It should just be a silly nonsense - an heroic myth, taken up by a religion and attached to a country he never visited, but, instead, it has become an absolute disgrace that is now more a celebration of nasty right-wing jingoism and an opportunity fir Neanderthals to flaunt their xenophobia and racism.
Today, the cross of St. George is rightly regarded as a symbol of extremism and, specifically, of racists, belonging to the likes of the BNP, UKIP and EDL. In a recent survey a quarter of English people think it is a symbol of extremism, and yet some supposedly well meaning campaigners argue that it is harmless and want an English anthem, an English parliament... they seem to think that England (a country that hasn't existed in any meaningful form for over 200 years) needs to divide itself off from others at a time when political union, co-operation and integration are clearly the way forward.
George, if he was a real person at all, never visited England and, of course, never fought a dragon. He was fom Turkey or Lebanon (nobody's too sure) and used violence to support and impose his religious faith on others, but, despite this , the Catholic church don't recognise his feast day any more.
So why do we bother with such nonsense? St. George's Day is, at best, a pointless frippery but, at worst, and more often, is an outright affront to civilised society. It is about belief in a supernatural big buddy. It is about dividing the UK. It is about nasty jingoism and evil. St. George's Day is, today, a celebration for stupid people to display their lack of education.
St. George's Day has no place in the modern world, and its message is bad for society. We don't need a patron saint and we don't need a day that enables racists and xenophobes to highlight and celebrate their beliefs.
No comments:
Post a Comment