PETTY AUTHORITARIANISM: THE HANDMAIDEN OF REPRESSION

 

Yes, I know, “Handmaiden” sounds sexist. However I know of no better or more poetic way of explaining myself and just for once hope you have enough respect for free speech to just bear with it....why am I wasting time making this point? Perhaps I’d better get on with it.

A few days ago my wife went out for a walk along a country lane and on returning told me how she had come across a lady walking a dog who made a big production out of standing to one side, as far into the bushes as possible and glowering at my better-half until she, smilingly, had gone on her way. This sort of thing doesn’t happen to us too often, thank goodness, but it does so occasionally and makes for a distressing or in the case of my wife’s walk, disappointing experience. Some time before that, we went into a cafe-bar in which my good lady was asked to wear a mask. “I’m exempt.” she cheerfully replied. At that point she was asked to produce a lanyard evidencing a disability. We both pointed out that this isn’t required in law and that refusal of service could constitute discrimination under the Equalities Act, electing, since we now felt uncomfortable, to leave the premises. We were both told quite aggressively to leave a pub after we declined the then voluntary “track and trace” system and once when returning from overseas, I self isolated for 14 days which at that time was not required at all, but this didn’t stop an ill- informed publican from asking whether I was supposed to be in quarantine and when I objected to being asked this pretty rude question, telling me to “F**k off out of my pub!”

There are of course, too many stories like this, of bus drivers throwing kids off the bus, shoppers glaring at people who are not wearing a mask, or shopkeepers demanding proof of facemask exemption. It goes further than this with internet trolls on all sorts of platforms, even those resisting this madness, using bullying tactics to shout down “anti-vaxxers” (What  the hell is an Anti-vaxxer and why is it spelt with two X’s?) and “conspiracy theorists.” Fortunately, the common decency of humanity generally prevails and these sorts of incidents are relatively uncommon, but for them to have happened to me and mine on the four occasions I’ve listed above is four times too many.

And this brings me to my point. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website offers this insight:

 

“Essential to the intimidating effects of the terror was the willingness of many German citizens (whether out of conviction, greed, envy, or vengeance) to denounce their fellow citizens, Jewish and non-Jewish, to the police. The Gestapo could not have exercised such control over German society without the benefit of this steady stream of denunciations, many of which were entirely unfounded.”

 

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nazi-terror-begins

 

The sad truth is, that, far from even believing they are doing any good, the sort of people who feel obliged to react in this way are quite simply, life-frustrated, insecure, insignificant, often unpleasant bullies lacking the courage to do anything about their own unhappy lives, filled with resentment toward others, who suddenly find themselves in a position to legitimately, as they see it, denounce their fellow citizens. Imagine the long-term unemployed man, desperate for a job, who applies to become a “Covid-Marshal.” I don’t know what the qualifications are for this but suppose that having two arms, two legs and a head and being able to breathe and walk pretty much does it. Utterly without a place in the world yesterday, today he is empowered to yell at some poor sap, probably suitably wimpy or pathetic-looking, “HOY! YOU! SOCIAL DISTANCING!” grinning inwardly as the target slinks meekly off, or to ask someone where they think they are going, revelling in the obvious intimidation he is causing. We are now surrounded by people who feel themselves entitled, whether at work or leisure, to treat other people with disrespect, suspicion, derision or outright hatred. Make no mistake, these sorts of people are, quite frankly, dangerous and despicable. They will take every opportunity to snitch on you, engineer a confrontation they think they can win, and the only way to take the wind out of their sails is to stand up to them. Explain, calmly and politely, that you do not have to provide evidence of  face-mask exemption, remember that Covid-Marshals are not police officers and do not have the power to detain you,  and above all that you are entitled to respect. People like this have no ability in normal life except to behave unpleasantly but in these circumstances, they actually have the ability to deny service to you, harass or intimidate you, ask impertinent questions of you or attempt to shower you with disapproval.  We all know people like this. The only difference is that the “pandemic” now legitimises their disgusting behaviour.

I would never try to encourage anyone to behave in an antisocial manner. But quite honestly, if you’re out walking and someone looks at you in a funny way, I wonder what would happen if you smiled at them and said, “Are you all right?”