As the British poet, Samuel Butler, once stated ‘belief like any other moving body follows the path of least resistance.’ Stand against it or hide. Too many hide but that is an issue for their own conscience or apathy. For those who stood up to be counted, against the English Defence League’s celebration of Hitler’s birthday in Weymouth yesterday, they too had their reasons which were not necessarily in common. Some to protect the name or the trade of the borough; some to argue against extremism and some to counter racism in all its guises. No doubt others had other idiosyncrasies but the one commonality was that we opposed in praxis. The political party is of little matter it is the ideology and its consequences that should be judged. Whether it is David Cameron’s ill-informed diatribe about multiculturalism or the legitimisation of anti-immigrant sentiment by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s appeasement of the right wing press. It no longer has a discrete identity.
But to succeed is to understand the opposite argument and why it exists. One of the speakers yesterday identified the ever changing symptom – that of new generations or decades fostering new enemies whether it be the Jews; the Irish; black people; Muslims… the list will continue to the end of humanity until we deal with the cause. Powerlessness. Capitalism and all hierarchical societies render people relatively powerless to each other which leads to the psychology of superiority/inferiority; suspicion, mistrust fear and hate. Divide and rule by the elites allows division and conflict to be the tool. Some can see it others cannot. The solution arises when all can see it and their consciences are re focused and the apathy is abandoned to history. Life should be a celebration not a chore. It should embrace not deride. The EDL… are as much the victims as the rest of us it is just that they are channelling their anger in the wrong place. The enemy is oppression and those whom maintain this oppression. A call to resist!
But to succeed is to understand the opposite argument and why it exists. One of the speakers yesterday identified the ever changing symptom – that of new generations or decades fostering new enemies whether it be the Jews; the Irish; black people; Muslims… the list will continue to the end of humanity until we deal with the cause. Powerlessness. Capitalism and all hierarchical societies render people relatively powerless to each other which leads to the psychology of superiority/inferiority; suspicion, mistrust fear and hate. Divide and rule by the elites allows division and conflict to be the tool. Some can see it others cannot. The solution arises when all can see it and their consciences are re focused and the apathy is abandoned to history. Life should be a celebration not a chore. It should embrace not deride. The EDL… are as much the victims as the rest of us it is just that they are channelling their anger in the wrong place. The enemy is oppression and those whom maintain this oppression. A call to resist!