377. Why no consequences for privileged white men - still?

Laws and rules that apply – often harshly – to working class people and black and brown people somehow slide off easily if you are white, privileged and male.Why? It’s just another question that has been thrown into sharp focus in the hideous 12 months that brought us covid-19, a sort of conclusion to Brexit, the sort of end to Trump and the BLM protests.

The often posed, infrequently challenged question is buzzing loudly in the wake of the multiple failings and double standards of a limp UK administration led by a fool plus the domestic terrorist assault on Capitol Hill by Trump’s MAGA maniacs.

Firstly there was disbelief that some rioters were actually ushered in as if they were attending a viewing at a museum rather than an angry mob whipped up by an absentee Mussolini (Yes – President bone spurs said he would be “with them” but then watched his little coup on TV.) Then there was consternation that so few were initially arrested despite the public nature of their crimes.  All a BLM protestor has to do to get arrested is turn up to a peaceful rally.

FIVE people died as a result of the 6th January insurrection and yet none of the instigators are in custody. Not Donald Trump who fuelled the rage for 5 years, Rudi Giuliani who called for “trial by combat” or Don Jr who crowed about how he was going to “enjoy” the violence.

If you think this is a one-off in a world that congratulates itself when African dictators and perpetrators of crimes against humanity in poorer countries are now subject to international law, take a closer look. In Britain you will see our own ex PM and war criminal currently cosy with boy blunder Matt Hancock and regularly platformed on the BBC and other mainstream media. When Tony Blair – who illegally (ref The Chilcot Report) invaded Iraq became a virus expert is anyone’s guess.

Then turn your regard to the current man ‘in charge’ (I use the term loosely). Boris Johnson is a professional liar, a racist and a man whose tendency to put his foot in his gabbling gobbledegook gob has led to the long term incarceration of a British citizen in an Iranian prison (Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe) and the suffering of her family. Johnson racially insulted President Obama. He inflamed tension with the Muslim community by insulting Muslim women. His private life – if it were one lived by a black or brown or working class person on a council estate, would be eviscerated by the very right-wing press that has always promoted him. And yet – and yet… he is the Prime Minister of a now not-very-united kingdom.

Last week I posted a random quickie about living in The Anarchy of Privilege. I should have said the Anarchy of White Privilege. Though maybe that is almost tautological…

Here in the UK, those who have failed so badly and so often during the pandemic are slyly managing the narrative to switch blame away from themselves and onto literally anyone else. They tried making it young people’s fault when students went back to university despite the enormous toll paid in mental health by the young. They have blamed not following rules. Rules I might add that have often changed 180% at a moment’s notice leaving individuals and institutions flailing with those changes made weeks or months after they were first advised by scientists.

Somewhere along the way, as the media have played ball with the government, the reality that we had one chance to get the pandemic response right and missed it because our PM was busy juggling his divorce and his relationship with his pregnant daughter/partner got lost. It got lost that the UK’s response was too little too late. Let up too soon. There were too many loopholes and while schools were closed many were still flying abroad. Test & Trace has never worked effectively in the UK. PPE was only ever seen as a way to hand lucrative contracts to Tory buddies. Somehow – none of this has been made to stick to Boris Johnson and all other explanations coming up short, it can only be that he belongs to the same elite and untouchable club as Trump and Blair.

There is a deal of talk in the dying days of the Trump abomination about consequences. Any of us who have dealt with toddlers know that consequences need to be closely related to actions in both time and place to be effective. When it comes to those of us lower down the social food chain or people who are not white (or female) that notion of consequences seems to hold. Why then does it rarely apply to privileged white men?