England, like the rest of the world, seems to be changing at an extraordinary rate. The uses for technology and new media has created a vastly open world where information is exchanged at great speeds and different cultures and traditions can be shared and explored by many. This seems to be creating a shared world, a world with greater opportunity and deeper understanding for our fellow man. However, my concern lies not with the knowledge and understanding gained from information passed at tremendous rates, rather the effect this has on the country in which I live and the tensions and hatred which seem to infect people who do not want to bathe in other ways of life and cultures.
George Orwell wrote during the Blitz about the English way of life in 'England, Your England'. As the bombs fell around London, the fear that he could be obliterated at any moment by a falling bomb seemed to inspire him to get to the route of what it means to be English and why, above all the culture and tradition of an empire getting endlessly pummelled, it was worth fighting for;
'Meanwhile England, together with the rest of the world, is changing. And like everything else it can change only in certain directions, which up to a point can be foreseen. That is not to say that the future is fixed, merely that certain alternatives are possible and others not. A seed may grow or not grow, but at any rate a turnip seed never grows into a parsnip. It is therefore of the deepest importance to try and determine what England is, before guessing what part England can play in the huge events that are happening.' (Orwell 1941)
In Orwell's inspiring essay, he details the passion and privilege of being English and the strange but beautiful cultures and traditions the English people unknowingly absorb. My concern about England is that unknowingly the groups that are proudly fighting against change under the banner of being 'English' are a contradiction in terms; they seem to feel that it is their 'duty' to defend. The seething hatred or intolerable suspicion against people of different races and religions seems now to be more prevalent than ever in England. The Prime Minister denouncing 'multi-culturalism' as a failure, echoed a feeling of anger in the English public's mind that their livelihoods are being abducted and raped by outsiders' hell bent on changing the English way of life. Yet the English seem to have a short memory. The influx of immigrants has re-shaped England time and time again, adding new value, culture and knowledge, however, this is always forgotten and this generation seems to be passionate on freezing England in time, in this period of history, perhaps for good reason, fear of change that is coming quickly on the horizon;
'In England all the boasting and flag wagging, the 'Rule Britannia' stuff, is done by small minorities. The patriotism of the common people is not vocal or even conscious.' (Orwell 1941)
For the most part, I do not know what it was like to live in the 20th century; I was born in the year 1990 and spent ten years living in a notably changing world, even then I noticed developments in technology, which made life's little pleasures more enjoyable and assessable. I grew up in a multi-cultural environment and was not exposed to any of the negative feeling and distrust towards others, which are always present in one form or another in any society. Yet I always thought, in my youthful naivety, that the English are tolerant, that even if they have minor problems or dislikes of other cultures and societies that they kept them to themselves, or that they were just of a generation or ideology that is outdated and eroding. As I have grown I hoped to see this be confirmed, that the old way would make way for the new generation's love of tolerance and freedom but now I realise, that this seems not to be the case.
With universities trebling their prices making an extended education seem 'not worth the money', libraries being closed, national health services being cut and wars being fought in vain against enemies who can never be seen, this seems to be the time to band together as a nation of different races and religions and rebel and protest against the ruling class of bankers and politicians who's carelessness, ignorance and greed has truly cut this new generations way of life. For England it seems that a great number of people's anger and frustration is being unfairly directed at people who are not so different than themselves. The idea of being a patriotic Englishman seems to have been hijacked;
'Just because patriotism is all but universal and not even the rich are uninfluenced by it, there can be moments when the whole nation suddenly swings together and does the same thing, like a herd of cattle facing a wolf.' (Orwell 1941)
The contradiction in terms, of which I spoke of earlier, I put down to the philosophy of groups such as the English Defence League (EDL) which, when you speak to most people on the street, are divided as to what they believe. Most will say that they do not enjoying entertaining thoughts of racists and intolerant humans, who riot through the streets like a group of mad foxes being released through chicken pens to destroy and plunder as much as they can take, until they can endure no longer. However, what is worrying is the amount of intelligent human beings whom, whilst not endorsing the violence, seem to respect the philosophy of the EDL which is to 'Stop the spread of Islamism, Sharia law and Islamic extremism in England'. This seems reasonable to most English people who are saturated every day with the media presenting to them the enemy threats, which are nearly always of Islamic or Muslim relation.
The unnerving feeling I get when I see an EDL march or when I hear reasonable people support what they are meant to believe in, is of the 'wolf' which Orwell speaks is no longer an enemy so obvious as the Nazi, but an entire religion of people who are slowly being subjugated to intolerance and hate, many of these people, lest we forget, are English too. Now we see counter demonstrations from the 'Muslims Against Crusades' at EDL demos, giving the EDL further reason to protest and feel that now is the time to take their country back at all costs. The contradiction I feel about the EDL comes from childhood experiences; when you're young and you hit someone, they hit you back and then it carries on. You cannot stop because you must be the last to strike, but you know that unless your opponent stops, you are fully prepared to keep hitting back, whatever the cost and you are fully aware your opponent feels the same way. This is what I think is happening, not just with groups such as the EDL, but a mentality that has been growing ever so slowly in England since mid September 2001, and it has to come to a head somewhere, at sometime. I am unnerved now about the future of this country, as Orwell was when the German bombers were flying overhead.
Intolerance only breeds more intolerance and this is true on all sides. Personally, I feel that soon all the underlying hatred, suspicion and anger will out itself and God only knows who will pay for the destruction and degradation that will come as a result. Orwell said that in peacetime England struggles to fill the army, where as now in the 21st century, the promise of a good and stable career fills the army to an unimaginable number, even to the point where they must turn people away. I hope that the intolerance in England will not engulf the nation; I hope that it is only down to a few racists and intolerant human beings on both sides of the argument but I fear, like the children hitting each other, it will not stop now until one has hit the other unconscious, bearing down on him like the oppressor who has won out with violence and ignorance;
'It needs some very great disaster, such as prolonged subjugation by a foreign enemy, to destroy a national culture.' (Orwell 1941)
In my opinion, Orwell was right when he made this statement and English culture, in it's ever evolving form, is worth fighting for. It's a proud nation full of different races and religions, who's cultures have been enriching and expanding England for centuries. England, although far from perfection, still holds justice, freedom and truth in high regard and equality and fairness for all of its citizens. England cannot be frozen in time, it will survive through the ages until there is no man, woman or child left on these islands but, with the English Defence League and it's growing numbers, the fear and intolerance seems soon to be ignited, worryingly and perhaps now inevitably, England will succumb to this foreign enemy, even if it has created it itself.
Daniel Jan Evans
21st April 2011
Reference
- Orwell, G (1941) England, Your England, Secker and Warburg.
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/6201728
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