A: Good question. The media in this country is responsible - that's another way of saying that there is a culture of censorship to ensure that the right kind of 'response' is reported. So photos of tearful people laying flowers are okay, but anyone spouting anti-Islam, anti-Muslim comments is not. The thing is social media tends to be a more uncensored space as opposed to the mainstream news, so there is a gulf between what you read in the mainstream news sources (BBC news, the usual TV stations, main newspapers) and what you see on social media. Given the way we increasing tend to rely on social media to get our news, then it will have a bigger impact on people of course: we are seeing a lot more angry, hateful, blatantly anti-Muslim rhetoric being circulated in social media in a way that would never be allowed in the mainstream media. People are angry of course and Islam/Muslims and immigration/poorly assimilated Muslim migrants have once again become a scapegoat for this outpouring of public anger.
Q: Why is the security at the Manchester Arena so poor that a suicide bomber can set off a bomb there?
A: The suicide bomber detonated the bomb at the exit to the arena (not in the arena), just as the concert ended when many parents/guardians were waiting to pick up their kids as they left the concert. You would be searched before entering the venue and subjected to the kind of security you would expect at an airport. Not all parents wanted to go see the concert (expensive tickets, not a fan etc) so there was a bottle neck at the exit where parents were waiting for the kids who were leaving: the suicide bomber took advantage of that bottleneck and mingled with the parents at that crowded place. You can search people entering the building all you want, you can cordon off the exits but at some stage, given the nature of the event (ie. a concert that is going to be popular with children/teenagers) you're bound to have a bottleneck where parents are picking up their kids. This happens at any primary school in the country where parents come to pick up their kids at dismissal time - you can only go as far as to have very tight security about whom you let into the school, but you cannot reasonably search every parent waiting to pick up their kid from school. The suicide bomber could have easily targeted any primary school where parents are waiting to pick up their kids as such bottlenecks are inevitable when you have a large number of children/teenagers leaving a venue (such as a school) at the same time. So it has absolutely nothing to do with the security system at the Manchester Arena, which is robust.
A: Well yes. So you can say, I won't go to anymore concerts, movies, football matches etc but you can't say, "I will keep my kids at home and refuse to send them to school." We just have to carry on as normal, there's no alternative.
Q: Is the UK unsafe to visit now? Should we postpone or cancel our trip?
A: No, it is no safer or dangerous than it was prior to this attack. The fact is there are far more dangerous things in the UK to worry about: here's a government report from last year detailing how there were 1780 deaths as a result of road accidents. That figure of 1780 is staggering compared to the 22 killed in the Manchester Aerna bombing - even today, another horrific road accident not far from Manchester was in the news, but people seemed to have taken very little interest in it compared to the Manchester bombing. Somehow people just accept the risks when it comes to traveling by road and are not that bothered by road accidents, but when it comes to terrorism, somehow people are scared, to the point of being irrational and unreasonable. It is hard to blame ordinary folks for being scared about terrorism, but the media is very much responsible for that given the way they tend to highlight the worst aspects of terrorist attacks because it is headline grabbing news. We live in an age of 24 hours news, we are being fed news non-stop via social media so that's why the news tends to focus on terrorist attacks like that. But if you want to visit the UK, do come - it's not any more unsafe than it was before. You should be more worried taking a bus in the UK, according to the stats.
A: Probably a lot less than you would imagine! Typically, you would expect a terrorist incident like that to scare the masses into voting in a right wing government who will be anti-immigration, because Muslim migrants have been pretty much associated with and blamed for the terrorist attacks - but guess what? They were going to do so anyway, Theresa May's Tory government were already headed to a landslide victory anyway and that was mostly because she called an election when she realized just how disorganized and divided the Labour party currently are. It is clearly a case of θΆη«ζε« - to profit from another's misfortune - ie. Jeremy Corbyn is really struggling to unite the Labour party, that's the perfect time for May to call an election, knowing that he is not prepared for battle. In any case, the campaigning has been going on for a while already, so most people would have already made up their minds which way to vote - this is highly unlikely to make anyone change their minds about whom they wish to vote for.
Q: What can the government do to prevent further attacks like this?
