Yet again I have had the pleasure of listening to someone, proud to be from a quiet, old mining village, being unashamedly racist and shouting their support for President Trump. The latter subject, this time, was for remarks he had made about historical sexual assault claims. ‘Why didn’t they come forward at the time?’, ‘They’re obviously full of shit.’, ‘They’re just doing it for fame and money.’ yada, yada….Hello?

I have met many people over the years, all with their own, unique perspectives on life. Many different to my own and I have enjoyed talking, listening and learning about the world through other people’s eyes. Hopefully I have educated and inspired some of them. What I absolutely cannot fathom though, is that, a few people I have met who are just outright, blatantly ignorant, close minded and up their own arse. The language I have heard people use unapologetically, I thought, had all but died out. If I hear this, I will call it out, and believe me when i say, I have lost friends over it.

Women who boast that they are kind and not judgemental, drenching their social media feeds with body positivity and life quotes, calling other women ‘money grabbing whores’ when they claim to have been abused. I’ve hears someone with two mixed race daughters shouting vile racist remarks down the phone line to an ‘Indian’. Openly calling new people in their village ‘Coloureds’ and ‘Darkies’. These people are in their 40’s with children who are, quelle surprise, copying that behaviour. Discriminatory remarks about disabled people and an evident disgust of people who claim state benefits.

I wonder what it would take for those people to open their minds and be less unpleasant? Sure everyone can have their opinions but what are their opinions based on? Whilst there is this mentality within whole communities, respect, equity and equality can’t be achieved.

I have claimed state benefits due to illness, a lack of support and being homeless. I have also worked with people who are fleeing domestic abuse, young mothers who have lost everything newly released from prison after a short sentence and people with mental health difficulties or neurodiversity, who need to claim benefits to survive. Those people have all experienced some kind of abuse from others who call them lazy, insolent and liars.

How are people supposed to live their best life when the stigma and discrimination is so great?

I myself may have biases I don’t realise, but I accept that and will ‘Do the best you [I] can until you [I] know better………..’ (Maya Angelou).

Where has humanity gone? Where is the common sense?