My new piece for RT.com OpEdge
Who are the unpeople? Human beings whose views don't matter a jot to self-styled 'democrats' in the West, even though in some cases - in fact, in most cases, they constitute the majority.
What do these groups of people have in common?
* The millions of Syrians - perhaps a majority - who support their government, or at least regard it as preferable to the alternatives.
* Iranians who voted for Ahmadinejad in the 2009 Presidential election.
* Belarusians who support President Lukashenko.
* Libyans who did not support the violent NATO-backed ‘revolution’ against Muammar Gaddafi.
* People who lived in communist countries in Eastern Europe and who thought there were positive aspects of life under communism.
* Ukrainian citizens who did not support 'EuroMaidan'.
* Venezuelans who voted for Chavez and Maduro.
* Russians who support United Russia or the Communist Party.
* Labour party members and registered supporters who voted for Jeremy Corbyn in the leadership election.
The answer is that all of the above are examples of 'unpeople’ - human beings whose views don't matter to Western Democrats.
A belief in democracy should mean respecting the idea that all peoples’ views are equal. However, that's not the way it works in today's so-called 'democracy.' Today, those who have the wrong views (i.e. views which don’t align with the interests of Western elites) are treated as if they don’t exist.
You can read the whole article here
6 comments:
Great piece says it all!! Murdochs minions couldn't follow that
I would have thought that traditional right-wing foreign policy would be to prop up some authoritarian hard man in Syria to bring order so the inhabitants could get on with providing us with stuff and we could get on with selling stuff to them. But, presented with this simple opportunity in the form of Assad, the British ruling-class blockheads prefer to back insurgents to bring him down without any thought that some of them could be jihadists. Then they condemn Assad for attacking them while they are trying to kill him and his government.
Next given the opportunity to co-operate with Putin over Syria they scorn his existence as a diabolical communist while cosying up big time to the Chinese.
We have a right to sane government.
Thanks del- much appreciated!
DBC- very well put. we do have a right to sane govt but haven't had one for many years now.
I am a Venezuelan citizen grew up in a left-wing family, but now located in the grey zones. As I can see you are trapped in a black and white world, an utter dichotomy between good and evil. For people like you any rhetorical statement of anti-imperialism qualifies as pure and good. In the grey zones we can move along with ethics, common sense and free judgment. Maduro’s regime is not leftist, nor socialist, nor democratic. Covered with a pseudo anti-imperialism that dispatch daily-(just in time) oil to the empire. Is a corrupt, repressive and liar regime that wiped out the rule of law and increased poverty. For you, desk leftists European, with a comfortable life in a country you denigrate while praise countries in which won’t live by any chance, I say come and talk with the people of Venezuela. But if you are a non-ethic journalist, welcome to the tariffed of the so-called XXI century socialism.
I am a Venezuelan citizen grew up in a left-wing family, but now located in the grey zones. As I can see you are trapped in a black and white world, an utter dichotomy between good and evil. For people like you any rhetorical statement of anti-imperialism qualifies as pure and good. In the grey zones we can move along with ethics, common sense and free judgment. Maduro’s regime is not leftist, nor socialist, nor democratic. Covered with a pseudo anti-imperialism that dispatch daily-(just in time) oil to the empire. Is a corrupt, repressive and liar regime that wiped out the rule of law and increased poverty. For you, desk leftists European, with a comfortable life in a country you denigrate while praise countries in which won’t live by any chance, I say come and talk with the people of Venezuela. I am sure you are an ethic journalist.
Great stuff,Neil. How about a piece on Belarus now you come to mention it. I read that book by Stewart Parker (?) years ago, but I see next to nothing in the media at all about the place, and what little there is is the usual 'last dictator' stuff.
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