When I went out to put some re-cycling in my bin this morning I met two of my neighbours. Chris works for Oxford Council & Mehmet is a Turkish international human rights lawyer. Both are really interesting to talk to. On the doorstep we discussed European politics & the terrorist situation in Turkey. That probably wouldn't have happened in Houndscroft.
When I walk through Summertown I hear most European languages as well as several less common ones. People come & live here for many reasons, usually to work or study. I imagine, by an large, these immigrents are mostly intelligent, educated & skilled.
I can understand why Brits might feel overwhelmed by foreign cultures & languages, which could feel alien. What I can't understand is why that turns to abuse, bigotry & violence. Is there any country on earth which doesn't have immigrents, whether refugees, economic migrants or simply people who want to live & work in a different country? I can't think of one. Brits are certainly living & working all over the world & always have done.
Why does the jingoistic, tabloid press, & some broadsheets, promulgate the idea that multicultural pluralism is bad? Because it sells newspapers & feeds the ill informed, nationalistic, underbelly of our society.
If there is anything that the Referendum & the Chilcot Report should have taught us it is that we cannot rely on politicians or the press / media to give us accurate, truthful information. We actually live in a dystopian post 1984. Read Orwells book, or the Wikipedia page if you haven't got the time & don't believe me.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four
The question is what are we going to do about it now? Are the fact manipulators going to win? Or are ordinary decent people going to join together & say, very loudly, ENOUGH!
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