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peUations” Aisha Phoenix and Ann Phoenix argue that even though the riots wete
multi-ethnical the black communities and black culture are put to blame, because
they are seen as the antitheses to normal white society, as something false. The idea
was that young black men threatened the normalcy, thus illustrating the intersec-
dons of gender and race in the discourse.46
Starkey ... seem not to be seeking connectedness and understanding, but t°
assert their viewpoints, which involve pathologising blackness without addressiug
the underlying polidcal and socio-economic causes of the riots.47
Conclusion
The media did very litde to try to understand the riots of 2011. There was a quick
demonization of everyone who were out on the streets. The discourse followiOg
the public unrest adhered to a long tradition of delegitimizing and depoliticiziug
all activity that does not adhere to the law and order. Tonnes of categories %vefe
implemented to form dualities that clearly described acceptable and unacceptabk
behaviour. The excluding process of not belonging to the norm was severe, people
got their autonomy stripped from them, they were no longer humans. They ofll}
acted the way they did out of criminality, disease and insanity, out of deficient be'
haviour and culture. They were not. a part of society.
In this context the term underclass was utilized. Following a troublesome hif'
tory, it too has been used to symbolize something defective and sick. Even thougb
it would encompass the lower economic strata of the working class it took an etU'
powering identity away from them. They were not allowed to belong to the wofb'
ing class because they were not productive enough. Even though they worked, the)’
were not wealthy and healthy enough to call themselves working class. Simpl)' b>
living in the wrong neighbourhood would exclude them from calling themselveS
productive. Many times not being white would also exclude you from the workiug
class. Not adhering to the heterosexual norm of the nuclear family would make
them deficient in behaviour.
What is more, I would argue that the answer is not assimilation or integrati°n
into the dominating norm. It would seem that this would be impossible, since U
is excluding to begin with. Instead the norm needs to be destroyed. Empoweriug
identities should be claimed by those most marginalized in society, perhaps the
term working class needs to be redefined and reclaimed. There is a wrongness i°
continuing to exclude people from a class on the basis of false morality. Not whe11
at the same time the basis for capitalism is built on theft, through the exploitati°n
of labour and the idea of property.
46 Aisha Phoenix and Ann Phoenix, “Racialisation, relationality and riots”, p. 10-11, 62-65.
47 Ibid, p. 65.
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