I have watched and listened in bewilderment, disbelief and sadness as political correctness has gone completely bananas; I just didn’t think it could reach the level of stupidity to which it has ascended. Now we have people deciding that it is inappropriate for sports teams to be linked to native Americans, changing long established and well-loved names, badges and mascot’s in the ridiculous belief that they somehow denigrate the people and culture to which they are linked. You couldn’t make this up!
What really troubles me about this “bandwagon hopping” is that I am fairly sure it is directly linked to the current BLM issues, but it is simply wrong to do so. The true BLM movement seeks to right the wrongs that black people have suffered for way too long. All they are seeking is equality and to be treated with respect, particularly by the police in the US, like any other citizen. That is their human right and should be a given. I’m not blind to the exploitation of this situation by various groups on all sides, but to be honest, I don’t care about such people, they add nothing but bile and hatred. I have previously written about the likelihood of the BLM protests simply fading away, without any real change or a solution being found; that still worries me. Rioting, all night standoff’s between police and protestors, pulling down historical statues, irrespective of what they stood for in their day, will solve nothing. Like it or not, history will not go away and I think it is incumbent on us as human beings to ensure new generations are taught these lessons from the past. I would look at the Colston statue in Bristol and it would make me proud that we overturned the despicable slave trade and yes, it is a huge stain on our past, but it is part of that past. Hiding that will achieve far less than recognising these facts and educating our children on the evil behind it.
If mankind allows the opportunity to address and overcome the racist scar on humanity, it will be a tragedy, but we must accept that the only way it can be achieved is on a global basis with all nations pulling together and that is a monumental challenge. So, let’s move away from the side-show that will surely fizzle out and take on the joint responsibility to defeat racism once and for all, together. I will finish on an old favourite quote of mine “A man’s a man for a that”, it really is a simple message.
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