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Bill Gates is not a dangerous person. The Bill Gates Foundation has been donating huge amounts of money to pay for vaccination programmes in countries that have no government paid for access to such. Epidemiolgy is a key area in that planning and those behind things like QAnon, seem to forget that Ebola, Mers, Zika and Swine Flu were all recent pandemics, which had to be contained using exactly the same procedures the world is using now to deal with this one. Contact tracing has been a key part of battling pandemics for decades. There are companies, organisations, and community networks that specialise in exactly that. It makes perfect sense for someone, who has expertise in app and os technology, that could be applied to contact tracing, to be developing technology and strategies and pitching for government contracts. What is at play here is Western arrogance. Because none of those outbreaks became global pandemics thankfully, there is an assumption that we are only facing a pandemic because of some conspiracy to create one. Asia and Africa know differently. There is and was never any conspiracy to unleash a global pandemic. In fact, the opposite is true. Bill Gates has been part of a group of organisations dedicated to trying to avoid that very scenario. That some people now try to paint his dedication to healthcare as some kind of globalist conspiracy, is ignorant and offensive.

QAnon is a made up conspiracy theory and anyone with half a measure of intelligence can see that right away. Your ethnicity has nothing to do with anything in your post. So why you feel the need to state it in some bizarre defence of a conspiracy fantasy you are flirting with is baffling. Fundraising for political parties is not illegal. All parties take donations. Political activism similarly will align itself with one party or another. Why? Because lobbying that party through government is the only way to influence change. This is as true for Republicans as it is for Democrats. Are the NRA and KKK a front for the Republicans? By your logic, they must be.

Robbie, just stop it please. There is no conspiracy around Covid. Virologists who are constantly researching viral mutation in all kinds of zoonotic forms have been warning of the increasing risk of a pandemic for a long time. This is nothing new. Nor does it have anything to do with politicians or billionaires. Next you will be arguing that QAnon has merit, when in reality it is a conspiracy theory dreamed up by poorly educated Trump supporting wierdos who think Soros is the bogeyman. As for the claim that Covid was created in a lab....here is the truth, from bona fide peer reviewed and corroborated science. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/09/conspiracies-covid-19-lab-false-pandemic?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR1lrdFeekMQaUSmvdMHqv6jjSsPoc3L_Y9-WT7BYymIoNbGA1h8_v-Uyp4

The answer might be to attach some kind of alarm to the shed or bike. There are lots that are cheap enough to buy and small enough to be unseen by any burglar.

Here is the reality. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47485240

Almost certainly they did. We now know there is an incubation period of 7-14 days in most people. And when doctors first started noticing something in Wuhan, they were silenced by local authorities. I think the virus could have been establishing itself for 8-10 weeks before Beijing took it seriously. So plenty of times for it to start spreading around the globe. It is highly likely that when Europe and the USA were finding their first confirmed cases, that the virus was already spreading way beyond what governments thought they were dealing with at that time.

Plus I would argue that the range of statues that have gone up over the past 20 years HAVE broken with the moulds (no pun intended) of the past. So the history of statues are in themselves a history of the shift in the range of achievements we value, both past and present. A good example of that was the push back on a statue of Thatcher in Parliament Square.

I would dismiss any idea that any lab deliberately released an engineered virus. But something escaping accidentally is not impossible although bats are also studied everywhere in the world because they harbour so many viruses but never get sick from them. The problem here though is that there are hundreds (if not thousands) of experts analysing this virus around the world and the overwhelming majority of them disagree with Birger S?rensen's conclusions. So who is right? It is hard enough for experts to decide, so the general public have no chance. I also agree that when you look at the people involved in pushing this claim, that there seems to be an effort to lay blame so that reparations can be claimed. My instinct says that politically, this is going to get very nasty over the next few years, whatever the truth may be.

fishbiscuits Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I also kind of like the idea of putting it in a > museum... lying on it's side, complete with > graffiti. With an explanation of both the slave > trade and the BLM movement. Excellent idea!

Nor does your response Clutterqueen.

