A short thread on the picture of Bonnie Greer and Laurence Fox.
Bonnie Greer was wrong to meet him the way she did and pose for a picture the way she did and here is why.
Bonnie Greer was wrong to meet him the way she did and pose for a picture the way she did and here is why.
Fox shot to public noteriety after his QuestionTime appearance where he made statements to Rachel Boyle which many deemed racially offensive. He then went on a radio programme and insulted the Sikh contribution during the war. Insulting millions of Asians.
If Bonnie Greer wanted to be a bridge of understanding and compassion she seemed to forget the other side she was bridging. She needed to meet with Fox AND Boyle AND/OR representatives of the Sikh community.
Let us compare her actions to another racially charged incident and how then President Obama handled the situation...
In July 2009 Prof Henry Louis Gates Jr was arrested in his home in what was thought by many as racially motivated. Obama trying to be a bridge met with BOTH of them. Their discussion was private but all three made public statements so we could judge the result and learn from it.
With Bonnie Greer and Laurance Fox we are given nothing but a picture of smiling faces which we can learn nothing from, cannot judge any learning that Fox might have gained from the experience and most importantly does not acknowledge the pain of the other parties involved.
Trying to build bridges and being willing to talk to people that might be seen as racist or prejudice in other people's eyes is important. However there is a right and a wrong way to go about it.
Obama is an incredibly sophisticated political operator and in many ways it is unfair to judge Bonnie Greer against the way he built bridges. There is literally only one Obama.
...However I hope if other famous black people attempt to build bridges with people thought of as racist they look to Obama as the best example of how to do this.
