Author: Alex Harlequin

Once again, I’m posting something I wrote several days ago, with additions at the end to bring it up to date. I’ve had a few crappy days on a personal level so haven’t been able to do the relevant fact-checking and research prior to posting before now.

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Written 9/6/20

Monday morning, I saw the news reports of the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol torn down by protestors and dumped in the bay, followed by discussions on the criminal and moral implications of the actions, and what the moment might mean for other such statues in the UK.

Watching it, I remembered an episode of the American political drama Designated Survivor, which involved a debate about a similar statue. One of the African-American characters in the debate had this to say:

“Child, you mean well. You declare “This is racist” and “that is racist”; but you are young, white, and living in America. You don’t know what it’s like to walk in my shoes, and I won’t always be around to tell you. But that statue will. It stays.”

Later in the episode, after a compromise was (eventually) agreed to move it to a less trafficked area, he said,

“I believe we sanitize history at our peril”.

At the time of watching, I couldn’t really make up my mind what the right thing to do would have been. But coming back to the real-life event this week, I greatly admired what the Bristol mayor had to say in response. I’m afraid I can’t find the interview now, but he made some great comments on the importance of putting the statue in its historical context, and remembering the moment it had been torn down as a historical moment as well. I can’t find that specific interview, but I found a different one here.

I’m not going to condone criminal damage either, though I admit I don’t know whether the statue would ever have been moved/removed democratically, from what people have been saying about the amount of time it’s been debated for—though given the growing demand for change right now, maybe it would have been. But we’ll never know that.

Personally, I think that putting these pieces in museums—where they serve as an educational reminder of our past rather than a tribute to the historical figures—with the complete historical context, is the closest to a perfect solution available. I’m sure not everyone will agree, and I realise it’s not my opinion that matters. But given the segment the next morning with teachers discussing how history is taught in our schools, it sounds like that would be a starting point—it can’t end with that—for tackling the wider issue of how we as a nation view and teach our history.

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Written 12/6/20

Since I drafted the above, many things have developed in this area—I can’t cover them all, but some stood out to me.

The morning after writing the above (Wednesday), I saw that a statue had been removed, this time officially. Again, I can’t find the segment online to check which one it was and whether it was considered a temporary removal to protect it, or a permanent one, and what happens to it now if the latter. In other places, some statues are being temporarily protected while debates go on as to long-term decisions. Others have had the decision made not to move them.

This morning, there was a news feature on the statue of Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouts, and the comments made by the officials involved (again, can’t find the video) were interesting but didn’t sound very sympathetic to the offence it causes. That he apparently backtracked from his Nazi support is definitely something worth recognising, but that doesn’t necessarily take away the offence people might feel at its placement. I did find it interesting that it was only erected 12 years ago, and have to wonder if the people who made that decision were fully aware of all the less admirable aspects of his life at the time. Regardless of where he stood at the end of his life, the meaning of it having a place of honour to people needs to be carefully considered and, again, I think a museum with the full historical context to be the best move. But again, it’s not my decision.

Deviating slightly from statues, but nonetheless on a similar note, I was quite shocked at the news story that an episode of Fawlty Towers and episodes or full series of other shows have been withdrawn from certain streaming services.

I disagree with this decision—not because of my views on the content itself, which I agree is not acceptable. But, at least with the case of Fawlty Towers (I’m not familiar with the other programmes), removing or editing the content to make it fit in with modern values is the wrong move. It’s about sanitising history again.

Programmes like Fawlty Towers represent the era in which they were made, in which that kind of content was deemed acceptable/funny. It’s not now, but removing it completely is to pretend it, and those attitudes, did not exist. A few years ago I came across a screenshot of a message that said:

“The cartoons you are about to see are products of their time. They may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in American society. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. While the following does not represent the Warner Bros view of today’s society, these cartoons are being presented as they were originally created, because to do so otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.”

Rather than censoring historical fiction, I think streaming services should accompany them with a suitable notice like this one—perhaps less wordy, but something that clearly states something along the lines of “This programme contains [type of content] which is representative of the time it was made”, perhaps with a disclaimer like the above if the service feels inclined to add it.

We don’t want to endorse prejudice, but we shouldn’t sanitise history either by cutting it out of anything that was made in that time. We need to put it in its proper context for viewers—to educate young people who didn’t live through that era, to open discussions with children about why it’s wrong, and to serve as a warning for people who don’t want to view that kind of content.

