I think it's about expression versus interpretation. I really believe that. We are firmly in an era where the nuances of language are on life-support (thanks to the twittwer explosion a decade ago where everyone suddenly wanted their info in 144 characters or less)...
...I think the immigration conversation is one of them. I do believe there are people who cannot properly articulate their thoughts on immigration and so end up either coming across poorly or not even feeling comfortable enough to have a discussion. We can say that is on them I suppose, but I think it'sn actually on all of us to try and make the middle ground of conversation 'safer' and hopefully a place where people are then happy to accept 'new information' or outlooks without feeling they're being accused of this or that (this goes for all sides of the discussion BTW)...
I've also found that truthfully, age is the greatest teacher. Genuinely there are things I thought I knew a decade ago which I now realize I had no clue about.
Youth is all about the hubris of charging forward with vigour and confidence that you 'know'.
Age appears to be about the humility and wisdom to recognise that you didn't know nearly as much but if you wake up NOW the benefits of greater knowledge are sitting there for you to enjoy (and that usually requires both humility and acceptance of how little we really DO know)...sigh...OK, off my existential (organic hahaha) soap box I step...
I apologise in advance because I know the point you were making here and very broadly I agree with it, but I’m going to potentially misquote or misrepresent you here to make my own point (hey, it’s the politics thread after all! Would we be politicking if we were putting words in each others mouths!)
However, I’d love to think with age comes wisdom and education and understanding. I’m really starting to doubt it though.
I drove through Frinton on Sea this morning, and of course I spend all of my time telling you all not to judge my town up the road in Clacton based on the actions of a few of its voters.. but the amount of ‘Vote Reform’ signs outside of the bungalows all owned by people around there of likely 50+ years and I just felt a massive disbelief.
How, HOW are people still falling for this? They’ve fallen for it with Farage time and time again. Their age has not improved things at all. The best educator and source of wisdom for me is actually an open mind and being willing to reflect and be challenged. What these people show is that it does not matter what someone does, if it allows them to be the person they really are they go all in. I genuinely believe Farage could visit houses round here and murder peoples children’s in their beds and the next day on the news the parents would be saying “well I’ll still vote for him, after all he isn’t the first murderer is he” it just baffles me.
If you’re voting for him with all the coverage, with all the evidence of his lies, his corruption and everything else that shows you that this man is not your friend then I’m sorry, it’s indefensible. It just shows that the mask is off, you are voting for a one policy party and it’s because you want to be surrounded by white folk (in a 95% white constituency by the way). I’ve been online lately doing so much defending of Clacton because we all get grouped together as the racist little town with Farage - but honestly when (hopefully only if) he wins again, my neighbours will have shown me what they are.
I really thought we had made big strides on racism, it’s so so disappointing to see where this country is headed, almost as if history hasn’t provided any lessons - but at this point age isn’t a sign of wisdom and education for many, it’s a sign of deeply ingrained racism, bred in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s and just shows me that actually we aren’t much further forward at all. We aren’t progressing as a species or as a nation.
They have successfully divided this country between apathy and wilful ignorance prance. I’m just… so fed up with society at the minute.
(Sorry Steff, have hijacked 0.02% of what you said and put more than a pennies worth in!)
