Show put a Fox among the snowflake chickens
STAND by your beds folks, you’re about to get more “woked” up than you ever thought possible.
Forget the dreaded ‘B’ word, there’s a new buzz word in town and it’s the ‘P’ word. No, not pillock (though, granted, that applies to way too many people these days) but privilege.
Yes, the once-simple dictionary definition of a special right, advantage, or immunity granted a person or group has been twisted into a slur to be hatefully hissed at anyone who basically has an opinion that happens to be different from yours.
This reached peak screech level last week when actor Laurence Fox appeared on Question Time and dared to not play the PC game. He went through the Ten Commandments of the Cult of Snowflake and demolished every single one.
And there’s nothing more refreshing than watching sacred cows being slaughtered in front of a bunch of sanctimonious vegans.
Whether you agreed with his views or not – and that’s your right remember, having an opinion isn’t a crime yet – it was a breath of fresh air. Since then Laurence, who is indeed a well-scrubbed blond posh boy from an acting dynasty, has been accused of all the isms and obics known to personkind.
Basically he’s gone from the bloke in Lewis to someone who eats babies and threatens world peace. The permanently offended brigade have called for him to be sacked from the actors ‘union, barred from ever working again and burnt at the stake. Probably.
The main issue is the old chestnut of white privilege. This originates from New York in 1988 and describes the unearned rights and benefits afforded to white people because of the colour of their skin.
And indeed you’d be mad not to admit discrimination doesn’t exist. And it’s hideous and wrong to be judged on something so ludicrous as skin colour. As indeed it is your sex, your age, your religion and your class. So prejudice in all its forms is something we all need to address and, yes, debate. But that’s now becoming impossible, as anyone daring to a view on an area they have never personally experienced has abuse hurled at them. And yes, that privilege word is flung in their face, therefore shutting down any debate and any movement forward.
It’s depressing at best and dangerous at worst. Screaming at one another just creates even more division, distrust and hatred. Laurence in particular ticks all the boxes of a group it’s still okay to openly criticise and abuse. He’s pale, male, getting dangerously close to stale, posh and politically to the right. Yes, he is privileged. But he is also entitled to have views and express them.
While the origins of the phrase “white privilege” are totally understandable, maybe it’s time we rethought the ‘P’ word bit of it though. It’s become too toxic, too race baiting. Is a white, dirt poor working class boy (statistically the worst performing in education) really more privileged than the son of an African diplomat attending Eton? No, of course not.
Skin colour judgements will still be made but implying privilege to those at the bottom of life’s pile just builds more hatred and resentment. And where was the ‘white privilege’ of the young, vulnerable, mostly white girls targeted and hideously abused by groups of men – mainly of Pakistani origin – in Rochdale, Rotherham and Manchester? Girls died because authorities were too paralysed by the fear of being accused of racism to investigate properly.
The whole irony of this week’s row is that it started on Question Time. Shame no one really wants to listen to the answers.
Simply screaming at each other just creates more hate