When something terrible happens, the ambulance chasing lawyers rush in both directions. The victims and the defendants. They have one thing in common. They are in cohoots.
At that point, the disaster is no longer the issue. An issue is not an issue until a lot of white upper middle class folks get involved and bring their boys and girls to the feeding table.
For the victims, there's a feeling of gratitude. "If all these highly educated people are taking this so seriously, our injustice is surely in good hands". Often they are made to feel validated and if you are one of the "little people" with zero inclusion previously in the world of barristers, journalists, screenwriters, the lovee set, Oscar nominees etc, it all feels quite BIG.
A sort of grooming then takes hold. The tragedy is then "cast" and invariably, because it has to fit the narrative of "white saviour" or white heroes, the tragedy is whitewashed, the narrative told through a white lens. Because there's a Netflix market for that.
A co dependency takes hold. Journalists evolve into Churnalists, and think about who will play them.
In the past, the "stories" have been told decades later. With Grenfell the "story" was cast within weeks. First time where a major tragedy was framed and put in development within weeks. Folks sent off to meet with Global branding companies and marketing advisors brought in before the full death toll was even announced.
The other dimension is that of race. Almost invariably, the professionalisation and commoditisation of your injustice is by white middle class privileged folks who convince us, quite easily, they are on our side. When in fact they are earning £1000/day while you are strung along for years.
Compensation, if and when it ever comes, after years is a fraction of all these layers. A mother who lost a child for instance received just over £100,000 with the lawyer saying "that's a lot of money for her" based on her ethnicity.
Working class and ethnic minorities, at the receiving end of the injustice, are simply a bottomless pit of opportunity to be mined.
And all this is at the taxpayers expense.
What we have learned is this. It has nothing to do with Justice and everything to do with greed. And an insatiable appetite for content. We are simply extras in our own tragedy with the narrative shaped and told through a white middle class lens.
#learninglessons
@mhclg
@angelarayner
@AlexJJNorris
@MarinaHyde
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