Comments on: Racism and power

By: aidan

aidan — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:24:30 +0000

I agree that the tendency to camouflage the true nature of crimes (that appear to be racially motivated) by using non-inflammatory umbrella terms such as “gangs” may be a cop out – but it’s an understandable cop out.

Problem with objectifying these particular perpetrators in racial terms and drawing attention to the nasty underbelly of this crime, is that you will then have all sorts of far right lunatics who will immediately seize on this as justification for beating up a Pakistani granny on her way home from Tescos.

Let’s face it, the Kriss Donald murder, horrible though it was, was an exceptional case that included levels of pathology rarely acted upon to quite this extreme. So, while it is important to ensure justice is done, I think there needs to be temperance when it comes to fanning flames that haven’t yet been doused.

By: Shuggy

Shuggy — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 09:49:52 +0000

Sunny - I'm not suggesting there isn't an element of power, I'm merely trying to dispense with the notion that it's 'all about power' and that it's exclusively something that the white majority to to ethnic minorities. When I were a lad in the eighties, anyone who wanted to verify their PC cerdentials would argue that it was impossible for black or brown people to be racist. I thought then, and still think, that this is completely absurd. Martin - mine to you. I take your point and agreed with you that this was indeed a 'most Glaswegian murder'. I suppose it depends what you read. Much of the stuff I came across did emphasise the gang element. I was taking issue with the idea that seemed to be implicit in this that the relationship between gangsterism and racism was somehow a zero-sum game. I see now you weren't doing this.

By: Sunny

Sunny — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 01:32:17 +0000

Well… yes and no. Although I do believe that our traditional ways of looking at racism have to be challenged, it cannot be denied there is an element of power here. Who frames the debate and the legislation? It is the media and the politicians. If they do not understand minority communities and the latter have no power to push for legislation that helps them, then the dynamic can work against minority groups.

I’m just saying that the power dynamic cannot be ignored, but needs to be applied in context.

By: Martin

Martin — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 11:20:20 +0000

Shug,

My apologies if my point wasn’t clear.

What has disturbed me in relation to the Shahid/Donald murder has been the emphasis on race to the exclusion of all other factors in most reporting – with the principal other factor being Glaswegian gangs’ historical habit of stabbing and slashing people who don’t come from ‘their bit’.

Both race and sick local culture were critical to the commission of this offnce – and to focus on one and exclude or minimise the other fails to do justice to this horrible crime’s true ghastliness.