A: We're in a no-win situation. Since we've talked about elections, let's look at what has just happened in France with the election of president Macron. If Le Pen won, then it would play into the hands of a hard line radical Islam groups who will say, "see? That shows they hate us," that would fan the flames of hatred and lead to more terrorist attacks in France like the ones we have seen already. But is voting Macron going to somehow pacify them? Hardly. Macron can do all the good PR he wants with the Muslim community there, his stance to keep France's borders open the way they are in light of the refugee crisis means that those wishing to cause harm to the French can take advantage of his policy to get into France. Besides, the moment you welcome huge numbers of Muslim refugee into your country, you're creating a problem that needs to be solved urgently: you need to make sure these refugees are properly assimilated quickly, otherwise they'll live on the margins of French society and become prone to radicalization if they are not assimilated. A Le Pen led government would take a much harder stance on "assimilate or get out" compared to a Macron style approach - but either way, whether you have a left or right wing government in charge, you are still going to have to deal with the same problem regardless. This does really demonstrate the scale of the challenges.
A: Yes and no. The problem is both cultural and economic: people who are happy, successful and have productive lives are not going to become suicide bombers. Only those forced to the margins of society and have nothing to live for end up being radicalized, only people like that will become suicide bombers as they literally have nothing to lose. It is a massive challenge to make sure that we have a society where nobody is left behind in a way though unemployment, deprivation, poverty, social exclusion that makes them turn to those who will radicalize and manipulate them. The government has a role to play in providing the right education, the right training and help to those left on the margins of society, so they can be integrated into society in a productive and meaningful way, so they will be able to feel a sense of self-worth. Every society will have people who need more help than others in this context, so assimilation is not always something they can do themselves: sometimes they have to be given help, sometimes they have to be forced or coerced to do things that are for their own good if they are simply not making rational choices.
Q: Oh dear, you'll need to give me an example to back that point up - it sounds controversial.
A: Sure. I'll highlight a case from Switzerland. There is a landmark case in Switzerland in January 2017 (click here for the link), whereby a court ruled that Muslim students must participate in a swimming PE lesson in a class for both genders. This was after two female Muslim students (who are Swiss nationals, but their parents are from Turkey) refused to participate in a swimming lesson at school because there were other boys present. The Swiss system does permit such exemptions after the girls have reached puberty, but these girls were still prepubescent. This is the kind of case that the Swiss legal system takes very seriously: migrants have been fined and even denied citizenship if they refuse to integrate like that. Quite frankly, whether or not these girls take part in their PE lesson is not a matter of life and death - rather, it is the message that the legal system sends to their migrants: assimilate or leave. I am in 100% total agreement with the Swiss government on this case - immigrants must and should assimilate or simply leave. Well, that's very easy for me to say in my case as I am a total yellow banana: yellow on the outside, white on the inside.
A: Well, it isn't very politically correct but yes, it has been mentioned. Even when people I speak to start spewing hateful rhetoric about poorly assimilated Muslim migrants, they turn to me and say, "but Alex, I'm not talking about people like you. We love migrants like you of course, you're highly educated, you have a good job, you are completely assimilated. If only the migrants are like you, but no they refuse to learn English, refuse to assimilate into wider society, they keep to themselves and live off state handouts and they turn around and accuse us of not accepting us - as if we're racist? It is ridiculous - if they don't like our way of life, then I wonder what the hell they are doing here in the first place, they should go back to the Middle East, or wherever they're from, they'll feel more at home there." You get the idea. Yes I am probably whiter than most white people here from a cultural point of view, even if I look Asian. You see, people of my parents' generation would assume that racism would be purely based on the colour of one's skin, but in 2017, it has evolved to discrimination against those who are different culturally as opposed to physically - that's why I'm often seen as the 'model migrant', based on just how I have totally assimilated. Sure it is not politically correct at all, but that's the huge gulf between what people think and what they may say when they feel they are being judged.
Q: Are people talking about this all the time now?
