Not letting the bastards win
July 8th, 2005One of the more annoying aspects of the initial response to/analysis of yesterday’s attacks has been the invocation of the “Blitz spirit”, and its relative, “Londoner’s stoicism”; as well as being uneasy at the comparison of yesterday’s single criminal atrocity with an ongoing wartime bombardment, there’s also the fact that the “Blitz spirit” wasn’t all it was cracked up to be - from my own father’s accounts, once death and destruction became normalised and banal in Londoners’ minds, they went back to being their normal, bickering selves. Still, it’s invoked aplenty, not just in the press but by ex-pat bloggers as well.
Of course, in actual fact the reaction of many Londoners yesterday has not been stoicism, but hedonism - everyone seems to have made a beeline for the nearest pub - perhaps its no coincidence that the meme of choice has been “London Pride”. I am a little uneasy at the invocation by some of the prohibition of alcohol by Muslims (even with caveats) - it’s a dangerous entailment to take very far, especially as, as Brian Paddick put it, Islam and mass murder are entirely mutually exclusive (and in any case, some of the perpretators of 9/11 drank alcohol and lived Westernised lifestyles, right up until the day of their attack).
It’s going to take more than a night down the pub to show that the bastards won’t win. This morning while listening to talk radio I was dismayed (but not entirely unsurprised) to hear otherwise rational and open-minded people confesss to feelings of suspicion or fear towards Muslim passengers on the bus or train they travelled on, and of accounts by British Muslims of staying in and avoiding public places for fear of reprisal. A return to normalcy can’t just be exercised by one’s outward actions, but equally needs a confrontation of our own new-found fears and irrationalities.
Update: And just as I say that, I see a phenomenally cuntish Fox News report (via BoingBoing) that merrily makes an artificial distinction between “Arabs” in London and the “regular, non-Arab people”. Fuck you, Murdoch.
Further update: Meanwhile, over at The Sun…
Britain is crawling with suspected terrorists and those who give them succour. The Government must act without delay, round up this enemy in our midst and lock them in internment camps.
(via perfect.co.uk)
July 8th, 2005 at 11:36:51
Let’s face it, after 9/11 New Yorkers suddenly became caring strange souls, constantly thanking strangers for visiting their great city.
Whether it’s the British Bulldog Blitz spirit or something else, AFAIK afterwards Londoners mostly seemed to get on with what they usually do - getting drunk in pubs. Which strikes me personally as a much better way to deal with something you just can’t deal with or take steps to avoid.
The Guardian had an article today about a Home-Counties-esque lady who apparently went up to a British Muslim and said “don’t worry, we know it’s not your fault”. Rather back-handed to say the least…
July 8th, 2005 at 15:47:08
That Sun comment? Bloody hell, that’s hideous.
Anyone for a Donor card equivalent that says “In the event of my being killed in a terrorist incident, I do NOT wish my body to be used to raise a Murdoch-sanctioned lynch mob”?
July 10th, 2005 at 00:45:38
Whenever an attack like this takes place close to home, it is very difficult to be outraged at the terrorists without descending into mindless fanaticism. I am pleased to see that all the british blogs (including yours) and news articles I have read have tried and succeeded in striking that balance. Maybe my reading materials are self-selected for moderation. In any case the response is a welcome change.
Those bastards will indeed never win.
July 10th, 2005 at 00:50:53
I actually met someone on Thursday who was having a “F$ck the Fundamentalists” party - in essence doing everything we take for granted that those who commit these acts don’t like! Everyone carrying on with life as before IS the best way of dealing with these things. We have to let them know that they can’t win through violence…
My biggest fear is the political capital that will be made from this event - on one hand we have Blair and cronies who will invoke terrorism as a excuse to push through ID cards and force more cameras on our streets; on the other the BNP will push an anti-islamic agenda which many people will pick up on simply because of the attitudes of the right-wing press (and here, I believe, Murdoch isn’t the worst culprit - Daily Mail, anyone?)
July 10th, 2005 at 16:14:01
I know what you mean. Sorry for the impertinence, but I am posting a link to my own number on this here