I realise it may be a different scenario when we’re talking about more recent programmes. I don’t have an answer for that. But if we start removing anything in fiction (or non-fiction, for that matter) which doesn’t fit in with today’s views, I think that’s an incredibly slippery slope. With all the discussion at the moment on better historical education, I hope we can get the balance right between the extremes of endorsing racism or pretending it never existed.

I welcome discussion on the subject, and anyone willing to share educational resources.

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Written 13/6/20

I was glad to see on the news this morning that UKTV have decided to put the Fawlty Towers episode back, accompanied by some kind of content notice.

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Apologies for not being able to provide links to the specific news segments I’m referencing! Not everything is available or findable on Youtube or the BBC Breakfast site. And my ability to take thorough notes while having breakfast is also limited.

The other day I saw reported on the news that Chester Zoo had announced they may end up having to close due to loss of income because of the pandemic. It woke me up to the fact that many non-profit organisations such as zoos and aquariums who do important conservation work are economically endangered right now.

I have been more aware of these places via their online presence during lockdown, and I appreciate the accessibility it affords to people who cannot get to those places. But I also realise now, which I had not thought of before, that they would also financially suffer from losing visitors during lockdown. I want to do something to try and help them survive, so I am writing this blog post, to draw more awareness and urge anyone who is able and cares about the conservation of our planet to consider doing what you can; whether that’s just posting about it on social media, donating, fundraising, or even volunteering.

I checked out Chester Zoo’s website, and they’ve posted the following:

“Not being able to open, despite being a huge outdoor site with all the necessary safety measures in place, is having a devastating impact on our much-loved zoo. We’re heading towards debt in excess of £24m by the end of 2020 – this will financially cripple us. We need to raise £1.6m each month to keep going.” (See the full message.)

There are various options on their site for financial support; donations and animal adoptions. (There is also lots of educational information and activities available, for adults and kids alike.) They also have a JustGiving page. If you can’t afford a large donation or a commitment to a regular one, an idea I had would be to donate £1 (or other amount if you want), every time you watch something of theirs on Youtube—and the same goes for other places. While writing this I decided that watching educational things from zoos/aquariums, museums and other cultural things was going to be my regular “reward” for productivity. (I drafted this during my first virtual writing retreat, where we got asked what our reward would be for hitting our goal, so that’s where that comes from …)

The “virtual experience” I’m sure will change things in terms of income of visitors once these places re-open. I expect there will be some who decide that rather than forking out money for a trip, they can stay at home and watch on Youtube, which will be income lost if they had been able to actually go. However, I think the videos and so on will actually reach more people—not just who can’t go in person (which I’m usually in the category of), but maybe spark interest in people who can go but otherwise might not have. It could also spark more interest and awareness in what they are doing. Personally, I think that, provided they survive, this could be a very good thing.

I keep missing Chester Zoo’s livestreaming, but am making an effort to try and remember to watch one of the videos now and again. At present I haven’t done much of this—my default choice during my downtime is fictional escapism—but I’m going to make more of an effort to watch more educational things in my downtime. Not just because it’s something I am very good at overlooking as an entertainment option, but because I want to be more knowledgeable about the world I live in, in many areas. The same applies to history, museums, different cultures; one of the reasons (aside from the enjoyment factor) I want to do my series of virtual holidays. (Still working on those!)

Extinction is something that I’m aware of and concerned about, but has never been the most forefront of environmental concerns in my mind. I am very concerned about the environment generally; I believe we’re supposed to be the caretakers of creation, but have done a terrible job. There are so many issues within the wider issue of the environment, it’s hard to keep track of them all! Plastic has been a big thing for me, especially since my disability means I have to rely on it more than other people. (I will probably blog on this at some point; I’ve been wanting to create more awareness of how disability and environment issues interact since before the pandemic.) Food-related areas, such as over-fishing, pollution and pesticides, is another big thing for me—perhaps because food has always been a huge part of my life, growing up on a restricted medical diet. But I want to be more consciously aware of other areas, and find ways of helping from home besides signing the odd petition that comes into my inbox.

This mention of Chester Zoo came around the same time as a message that Britain’s honeybees are under threat from another predator, the Asian hornet. On my holiday to Norway several years ago, I learned a bit about species being under threat from invasive species—I don’t know whether this has always been an issue, or just since humans started travelling more widely and enabled creatures to hitchhike with them! But it’s something I want to know more about, and have made a resolution to try and educate myself more.