A: Not really, it is a hard topic to talk about as you can imagine. I don't want to see my friends in the gym and say, "hey guys let's talk about the horrible terrorist attack in Manchester where loads of innocent children got killed." That would be a really awkward conversation that I have no desire to start. A lot of people prefer to talk about this on social media - they can respond to someone's Facebook status update or tweet, they choose to enter a conversation if they want to and they can cease participating in one whenever they want to. I suppose you could call it 'emotionally convenient' because one would find such a conversation face to face rather difficult. Yes people do talk about it of course, but it is hardly a pleasant nor easy conversation to have. You can call us shallow, but sometimes we're just not prepared to talk about it face to face, but plenty has been said on social media as it is an easier way for us to express our feelings about the matter. I have worked in Manchester, I know the city well, I have friends there - so yeah believe me when I say that I find it quite hard to talk about it in person, but writing about it here on my blog is actually a lot easier for me.
Would you consider yourself to be "racist" or biased against people who are culturally different or unassimilated?
ReplyDeleteHmmm. L Chen (one of my regular readers) and I talked bout this on another post - I don't think it is being racist or biased. I talked about my own experience in NS: it was the kind of situation where I had to either learn to fit in and get along with everyone else there or run the risk of being ostracized, excluded, even bullied. Now everyone who had to do NS would understand exactly what I meant - I don't know your gender: are you male/female stargazr?
DeleteSo by that token, it's the same deal here: if you are an immigrant, then you must and should assimilate if you want a better life here. If you refuse to assimilate, then you're asking for trouble. At best, you will be held back in your career for failing to understand the social landscape of the country you life in. At worst, you will be pushed to the very margins of society where you become radicalized and turned into a suicide bomber. So I don't see why migrants refuse to totally assimilate. They have NOTHING to gain in doing so.
Are you saying that you're just following the system and the system and culture in the UK (and NS) is intrinsically unkind and excluding to people who are culturally unassimilated?
DeleteIn so many words, yes.
DeleteI can't change the world single handedly - it is what it is, a flawed system. I can however change myself, so I can fit in, get along with those around me, follow the rules better so I can get ahead within the rules of the game, play the game better so I will have a better life.
@stargazr
DeleteIt is not just the UK. Virtually every society and culture is unkind to people who do not assimilate.
It is more of a matter of the individual choosing which society and culture to live in
@Weiping - I'm sure you're talking about the context of Japan (where you live) and that's totally true.
Delete@Sandra - I have Jewish friends who are totally assimilated, I meet them through work (one of the directors in my company is Jewish) and one of my best friends at the gym is also Jewish and they're completely assimilated (and immensely successful in their careers). Look, I've lived in North London in the past and am back living in North London, previously I've lived just north of Golders Green in Brent Cross and you know just how Jewish that area is - if an Orthodox Jew wants to keep to himself, within his own community and not assimilate, you know what? Generally, I don't have a problem with that if there are no problems caused as a result - I mind my own business, I don't judge. We don't see marginalized Jews turning to terrorism, the way marginalized Muslims have. I suppose the problem here isn't so much the lack of integration/assimilation but the consequences of it. The orthodox Jews have their own communities in north London and don't assimilate - but they are a peaceful community who keep to themselves and don't cause any problems, that's why the rest of us don't have a problem with the Jews. For those who do choose to assimilate, then clearly they reap the rewards of accessing more education/employment opportunities.
That is where the systemic racism lies. The problems of black and brown people are criminalized while the problems of white people are medicalized. The heroin addiction epidemic primarily affects white people, so heroin addiction is seen as a chronic medical condition that requires psychiatric treatment, while black people who use drugs or have mental issues are locked up in prison.
DeleteSame with white school shooters, they all have various psychological problems be it ADD, ADHD, whatever. But black or brown people who are violent are terrorist.
@stargazr thats an interesting observation!
Deleteall the more the migrant middle eastern communities have to unite and help one another
L Chen I agree that minorities themselves should be the ones to help other minorities instead of having the change imposed on them from outside
Delete@Sandra, i see the merits of a liberal society thats free and easy, with little segregation, like in Scandinavian countries or the Swiss. But, they achieved their relatively utopian societies after HUNDREDs of years of painful negotiations between the different factions.
