I have carried on pondering these thoughts of remembering and it has struck me that we do need to remember so many things but one is that we live in a free country where it is safe to protest.
My daughter was on the student protest in London on Weds (10th Nov 2010) and she has some photos of some of the demonstrators who got into the Millibank building. She did also get glass in her eye when they knocked the windows out which a kindly policeman sorted out for her and she is fine. Just a boosted ego!!
But what has struck me, especially as we are doing about apartheid in Cultural Studies is how free were are in the country to protest and how people are seen, on the whole as individuals. Oh people will cry Police brutality at some things. I wonder if we expect are Police to be more than human at times.
But when Tabi was hut she was seen as something separate to what was going on, and was treated accordingly. In many other countries she could have been beaten and arrested just because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even these anarchists will not be beaten until they confess, will not be placed in a dank prison where they may never get out of.
Ok we might say that the government will not take any notice of these protest, which is what has led to a lot of apathy over recent years on protesting but at least we are free and safe to do it.
Let us maybe remember what we could've been.
One question that comes to mind when we talk about our freedom to protest is why we always link it back to the war. Is our freedom to protest not also due to brave folks who have taken a stand in peaceful times too? If I had longer to ponder I would try and trace some of the defining times which have meant that we have gone down the route of freedom of expression and not of dictatorial oppression.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you are pondering these things too Diane as it makes me try and see things from other perspectives too. Glad your daughter was okay and it is nice to hear a good story about the police, they do come in for a bit of stick these days. Maybe they always did!
I am so glad you wrote about this and also for Joanna's response. I was beginning to feel a bit unpatriotic. Can't say I've ever been in favour of one particular country against others - we are all God's creation. And I have always struggled with how people can be 'proud' of the place their mothers happened to be when they gave birth. Maybe I'm just a wanderer at heart.
ReplyDeleteI also think there is a fine line between honouring the sacrifice of our military forces and glorifying war - fertile ground for the extreme right to get their controversial views to be acceptable. Racism and xenophobia lurk in the background.
There are many unsung heroes who are not in the limelight or on the news. Many of the emergency services suffer in doing their job to protect and help us (as the nice policemen in the demonstration where Tabi was hurt - glad she's ok) Some may get a fleeting mention but not like the forces who are featured in every news bulletin, every day.
Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate what they have done and are doing so that I can have my freedom of speech (and to demonstrate) but I'm afraid people may tire of hearing about it. How the mob can quickly turn from adoration (Palm Sunday) to hatred (Good Friday)