I believe this pandemic will have many positive impacts on the way we think about and treat the planet. But there are also many negative impacts; whether it’s the necessary increased use of plastic to protect ourselves, the threat of closure to organisations who do vital work, or other things I haven’t thought of yet. Now is the time to think about what we can do to play our part in creating a better future, in any way we can, however small.

Links:
Chester Zoo
List of zoos in the UK (includes aquariums, wildlife parks, etc)
Bees: Information and ways to help
Causes of bee decline
Explore.org: Just discovered this site (via Youtube suggestions); lots of nature livecams, plus educational materials

I felt the need to write this to get it out of my head and off my chest, so to speak. I was not originally intending to post this anywhere public, though I was thinking of writing a poem that expresses these thoughts. However I have chosen to post this here.

I have chosen to be bluntly honest about my own reactions, and the areas where I know I need improvement. A couple of days have passed since I wrote the majority of this, and things have changed in that time! Rather than tear what I already wrote to pieces to try and bring it up to date, I have chosen to leave it as it is, and include some additional paragraphs at the end.

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Written 5/6/2020:

My first, instinct reaction when I heard about the protests in America, was nothing to do with the cause of the protests. My first thought when I saw the news footage for the first time was something like “Seriously? Huge crowds of people packed together in the middle of a pandemic, in the country with the highest infection rate?”

This was a very personal reaction, because as a vulnerable person, I’ve been having—I admit it—resentful thoughts towards the crowds of people flocking to leisure and beauty spots to enjoy the fine weather, even if they were technically socially distancing. I do not feel safe to go out. My anxiety can barely handle my parents dropping off shopping. I live in a quiet enough area that I feel relatively safe walking around the block and to the post-box, but just going through my block of flat’s communal area to get there or into our communal-but-I’m-the-only-one-using-it mini-garden, is a mentally demanding task, so I don’t do it very often.

I mentally labelled the protestors the same, “irresponsible”, and I know that’s not right. I try very hard to avoid judging people, but I am a work in progress.

I accept that not all the people protesting are probably there for the same reasons. That’s not to say I don’t still have mixed feelings for those who are protesting in peace out of a desire for justice and equality. I’m sure some of them, like many people still irrationally do, feel they’re invulnerable to the virus. The majority, however, have probably taken the decision that the personal risk to them is less important than the cause they’re fighting for, and though I understand that a lot more, I have to ask—what about the people they come into contact with if they catch the virus? The ones who did not make that very personal choice? Is every protestor who made that decision completely isolating when they’re not at the protest?

And then there are those who are violent; either because they think it’s justified, or because all the strains of the last few months have got to them, or because they’re not there because of the cause and have jumped on the bandwagon.

I don’t personally know any numbers about potential casualties or injuries caused to either protestors, police or other authorities clashing with them, or innocents who happened to get in the way. Common sense tells me that some people must have got hurt during all of this, and that’s not right. People’s livelihoods have also been destroyed, at a time when livelihoods are under threat anyway.

My feelings about all of the above would, I think, be the same no matter what the cause of the protests. However I will freely admit that I might empathise more with the cause if I were myself black or from another ethnic minority group.

Before you label me “racist”, hear me out.

I said empathise, not sympathise. I have deep sympathy for George Floyd, his family and friends, all the victims of racial hatred and their loved ones, and everyone who experiences racism. I believe in racial equality. But I have no personal experience to help me empathise. I’m not from an ethnic minority group, nor are the people closest to me. I don’t have many people I’m close to full stop, and I’ve grown up in and mostly lived in a relatively ethnically un-diverse rural area.

That said, I do know what it’s like to be in a marginalised minority group. And I’ve asked myself a question several times over the last few days: would my heart be breaking more if it were a disabled person who had been killed?

The answer, I hate to admit, is probably yes. Not because I don’t believe both are equally unjust, but because that is something that I can relate to on a more personal level. I don’t know what it’s like to be judged and labelled from a cursory glance at your appearance. And I believe it’s humanly impossible to fully understand, no matter how empathetic of a person you are, something like that unless you have personal experience of it.

I have what I suppose would be an inverse: I have an invisible disability, so when people look at me, they don’t see anything wrong. And many healthy people have a problem comprehending that just because I look well, doesn’t mean I can’t be in pain, or exhausted to the bone, or require a seat or to skip a queue. Even those who can grasp that, I think humanly cannot fully understand what it’s like to be on the receiving end of the “you don’t look disabled” attitude unless they have experienced it themselves.

