Thread by @Sakura509

"That outrage is both targeted and limited says a lot about the situation. They all know how bad things are and how far we have moved from basic ideas of justice, accountability and democracy, and yet they also know that they are benefitting from this very system: ..."

"...these rogue agents are essential for targeting outrage and misdirecting rage as with a sleight of hand."

"We already know too well that nothing will happen if they explain their actions, that if they did, they would simply deflect and divert, and that whether they apologise or not, there will be zero consequences."

"It is for all to see that, with the poor more generally, migrants and ethnic minorities have borne the brunt of the current crisis, and that this government will continue to scapegoat both. As the saying goes, the poor stay poor and the rich get rich, that is how it goes."

"As most of us suffered to various degrees from austerity, Brexit, neoliberalism and racism whipped up by our elite, their makers escaped any form of justice, securing portfolios, juicy contracts and deals in various milieus, with no shame, remorse and again for all to see."

"While it is not some carefully planned big conspiracy, such targeted scandals, or what Australian media scholar Alex Ling calls "simulacral scandals", are not additional straws building up on camel's back, which would break it and unleash some natural and inevitable justice."

"In fact, their very existence, repetition and our response to them precludes real change as our imagination gets bound up in the narrow present and our political will is guided by those with the means to shape the narrative these scandals follow."

"If our outrage stays solely directed towards X and Y, nothing will change, the circus will move on to the next scandal and we will be here again tomorrow, pointing our finger at some willing scapegoat, while entirely missing the very obvious culprit - a sleight of hand."

"The past will continue to happen again and again."

UK citizens have been subjected to 'Groundhog Day', perpetuated by Tory UK Government; first #Maybot; then #LiarJohnson, ever since EU Ref!

"There is no easy way out of that vicious circle and our current reactionary moment."

"American author bell hooks once wrote that "the rage of the oppressed is never the same as the rage of the privileged", and this is as true as ever."

"Only by forcing ourselves to act rather than react will we be able to break away from the false outrage which currently binds us to our oppressive class and system, and instead turn this just rage directly against them."

Need to focus on what to do, rather than what is said.

There have been many, many similar diversions and deflections whilst the state is undermined under the feet of UK citizens.

US citizens understand the threat they face and have the chance to act decisively to change their future, on 3 November 2020.

aljazeera.com/indepth/opinio…