The toppling of the statue in Bristol, makes sense in the context of the demonstrations. Anger at a statue is not the same as violence towards Police and others (which is never acceptable), so I never feel too much outrage at graffiti on statues. That can always be removed easily. And to be fair, Churchill WAS a racist. Yes he was the right person for the job during WW2, but he was also responsible for the fiasco of Gallipoli, and other controversial decisions. So for some, Churchill is a mixed bag. It does not take away from WW2 to discuss that and I think we have every right to question the narrative around some of those we laud from history. It is about balance and fairness at the end of the day. The whitewashing of history is something black people have always been aware of. There are no lessons to be learned from history in doing that. How can we understand the rage of another group if we never see where that rage stems from? On Bristol, there had been a long standing campaign to remove/ amend this statue, ignored by the local council. So very few are mourning its loss. I agree that the best place for it once retrieved, is in a museum, where the good and bad of historical figures can be considered in context. In its place, I would like to see a memorial to the slaves he exploited. That would be a powerful statement and a poignant tale of protest. One for the history books in fact :)

Lack of representative diversity is an issue in many sectors, often related to class boundaries to be fair. Middle class children tend to have better access to instruments and school orchestras.

Crows are notorious for stealing chicks (and then eating them) so that is possible. At the same time, birds can nest in guttering, under rafters etc. They don't need very much space, so the smallest of alcoves suits them. Having said that, you would know if chicks were nesting as they are noisy things once they get going :) You've done all the right things, so hopefully there will be a happy ending.

I agree tiddles. I don't think government really understand how much that defence of Cummings has undermined any measures they are trying to enforce. To be fair though, things were always going to be more challenging once the good weather came. There is an air of complacency at the moment for sure. Things may look very different by October though, once seasonal flu and other coughs and colds take hold.

lol Malumbu. Looking at the transcript of the radio exchange with the caller Cat, I doubt the presenter will be admonished in the end. Seems to me as though the caller did not have the patience to validly challenge the presenter on his lack of understanding of white privilege. On the other example, without seeing the twitter exchanges that got him fired, it is hard to know what happened there.

I'm sorry ED Bird, but I have to call you out a little on that post. You are making assumptions about people you have never met. You have know way of knowing what any of us has or has not done to combat and call out racism (in all its forms). Yes, debates can become polarised, usually due to the intolerance of strongly opposing sides to listen to each other, and really listen. The way to cut through that is to not react to it. In my experience, most people with strong views can be talked down to a sensible tone with some patience. And for the record, here is an example of something I once had to deal with. Two decades ago, I worked somewhere that employed around 40 people. They had just one black employee (their first ever). He was new, and on the usual 3 month entry probation. He was well liked by staff and clients alike. At the end of that probation, he was told by the manager he would not be kept because 'he didn't fit in'. That was the kind of bs that black people faced every day (and probably do still in many places). Happily though, all the staff got together and the clients came on board too and forced the manager to reverse that decision. 20 years later and that kid is now the manager and that place is better for it. THAT is what can happen when white people challenge the racism of other white people. So you see, some of us have always had our eyes open to it and more than that, have stepped up to do something about it, in our own small way.

It's a long article. How am I supposed to know which parts you are referring to? What you agree with and what you reject? There is a long list of black people dying at the hands of Police. Every time it happens, change is demanded, accountability is demanded, and nothing changes. When cases are brought, the officers are always acquitted. Will that be different this time? Why would anyone think it will be? And when all that is done, whose fault is it? The Police Force, the Law, the government, or the education, parenting and culture of the person who snuffed out yet another life in their custody? Go to any football terrace (well not at the moment obviously) and you will hear racist chants. It IS systematic, but it is also deeply ingrained in sizeable parts of our culture, and we ARE collectively responsible for doing something about that.

Nope, that article is the view of the writer. And he twists the intent and meaning of other people's words with it, which is why he aligns a factually correct statement from Nigella Lawson, with white shaming. Worse than that, the writer seems to not understand why there is offence caused in 'latent' (or casual) racism. I could address every nonsensical point made by him. He just comes across as yet another white male struggling with the concept of ethnicity and power. And just to add, that the killing of George is not just about him and four white police officers. It is every black person that has been killed or beaten by over zealous white police officers who were never held accountable. Racists won't listen to black people who tell them they are being racist. Therefore it is up to people they will listen to, to tell them that. When James Cordon says ?This is our problem to solve?, this is why he is saying it.

