her fear that “although the people enjoy the culture, they do not want us”. This essentially shows that a lot of people will enjoy listen to music from black artists or watch films or TV shows with black actors/actresses but show no concern when racist abuse and actions are still occurring.
There’s a lot of education that is still required on this subject, and the point will never go away. There is a false idea that racism is just name calling but it has more of an effect than many realise. Mental health is a huge thing these days and racial abuse will impact a person’s wellbeing.
The words “be kind” are used a lot these days, they couldn’t be needed any more than the current climate that we’re all in right now. At the end of the day, use your common sense and hopefully you’ll realise that racism isn’t acceptable.
The world has changed a lot since the days where it was deemed acceptable by our grandparents and even some of our parents’ generations. Being racist is a choice so choose to be a better level of person. We should all stand together against this form of hatred. It will take a lot more work but hopefully one day soon everyone will understand how much pain it will cause and make it a better environment for us all.
Please make sure to check out the links that I’ve posted below which will help educate, sign petitions, give you a chance to donate and overall, really make a change.
Thank you very much for reading this. Don’t feel like you shouldn’t voice your concern for these issues. If anyone says that you shouldn’t interfere, they’re part of the problem and not the solution.
Many thanks, take care and stay safe.
#BlackLivesMatter 🖤
https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
http://www.standuptoracism.org.uk/
https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/
MIND OVER NOISE 