Anthony Walker, an 18 year old student was brutally murdered in Liverpool on Friday. It seems an axe was used in the attack. He was black and his attackers were white. The press and television news emphasise this point over and over as if, somehow, the boy’s death is even more tragic than if he had been murdered by blacks - or had been white himself.
To achieve a ‘non-racist’ society we must be colour-blind. Emphasising again and again that nasty whites killed the poor black kid actually emphasises the ‘differences’ between us rather than that, in fact, we’re all British citizens, living, working and studying together in Britain with equal rights and responsibilities. Nobody - of any skin colour - wants to have it rammed down their throats that one of ‘their own’ killed one of ‘the other’. This does nothing for unity.
The truth is that this is an appalling crime committed against a young lad which has left a loving family (paraded for the cameras) grieving their loss. The young man was, apparently, a devout Christian and hoped to become a lawyer. His family - parents, sisters, brother, cousins - are devestated. I feel for them not because they’re black but because they’re human. Isn’t that how it ought to be?
Now our politicians and authorities can mouth pompous and meaningless platitudes either to enhance their credibility as multi-culturalists or, simply, to be sure of avoiding any suggestion that they’re not.
Police have arrested two for the crime. Let’s hope they catch the rest - there’s apparently four people involved - and let’s hope (although this may be a forlorn one) that they spend the rest of their lives where they ought to be. Behind bars.
On the same day as as the wicked crime against Mr Walker this man was also stabbed to death, protecting his girlfriend from a nuisance on a bus. It seems a chap boarded the top deck of a London bus and started throwing chips at other passengers. Richard Whelan decided to speak to the man and was stabbed repeatedly by him.
You might not be aware of this case though. The victim was white. All the newspapers make this ‘less’ of a story and, although it’s mentioned on some (internet edition) front pages, you have to search for it in some.
That the attacker was, apparently, black wasn’t even mentioned. It’s only The Times that picks up that detail. - added in the penultimate paragraph of the story.
One can also express sympathies for this man’s family too and, as well, the hope that his attacked is also apprehended and spends the rest of his life behind bars.
One day, we will realise that there is a ‘them’ and ‘us’ in society but it’s not - as our politicians, ‘leaders’ and media hacks believe - one based on colour. It’s one based on attitudes, loyalties and behaviour. The sooner we start emphasising that the better off we’ll all be.

It is somewhat unusual to see a story about a black guy being killed in the street making front page news everywhere. Perhaps the press believe it makes a counterweight to lurid anti-Muslim headlines. A little self imposed PC maybe? Probably not; the press noted that the guys girlfriend was white - so this story hit all the right buttons.
I’d love to join your colourblind society in some form of John Lennon-esque commune, but it simply doesn’t exist. The attack was not set in motion because of an argument over a packet of crisps. I hope one day it will exist but it will probably take a few more generations and a bit more of what is still controversial - race mixing.
Comment by DE — August 1, 2005 @ 5:01 pm
Somebodys listening Gary; Channel 4 just covered both murders in detail. They also made some refreshingly blunt statements about the press in the UK and the cahnces of a fair trial..
Comment by DE — August 1, 2005 @ 6:20 pm
DE,
It will never exist. All humans - blacks, whites, browns - notice the difference in others and not all of them like it.
Which is why celebrating and promoting difference - in the form of ‘diversity’ - is so dangerous. It hurts the people it intends to help.
GM
Comment by Administrator — August 2, 2005 @ 10:18 am
I hate to say it but I think the treatment here is correct:
The first case is clearly racially motivated. The colour of the participants is self-evidently relevant.
This is simply not the case is the second and is therefore, correctly, either downplayed or ignored.
there are other dangerous prejudices around (for example the ludicrous pretence that women and men are physically the same, e.g. the fight to get women into frontline infantry regiments), but I rather think that this is a good example of a laudable colour blindness.
Comment by The Pedant-General — August 2, 2005 @ 11:57 am
PG,
Yes, the first was quite probably racist and the second we will assume - for the sake of argument - was not.
But what of it? We’re not concerned with colour politics here, we’re concerned with violent crime and brutal murder. We are almost saying that the degree of badness when you’ve been savagely stabbed is partly determined by the respective colour of attacker and victim.
The only difference I can find between the two cases is the age of those concerned. This is more relevent although the media are definitely taking the ‘it was racial so it’s worse’ line.
GM
Comment by Administrator — August 2, 2005 @ 3:36 pm