But you are still being nuanced. Social pressure exists in many forms. Some people cave in to it, others don't. So that is very much an individual matter, linked often to issues around self esteem. As for social media, most people just don't see the point in wasting time arguing with armchair bullies. There are better ways to spend ones time and campaign for change. It would help I think if you gave an actual example of 'uber progressive' language, and how that leaves someone feeling they can not air their view. Otherwise all of this is a bit vague to be honest. The discussion needs detail and examples.

The problem is Cat, that you have alluded to open discussion being suppressed from white people, but haven't given a single example and I would still like you to list just who has been stopped from airing views on social media. Because as far as I can see, those who have been banned from SM are extremists who peddle nonsense like 'The Great Replacement' and other racist conspiracy rubbish. You are very good at skirting around what you would really like to say. So let's cut to the chase eh? ;)

All of the same arguments were levied at previous stages of mobile development and have been shown to be unfounded. The use of electromagnetic radio frequencies has been in play for decades. We all use TV/Radio and mobile phones.

I am curious to know who exactly TheCat is thinking of when arguing that some people have been taken down on social media for expressing views around this subject ;)

This is an article from the US from three years ago, but all of its content remains relevant today. https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2017/07/24/10-examples-that-prove-white-privilege-exists-in-every-aspect-imaginable/ Sixty percent of the US population are white Caucasian. So why are other ethnic groups so disproportionately impacted by everything?

TheCat Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It seems you have a different definition of > privilege than Janaya Khan (co founder of black > lives matter), who says that?"Privilege isn't > about what you've gone through; it's about what > you haven't had to go through." I am mystified as to how you can conclude that by anything I wrote. Read my post again. It was a valid point on the historical development of entrenched privilege and why it is so hard to compete with. If however you want to debate a quote by Janaya Khan instead, that is fine (I agree with her point too btw). Just don't conflate that with anything I have not actually said ;) > So, surely by everyone being involved in the > dialogue (rather than white people being > #MUTEDBUTLISTENING...or #SILENCED depending on > your viewpoint) means minorities can be elevated > so that no one has to 'go through' it...so no one > loses their privilege, just some people gain > it..... But that ignores the central point I made about self preserving entrenchment of class based privilege. That exists. Those who have most never want to give any of it up. If they did, there would be no Monarchy, no public schools, no institution of any sort that rewards people by the luck of who they are born to. Yes we can have detailed debates about that, but none of that changes the inequalities caused by that entrenchment of privilege. There was a documentary a little while ago that looked at the struggles of Black graduates entering into certain professions, like law, the city etc. All the data shows that black students can go to the same colleges as their white middle/ upper class counterparts, do better in their final results, but fail to be as successful as those counterparts in being recruited to top city firms etc. THAT is an example of white privilege self preserving. It seeks to preserve its own class culture. This is precisely why BAME/ working class/ Women etc struggle to climb ladders and break glass ceilings. And when they do, it because they can play the game, become like those whose club they are allowed into. It rarely changes the other way round.

The answer to your question TheCat is in the role that class, money, opportunity, and history, plays in privilege. In most societies, that is owned by a small percentage of the dominant ethnic group and/or in some societies, the dominant cultural group. The issue with Imperialism and Empire, is a historical legacy of that being turned upside down in 'acquired' colonies by a minority group who exploit the rest. This is where the legacy of white privilege finds its roots, with people of other ethnic groups being the ones exploited most. Black people understand this perfectly. So do many white people. And you state, quite rightly, that those who benefit from white privilege need to be part of the solution. However, why would they be incentivised to do anything that compromises the privilege they enjoy? Most of them can't even acknowledge the privilege they enjoy over other white people, let along think they should do anything to level the playing field. Privilege is a self preserving construct. This is why very little actually changes in the social order until it is forced to do so.