Burn baby burn
A visceral hate is still being propagated throughout Europe, thanks to the same malicious gossip and unfounded rumours levelled at people who do not adhere to what are purported to be society's norms
David Andrews
Friday, 14 July 2023, 14:54
Temperance, Susannah, Mary and Alice... Growing up near Exeter, I was always fascinated by the sign on the gatehouse (in ruins) of Rougemont Castle. The ... plaque remembers the last people to be tried and executed for witchcraft in England. As a child, I found the site mysterious as it conjured up dark images of mischief and malice. As a teenager, the feelings towards the place became more nauseating and less magical; gone was the hocus-pocus imagery, to be replaced with the idea of four terrified women being hanged for not complying to the established rules, malicious gossip, unfounded rumours and a brutified society desirous of believing the worst of its fellow (wo)man. The text at the end of the commemorative stone reads, "In the hope of an end to persecution and intolerance."
Fast forward 350 years and where are we now? A similar visceral hate is still being propagated throughout Europe, thanks to the same malicious gossip and unfounded rumours levelled at people who do not adhere to what are purported to be society's norms.
Here in Spain, there is a very real possibility that the far-right could form part of the new government following the elections on 23 July. Vox are unbashful about their "agenda" and clear about what they will do if they do get into power. The local and regional elections have shown that, where they have been allowed to join government, they are unrelenting in the pursuit of their ideals.
Spain, since the 1980s, has progressed into a modern European country. Our laws are some of the most forward-thinking in the European Union. Other countries, both in Europe and Latin America, have based their modernisation on some of the bills and amendments passed here. Our country has recognised and legislated regarding: gender-based violence, women's rights, divorce, abortion, LGBT rights, euthanasia, etc. Some of these changes, at the time, were met with resistance and seemed to be too forward-thinking; however, with hindsight, these social advancements have been assimilated by the Spanish population and now are viewed, by the vast majority, as fundamental human rights which are not open to any kind of discussion: divorce, violence against women, equality, etc.
What horrifies me is that this hatred has always been there. It has just been bubbling under the surface, waiting for a political party to champion these bigoted views. The target of all this loathing is usually some ethereal "lobby" whose goals, they believe, are to overthrow the status quo and restrict the rights of the silent majority.
Any improvement in human rights surely benefits society as a whole and is not aimed at undermining anyone else, rather putting everyone on a level pitch. Paraphrasing the words of the TV demi-god(dess) Ru Paul, "If you can't love [empathise with] somebody else, how are you going to love yourself?"
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