From authoritarian power grabs to Andrew Neil’s nonsensical eulogy,the reaction to the Paris attacks proves that we haven’t learned from our past mistakesThere were a lot of tributes after the horror in Paris. It has to be said that Trafalgar Square is an odd choice of venue to reveal solidarity with France; presumably Waterloo was too busy. One of the most appropriate tributes was Adele dedicating Hometown Glory to Paris, just as the raids on St-Denis started. A song about south London where, and 10 years ago,armed police decided to hysterically blow the face off a man just because he was a bit beige.
In times of crisis, we are made to feel we should scrutinise our government’s actions less closely, and when surely that’s when we should pay closest attention. There’s a feeling that after an atrocity history and context become less relevant,when surely these are actually the worst times for a society to move on psychopathic autopilot. Our attitudes are fostered by a society built on ideas of dominance, where the solution to crises are force and action, or rather than reflection and compromise. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com