ReplyDeleteIs there a single superior system? Forcing assimilation amongst muslims jews punk rockers upper class and working class etc etc in a single generation is a recipe for disaster. Can u get 5 people into one room, and get them to agree on something? It can be done, but its bloody hard work.
Does the British government even have the power to force assimilation? And if so, would it truly make Britain a better place to live?
Whatever the system, theres a single brutal fact i find many people reluctant to admit; we are all in competition. Perhaps certain middle eastern communities are suffering injustice. Sure. But every system has its losers. Someone WILL be bullied.
Britain has to work its way towards a more harmonious society, in which different groups need to have some sort of more functional working relationship. That doesn't mean they need to totally assimilate. We don't need to be the same to be friendlier to one another right? And let's not forget individual initiative. So what if ur school is monoculture? Can't u make friends in outside school activities?
As for hypocrisy? Hey thats human nature. Especially i would argue in the position of leadership. Managing people is the ugly art of learning to cut off a leg to save a life.
i very much doubt any single policey is to blame. this shit is far more complex. else i have learnt nothing about human nature
@Chen - what disturbs me about Sandra's response is that she places all the blame on the British government and doesn't attribute any responsibility to certain sectors of the Jewish community for refusing to assimilate. Assimilation is a 2 way street - you can't expect a nanny state to hold your hand and tell/teach you exactly how to live your life. The Jewish people in the UK who have assimilated tend to be a lot more successful in their lives and if someone refuses to assimilate and leads a quiet life within their community - then what do you want the government to do about it? Like seriously, what can the government do? The person who didn't assimilate didn't break any law if s/he chooses to lead a quiet life, living/working within their community.
DeleteAnd what happens when u do that?
Deletethey go deeper underground and begin to arm themselves even. u trigger off even greater militancy. what happens if u keep spanking a little boy? he turns into a delinquent
Sandra, i think you are looking at this whole thing from the ivory tower
I think left to their own devices people would seek out and socialize primarily with people who are similar to them, and that often means being of a similar racial and cultural heritage. It is good to encourage appreciation of other races, but in order for it to be genuine it has to happen organically instead of feeling forced.
DeleteIn both Singapore and Canada, I believe there is enough room in the society for different racial and ethnic groups to retain their culture and yet mix peacefully, or at the very least coexist peacefully with one another. That is something I personally feel more comfortable with versus forcing everyone to completely assimilate and pretend like racial differences don't exist, the way they do in the US, or what Limpeh seems to be advocating. Then again, this is just my personal preference.
I haven't lived in the UK for an extended period of time since I was very young, so I can't comment on racial relations there.
Well Sandra i suppose we can "incentivise" assimilation! But! I refuse to bet on the world out there changing for the better. I must change. The individual must change. The marginalized Briton, must rise to the challenge against the odds.
ReplyDeleteYou can hustle your way out of the ghetto or bomb yourself to oblivion. Its a choice. Btw Sandra
i have met many radicalised singaporeans.
Oh yes, there are many cults here.
They all have one thing in common: feel the world is against them and that the world needs to change for them to be happy... because they are powerless and too weak to help themselves or so they believe.
Bunch of sad sorry losers.
Don't get me started - I am so close to unfriending someone (both in real life and on FB) because he has that attitude, like the world is so unfair, the system is corrupt blah blah blah and I can't take his whiny attitude anymore. He wants the world to change for him but that's never going to happen! You don't like your job, fine it is up to you to do something about the situation. Staying off Facebook as I am sick and tired of arguing with him - he posts all these links to videos / articles to fuel his self-pity about how the system is against him and it's all about big businesses being corrupt etc.
ReplyDeleteI hate facebook too - too many ways to get sucked into pointless drama. May I recommend the emacs.li social network?
ReplyDeletehttps://emacs.li/
@Sandra, what do you propose?
