Very day we see more attempts to silence the Left.
The insults & accusations we have long got accustomed to such as 'liar', 'stupid', 'crank', 'deluded', 'racist' have been joined by cries of 'Trumpian' & 'Tory enabler'.
Any support for any cause that challenges...1/7
... inequality or injustice, whilst fighting for a just distribution of income & argues for respectful treatment of all is dismissed as 'woke', as 'unpatriotic', as 'hard Left' (whatever that is).
It's fine to cheer for nonagenarians & footballers who do the job that...2/7
... the govt & the opposition should be doing as long as we don't make it 'too political'. But it's not OK to point out that we wouldn't have needed such actions if the establishment had not decided to demean & abuse the man who if PM now would not allow children to go... 3/7
... hungry, keyworks to work in unsafe conditions, the NHS to be sold off... The establishment that now regularly bemoans the poor performance of the PM that THEY enabled.
Add to this the, what feels like, wall-to-wall amplification (in print, broadcast media, online) of...4/7
... those who claim to be 'cancelled' by the 'woke Left' which in turn encourages them to name-call, to bully, to pile on, those with less fame & fewer followers.
That many so-called 'moderates' have joined the Right in these claims & attacks is beyond penicious and a... 5/7
...threat to us ALL, although they will never acknowledge this.
How to address this? Keep talking, keep networking, keep learning, keep supporting each other. Keep sharing alternative media & voices too, not least:
I wrote the following for my paper at the International Conference of Autoethnography #ICAE7 today. It's a work in progress (I think) with probably more to come:
T’was a night during lockdown, when all thro’ the House (of Commons),
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The politicians were home, with absolutely no stress,
No zoom or team meetings, this eve they can rest. 2/16
Their offspring snuggled up, warm and cosy in their beds,
No troubles, no fears upmost in their heads.
Elsewhere there are children less able to dream,
Of tablet-time, of play-time, of fun and ice-cream. 3/16
For the last few days, along with others, I've been concerned & tweeting about not only the physical health consequences of #schoolsreopening but also the psychological & emotional impact of social distancing in primary schools.
We're days into a row that started when @OwenJones84 dared to suggest that folk lucky enough to have cleaners might pay them to stay at home during #Covid_19 This most recent piece by @sarahditum asks for kindness & I write this thread with that plea in mind. 2/
I've been researching & writing about nonmothers & mothers (non/fathrrs too) for 30+ years. As an involuntarily childless woman I understand the loss of nonmotherhood. As a nursery nurse for 8 yrs & a step parent of 2 teenage boys/young men for 15 yrs I have done childcare. 3/
Smile it might never happen.’
Have you said it?
Have you heard it?
Maybe someone said it to you when ‘it’ had already occurred;
A death of a loved one,
A job loss,
A relationship breakup,
An unwanted, frightening diagnosis. 1/9
‘Smile it might never happen.’
An oft-used platitude. Advice with some meaning or just something to say?
Whatever, the implied criticism is clear;
Rise above your problems,
Don’t be so self-indulgent
Show some stiff upper lip.
Be happy, or at least pretend that you are, 2/9
It's your responsible to make sure others don't feel bad.
‘Smile it might never happen.’
Smile even when it has.
So when the leaders of the two biggest political parties,
walk in for the Queens Speech
it’s not the smirk on Johnson’s face that’s the issue, 3/9