Sure, in movies, on the big screen, you have your Mary Sues and your infallible Gandhis. You have your “too good to be true” Atticus Finch personas. Your too noble to make questionable decision types. The theme is universal – from political figures to superheroes. The ideal human, as a trope, won’t be ceasing anytime in the near future.
But it’s all fiction. And I talk about fiction because it claims to be rooted in reality. Much too often fiction colours how we see the world around us. It's certainly my tool for telling stories that echo real life.
In real life, saints do not exist. Even if saintly actions do. That flawless person who everyone aspires to be, doesn’t exist. That infallible, almost deity like persona never walked the earth. Just pick any historical figure who is celebrated for what they did, and you will find flaws, some more disturbing than others. .
But that’s not the point I am setting forth here. No, my argument is in defence of humanity as a collective of “mixed bags” that deserve a decent life. See, all of us have our demons, our flaws, our selfish desires. We've all made questionable choices, some of us even ended on the wrong side of the law. But, given the opportunity to stand up for what is right, to put others really, truly before them, the “mixed bags” often do rise to the challenge.
And for that, all “mixed bags” deserve a decent life.
Let’s face it, humanity will never be perfect, but we can create a society that allows them to be their best selves. For when we take away fear and oppression, when we strip away the incentives that bring out the worst in us, we take a step towards building a better world. When we set the right objectives, when we choose a path that leads to less destruction of life, we take a step towards building a better future.
I say these things because there is a culture of victim blaming that exists. And this culture is deeply rooted in pointing out flaws of the victims as a means to negate justice. They point to the troubled past of individuals and the criminal record they hold.
George Floyd is a perfect example.
He has a troubled past. He has a criminal record. For that we can well and truly recognise that he isn’t a saint. But he learnt from his mistakes, he did the time, and he came out a better person - even if it did take him sometime to reform. A person who urged others to disarm and make peace. And he certainly isn’t some superhuman who alone could face down multiple, armed men. Which is why we need a movement to shake up the system – a collective of thousands of human beings. Because when people get together, we help create a better world, where the system encourages goodness and oppression is mostly absent.
Murder of George Floyd is not justified. It, morally and legally, does not fit any kind of justification. Morally, what sense does it make to murder someone who has repented and led a better life. What moral sense does it make to kill someone who was, in that moment, not a threat to anyone? And legally, what defence can the guilty make, when murder, in that situation, is not a justified action. And please, do not even bother to say it was some kind of “punishment” that happened for George’s past crimes – he had already been sentenced, remember? So as one mixed bag to another, stop going around in circles!
The reality of the world we live in is that victims are still shamed. And it is despicable. It’s like telling a victim of sexual assault that they were somehow inviting it upon themselves. It’s like telling someone mired in poverty that somehow, not being able to choose where they were born, is their fault. It’s likes telling someone who got hit by a speeding vehicle that perhaps, even though they were at a pedestrian crossing, they still should have, somehow, accounted for a speeding driver.
Conversely, consider this. Would it be justified to murder law enforcement officers based on their past conduct? So if an officer of the law had brutalised a person of colour, is it justified to kill them for it, as opposed to doing what is lawful?
Well, ok, I don’t have all the answers, but as a writer, I feel compelled to create characters that are deeply flawed and situations that are completely unfair. Yet, they find way to carry forward, if not individually, then as a collective. And despite their many character flaws, they find the courage to do the right thing.
There are no saints, never have been, but that doesn't mean we cant act in a way that creates a better future, which guarantees a better life. Because we all deserve it, despite our many flaws.