I can be horrified at something and know it’s unjust, even feel outrage and sadness, but the injustices that naturally hit a person hardest are the ones they can most personally relate to. I am only human in that respect.

But the last couple of days have opened my heart more. For days I have been praying for justice, and an end to the protests. I don’t know if every time I asked for an end to the protests themselves, or an end to the need for protests; I can’t remember. I’m not sure exactly which I meant at the time either, though in my heart I have always wanted racial equality. God, however, can see deeper than the words I say and even my conscious intention (which are often not the same thing). Then yesterday morning, I saw the announcement that the rest of the police officers at George Floyd’s arrest are being charged, and I was overwhelmed with relief. I thanked God for justice. My relief, however, was not just that justice was being done in that instance, but because in that moment I naïvely thought/hoped that the protests would end. Right afterwards, there was an interview with Dominique Walker, the sister of a former victim like George Floyd, and herself an ex-police officer.

I don’t remember all the details now (my memory is like that), but it spoke to my heart. It also opened my eyes to the fact that racial discrimination is more prevalent in this country than I had believed. Although I know it still exists, and my impression is it’s more prevalent in America, our very (in some ways overly) PC society has led me to believe that it’s rarer than it is.

I don’t have all the answers to that. But I think there are things that we as ordinary people can do. We can raise our children to respect all human beings; to show care and compassion to all. We can remember and explain the atrocities made in history and why we need to learn from them rather than airbrushing them out. We can set an example for other people to follow. We can love our neighbour as ourselves.

Later in the day, I sat down and did a writing exercise to try and get some of these thoughts out of my head. But I still need to get all of this out, now.

This morning also had an impact on me, as I saw a long Facebook post from my brother, who’s been living in America for the last couple of years, from last night. He made a statement that there would be peaceful protests in his town, and he wanted to join but couldn’t because of his circumstances. He mentioned some law in his state, but I don’t know the details of that as I write this. I am hoping to talk to him some point soon (though that’s difficult with time zone issues), and ask him what he thinks of rallies in the midst of a pandemic. I hope to have a meaningful discussion with him that challenges my own thoughts where they need to be challenged. But he also condemned the violence, and made some very good comments about the cause. I personally don’t get all the politics of racism (especially not American politics) so I hope to get him to explain that to me a bit better as well.

It’s the combination of both of those events that have prompted me to sit down and write this instead of doing necessary household tasks before my physical energy evaporates. Because I need to get all of this out.

There’s a worship song I’ve known for years called “Hosanna”. I have sung, spoken, and written out the words on Facebook, as a prayer before from time to time. But the last couple of days I have meant it more than ever.

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your Kingdom’s cause

The full lyrics are here and a Youtube video of the song is here.

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Written 7/6/2020:

Since writing the above two days ago, things have developed. Protests here in the UK (and other countries) have grown. The UK government has issued official advise asking people not to gather in huge crowds because of the threat of Covid19. Towards the end of yesterday, violence broke out in London, and people were injured.

I admit I still have mixed feelings about the protests. I respect those who drew out squares in the streets to help protestors stay two metres apart, but notice that is not the case everywhere. I worry about and pray for the protestors and the people they come into contact with, and pray this won’t contribute to a second wave.

I beg for people to find other ways to protest. Safer ways, with less human contact. Please. I fully agree with the need for change, and I recognise that mass protests might be the only way to get some people to sit up and take notice. I myself am one of the people who did not realise how much change was needed until all of this happened. But there must be other ways to do this!

As I write this I find myself thinking of the climate change school strikes, but in the current situation I realise that’s not exactly a practical example! However there must be alternatives that can be creatively implemented, that will have the desired effect but without the threat of virus spread or people getting hurt. As a creative, though, I have to admit I don’t have any immediate ideas. If something occurs to me, I will post it.

Since writing the first section, I also came across some interesting posts in a writing forum I’m a member of. One was a very striking and moving poem, though I’m afraid I can’t link to it as it was shared in a private space for feedback. There was also discussion on how non-BAME writers can write BAME characters in a way that feels real to BAME readers. This is something I personally have wondered about before, and want to get into, now more than ever. I intend to hunt down some good resources to help me in that area.

All in all, this has been a very eye-opening week for me, and I hope it has been for many others as well. I’ve been writing all along that I expect many positive changes to society to come out of this time, and I sincerely hope and pray that consistent racial equality is one of them.

Stay safe.

#BlackLivesMatter