SIR GUESTLING THORN

Let us be clear racial prejudice is systemic in our country and has been for years. Naturally we should fight this in every way possible. I have written many times about my hatred of any from of prejudice, what ever form it takes, it is abhorrent and has no place in our society. Having said that it is not going away. No matter how much we highlight the problem there will always be those who perpetrate racial slurs and hate. I hope for most people it is, like me , difficult to understand the racial slurs levelled at anybody. One has to try and understand the deep seated fear and insecurity that someone, who reacts with racial slurs and hatred, has in their psyche. Unfortunately most of us can’t.  

I could bleat on all day, how until we eradicate and stop highlighting the differences (there are none) then this issue will continue forever. I do not know what the answer is, well actually I do, I think we all do but we are seemingly unable to achieve it? It clouds our ability to have open and honest debate and criticise because there is always an politically correct caution nagging away in our brains. There are words that can never see the light of day again and rightly so but we live in fear of saying the wrong thing or being misinterpreted either accidentally or often deliberately so as another can pursue their own agenda. Opinions are like assholes, we all have one but expressing it these days can be a dangerous experience and I don’t use that word lightly! It must be a nightmare for commentator or public person to craft what they wish to say knowing that one word out of place will cause someone somewhere to lambast them for saying it. It is a great shame that so many of our public figures (you know who I mean) are unable to stop themselves from utterance that most find abhorrent and then jump on any bandwagon of support when it suits them. We have no chance when those who lead us are the worst examples of how we should behave!

We should embrace other cultures, it enriches our lives and gives greater understanding to us all. Differences should be embraced. I have learnt more about myself from those in other countries than I ever have from my own. Not only good things sometimes that which is not so good gives you a greater meaning to how to get it right! 

My hope is that one day this hateful behaviour will largely be a thing of the past and we will no longer talk in the terms that “label” us all. Sadly it won’t happen in my lifetime but it has to happen!

Need I say, how yet again, our esteemed leader and his bunch of appalling cohorts have jumped on the bandwagon of euphoria that the England team generated even though they often criticised footballers for speaking out publicly. Just another example of their spiteful hypocrisy. 

Stay well