Written by Jordan Bishop | 01 December 2011
Posted in Comment - Britain

Photography: Maistora You’ve probably seen the video by now. If you haven’t go to youtube and type in “My Tram Experience” (this video contains explicit language). Then weep: weep tears Red, White and Blue because the woman at the centre of what is fast becoming a social media storm has shamed the (largely) good nation in which she lives.

When I first watched it for myself my initial reaction was disgust. Then I watched it again and felt some more disgust. Finally I’ve come around to a position where the disgust has mingled with a few other emotions...

For starters, the video itself – and related articles reacting to the events depicted – have received a large number of complaints regarding the morality of extensive coverage being attributed to particularly vicious racism. “They should never have given her the oxygen of publicity. Ignoring her would have been far more effective”, one individual argued. This response is quite understandable but, actually, doesn’t solve anything. Ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away.  Recognising it is the first step towards a solution.

After all, nothing better undermines these notions than when their own advocates are given a platform to express themselves clearly for all to hear. Nick Griffin made a complete arse of himself on Question Time two years ago – admittedly aided by some unnecessarily zealous heckling – which served as a far better indictment than if the panel had discussed the questions posed without his presence.

Then we have the woman herself. Never before in human history has such an awful argument been expressed quite so badly by so few. A particular highlight: “None of yous is fuckin’ English”. Flawless use of the English language there, a simply sterling effort considering the argument she was attempting to articulate. Oh, the irony - if it wasn’t so terrible you’d laugh.

And yet, in spite of this, people must remember she is only a very small cog in a far bigger machine. Amazingly, many seem utterly bewildered such people still exist, let alone that there may be more out there.

Far from being contained incidents, they are surface examples of widely held belief systems. We’re all part of different social and cultural environments, and here we have a woman who is no exception to the rule. Through her actions, a peripheral ideology, held by a specific but not inconsiderable demographic, has suddenly been forced to the national foreground in an entirely unedited form. Naturally it has sparked a strong reaction – thank merciful Britannia – yet one which so far is too firmly directed at the individual rather than the root cause.

It is for this same reason such kneejerk reactions as Piers Morgan’s call for her to be “arrested and deported” are completely pointless. Firstly because deporting a (presumably) British citizen would lead down a very contradictory and confusing road. More importantly it would do little to actually affect real and substantial change.

Suppose this woman ends up in prison. Then what? She is fed, watered, supposedly corrected, before returning to the world totally unchanged. And she really would remain completely unaffected; racism is too ingrained to be so easily removed. Showing someone like that the error of their ways and expecting an adjustment is more optimistic than trying to teach an amoeba how to dance salsa, whilst speaking sign language, in Dutch.

Progress has to be instigated at a societal level for it to have any real effect. Punitive measures, after all, do little to stop people raising and influencing future generations to hold similar beliefs. It may be generous to say so but the hatred witnessed in these videos is borne out by ignorance and fear. Responses should therefore focus on education and guidance, possibly in a kind of school, with the cane for more malicious, repeat offenders.

Only by taking the moral high ground is there any hope for developing a more tolerant and integrated society, so far punishment or avoidance has proven ineffectual. Certainly it sounds less appealing than the “lock-em-up and throw away the key” approach. It will take longer too. But in the end there will be fewer children – such as the one on the woman’s lap – who become the real victims of unfounded and reprehensible views. After all, what chance does he have? He will probably become part of the next generation of ignorant racists, through no fault of his own.

So, it’s either affirmative action on a national scale or, more simply – as one person so eloquently argued – “can’t we just sterilise the bastards?”

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