Gesture politics is being used as an act of misdirection, to mask continued abuses; as if Paul Daniels had pulled a rabbit out of a hat, while surreptitiously kicking Nelson Mandela in the balls. As well-meaning at it may be, banning one episode from a 1970’s sitcom, does not make up for 2,000 years of racism. Worryingly, TV executives seem to think that casting an African American in a dating show, means that somehow, we are ‘quits’ when it comes to slavery.
Being offered the fig-leaf of diversity in a fictional movie, should not make up for having your history erased in real life. Said one BBC executive: ‘I understand the concerns of the black community and we want to offer appropriate reparation – and in that spirit, I offer you these shiny, glass beads and a walk on part in Casualty.’
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