A society that spews hatred and disgust – Andrew Azzopardi

These last days we witnessed another act of pure and sheer abhorrence, with comments and a photo posted on Facebook to make a joke out of the impairment of an Opposition Member of Parliament, the Honorable Dr Kevin Cutajar. This was disgraceful.

In an unprecedented move, newly appointed Member of Parliament from the ‘other side’ of the ‘House’, Honorable Oliver Scicluna, former Commissioner of CRPD, took those who made such comments to task and made an official report to the CRPD, who in their turn, I am assuming, will go the whole-hog.

But this latest incident simply confirms that we have a society that spews hatred, abhorrence and detestation at every turn – and no this wasn’t a silly off-the-cuff comment made under the influence of stupidity, but an act illustrative of people who think they have a right to puke oppressive yak.

We spew hatred when faced with people coming from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. We are xenophobic, racist and intolerant. Those who speak a different language, those with a skin colour distinctive from ours and those who come seeking asylum or refugee status are outed and disqualified.

We spew bigotry towards those practicing other religions. We categorize them as cults and crazes.

We spew animosity towards those like Peppi Azzopardi, Jeremy Camilleri and a few others who stand their ground against the Facebook warriors eager to smear.

We spew enmity in our communities towards people with mental health problems. We have rightful citizens in every town or village who conveniently become our ‘court jesters’ and our ‘entertainment’. The way we treat them immediately qualifies them as weird, dangerous and a liability to our society. They are labelled, made fun off and left out – how shameful! We spew repugnance towards the ‘queer’ community. Whether it is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning, or intersex. These people are hardly allowed to integrate and the first opportunity that arises we flood our socials with hatred and revulsion. We still hear of acts of animosity, raillery, bullying and aversion. We have premium laws in this sector, possibly amongst the best in the world, but quickly climb down the index when it becomes a day-to-day issue.

We spew an exclusionary discourse at ‘single mothers’, finding it ostentatious to single them out and moralize on the choices they’ve made.

We spew disgust towards young people, especially those who do not follow the norms of society, those who stand up to authority, those who are perceived as ‘difficult’ to control, the deviants and nonstandard. And off we go pointing fingers and sending an army of youth workers, social workers and other social operators to get them ‘back on track’, thankfully a model most of these professionals do not subscribe to. What was that, ‘moral panic’?

We spew indifference towards disabled people. We’ve turned them into asexual people. Once we go down the road of sexuality, needless to say it’s a no-go area especially if these people have an intellectual disability. We have turned our society socially, emotionally and physically inaccessible.

We spew revulsion towards the elderly, especially when issues around sexuality and decisionmaking pop up.

We spew abhorrence at sex workers. To us they are social filth and we objectify them. Our moral high ground hits the peak when this cohort in our society features in some way or another.

We spew odium towards prisoners or ex-prisoners and their families. We think we are a level above them. We believe they failed society because it was they who made the decision to act incorrectly and we conveniently forget that society is full of opportunities to do wrong and who knows what circumstances got them to behave in that (despicable) way.

We spew doubt on people who forgive.

We spew acrimony towards people who live in particular zones of Malta and Gozo that have been stigmatized and slurred. The media and the way we have construed these places is pitiful and leaves a deepseated scar on all the members of that respective community.

We rancor towards people who are against us in politics, in sports, in the band club or who favor another saint! We are unable to be different yet together, to argue yet manage to disagree and remain respectful.

We spew execration towards the other side of the argument whether ‘we’re coming’ from the pro-choice or pro-life movements.

I’m not expecting the two groups to chant the kumbaya together, but for heaven’s sake we can differ without throwing daggers at each other, we can disagree without threatening each other, no?

We spew detestation between one social class and the other. Our society has so many of those layers and seeing eye-to-eye is impossible. Not only amongst different social classes but also between one profession and another or among professionals and semi-skilled or unskilled laborers. Cultural hegemony at its best.

We spew loathing towards expartners and it ends up in a battle on all grounds instead of trying to mediate a solution. The same dose of love turns into an equal measure of hatred and in the meantime, children are in the middle of it all.

We spew distaste towards people who are homeless and poor. We think that it’s all their fault. We blame them. We throw it at them. We expect them to survive on what social benefits the State offers when it is clear, even through the recently published study of Caritas Malta, that the cost of living is growing exponentially.

We spew animus towards women. The misogyny in our society is second to none. Women struggle to be in leadership, they are sexualized, and this is indeed a Country ‘…built by gentlemen for gentlemen’.

We spew repulse towards drug addicts who are considered as failures in our society rather than victims of a neo-liberal society hooked on money and success and where image comes before anything else.

We spew scorn at pedophiles and abusers, not the act (it is right that we firmly object to that) but these predators, who in their majority are sick through and through, need to be treated or they will be back in our midst.

We spew indifference towards children who carry a life baggage which is not the norm; LGBTQI children, socially excluded children, children with mental health problems, children coming from dysfunctional families, children with a disability, to name just a few.

We spew meaninglessness to alcoholics, gamblers and people who struggle with addictions.

We spew disregard towards our environment. Our drive for comfort and ease comes above everything else. We are so selfish.

We spew listlessness towards birds that are shot because it is a ‘ delizzju’ or else we place animals in captivity (zoos) as a commodity, taf inti because we love them!

Bernard Golden, psychologist and author is quoted as saying; “We are all born with the capacity for aggression as well as compassion. Which tendencies we embrace requires mindful choice by individuals, families, communities and our culture in general…” https://the minds journal.com/ hat e-people/3/