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha, sounds like someone i know! Probably didn't get enough breast feeding when he was little. Expects the world to mother him π
ReplyDeleteThese whiny folks remind me of the story of the Mice ringing the bell on the Caf. Lots of big theory critical of the world, no facts, & fancy dan solutions. And when you ask who is gonna hang the bell on the cat.. aka whos gonna implement these solutions, its not them. Beneath a noble or even pious facade its the same ol game of "it's not me" plus "what's in it for me"
Long story but it started out with him asking me something like, "how was your day at work" and I told him about some technical problems I had been encountering at work. He then made some assumptions despite knowing nothing about my industry or job (he is a civil servant, urgh) and I'm like, hang on, that's completely not true. You've made some pretty ridiculous assumptions there about my company, my industry and you've simply assumed the worst case scenario - when really, it's not more than me having technical problems with some paperwork. I shan't bore you with the details but it's like,
ReplyDeleteme: oh I'm having some technical issues at work...
him: is your company going bust?
me: I never said that.
him: do people refuse to do business with you because they think you're dodgy firm out to scam people?
me: I never said that either. I don't like the way this is going - you're making some awful assumptions.
him: Well, I never claimed to be an expert and you came to me, telling me all this.
me: You were the one who asked me how I was and I was being honest - did you expect me to just say, "I'm fine thank you" as a standard reply regardless of how I feel after a hard day at work?
him: Well go find someone else to talk to then. Someone who can understand your technical issues.
me: You've crossed the line - I don't like it when you just assume the worst of everything. If you don't know what is going on, don't jump to crazy conclusions, just say something like, "do you want to explain why you're having difficulties?" and listen.
him: Okay, why are you having difficulties?
me: (Starts to explain)
him: Oh god this is so boring, I don't understand that stuff. It is too technical.
me: I don't expect you to understand it - but I don't expect you to express an opinion by jumping to the wrong conclusions and assuming the very worst. You're just imposing your prejudice about bankers and the financial services industry on me, just because you are a left-wing person who thinks that all bankers are evil. Some of us are ordinary folks handling mundane boring paperwork, making an honest living without getting fat cat bonuses.
You can see how it all went downhill. This guy is so left-wing - his Facebook wall is full of "the system is corrupt, blame the government" posts.
Anyway, I unfriended him as he refused to apologize. I think the least he could do is realize that he said something that caused offence, rather than insist that what he said was somehow acceptable when it wasn't. I said I could live with his stupidity but not his stubbornness.
Sandra i agree that alot more can be done. Ifs gonna be a steep learning curve for Britain thats for sure. That said, i believe that 'England will manage' :)
ReplyDelete@LIFT Actually just read this article:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/rsis/co17104-what-is-wrong-with-radicalisation-a-response-to-manchester-bombing/#.WSeOc2iGP6Q
What are your thoughts on their arguments do you agree, disagree? And why?
Thanks for the link - I believe that it is a reasonably well written article and I have already covered many of the points addressed in this article already.
Delete@LIfT
ReplyDeleteGood man. Im always up for helping a friend in crisis, but an unrepentant idiot? That's a wasts of time.
Here's the thing Chen: at least with you, I know you give me enough respect to allow me to explain my POV to you - you read what I have to say (even if it means taking time out to read a long post) and you respond. I truly appreciate that. With this guy, well, he gets bored and doesn't wanna listen to my POV. And I'm like, great - what kind of friend cannot be asked to listen and understand my POV when I say, "may I please explain my situation to you?" What kind of respond is, "nah I'm bored, I don't wanna listen to this long explanation". I've unfriended him. But I regret that I had to do it in such a nasty way.
ReplyDeleteI felt offended by his lack of willingness to listen to me, so instead of just walking away, I told him everything I disliked about him then unfriended him on Facebook. I hurled loads of insults at him. Well, I wanted him to feel what I felt, ie. insulted - when he refused to listen to my POV.
Your friend is a throw back to the last generation aka our parents. Once they got a prejudice they deny all truth. Perhaps this the essence of extremism.
ReplyDeleteSo what finally happened? You just blocked him and not talking to him anymore?
ReplyDeleteYeah, basically. I have other friends who do listen to me. Even when I post something on my blog, I know my regular readers will take the time to read what I have said and response - if someone isn't even willing to listen to what I have to say, then what is the point of being friends? What basis is there for a friendship if all they wanna do is talk about themselves but they are not prepared to listen to you say something?
ReplyDelete