No, this is not a photoshop, or the doings of some nutty, far-right vigilante group, but a (scare) tactic employed by the Conservative government of Great Britain as a means of ridding our country of the source of all its problems (not unequal wealth distribution, tax-dodging corporations, or corrupt, detached politicians who use taxpayers money to pay off mortgages on holiday homes whilst systematically cutting public sector jobs)... Illegal immigrants. They're the one's to blame.
In England, driving around in white vans whilst hollering threats at minorities is usually an activity reserved for stereotype depictions of builders. However, in the summer of 2013 the British government saw it fit to do just that, as they continued deflecting working and middle class fingers of blame down the social ladder, rather than up. These vulgar vans were rolled out in six London boroughs, warning undocumented workers to "GO HOME" or some huge, faceless government official with massive handcuffs will come and find you. It then, with an inhumane change of tone, politely encourages them to "Text HOME to 78070", like they're entering a raffle to win a holiday, or voting for their favorite contestant on X Factor.
The whole thing only serves to stir already existing racial tensions in a multicultural society, with commands like "Go Home", mirroring and condoning common slurs of your average racist on the street. It is straight up intimidation tactics from the British government that, by doing so, sanctions such horrific behavior from its citizens. Describing undocumented workers as "illegal" is generally dangerous in that, to certain people, it permits taking the law into their own hands with confidence that they'll have state backing, as these citizens are seen as "criminals" in government eyes.
No comments:
Post a Comment