History suggests that the disillusioned and the disaffected do not readily take to the streets nor man the barricades to defend a system that failed to defend them.
David OlusogaRead
No matter that you're a British citizen, no matter that you were born here - your skin colour means you do not have the same rights as others to express critical opinions about your own country.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Skin color can lead to unequal treatment in society, affecting one's ability to express opinions freely.
This quote by David Olusoga highlights the systemic inequality that exists in society based on race. It emphasizes that, despite formal citizenship, individuals may face restrictions on their rights and freedoms due to the color of their skin, which can inhibit their ability to engage in critical discourse about their nation.
Themes
RaceInequalityRightsExpressionOpinion
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech discussing social justice issues.
More from David Olusoga
All quotes →Public buildings, built from the rates and taxes paid by past generations, are being auctioned off by impoverished councils who need the money to pay the redundancies of workers they can no longer afford to employ. Many of these grand Victorian buildings will be turned into flats that most people will never be able to afford.
David OlusogaRead
Black history is a series of missing chapters from British history. I'm trying to put those bits back in.
David OlusogaRead
We nonchalantly expect that next year's smartphone will be faster and better than this year's, yet we struggle to imagine that society and our lives could progress at anything like the pace at which technology advances and we meekly accept it when things go backwards.
David OlusogaRead
Our national history cannot be national if, in the near future, one in three young adults feels their stories remain untold, if this country's long global history of empire and interconnections is marginalised and if the historical reality of race is rendered almost invisible.
David OlusogaRead
Racism is a belief system. It was assembled over centuries from many component parts - bits of biblical scripture, the propaganda of the slave-owning lobby and the pseudo-science of academics working in universities in Europe and America.
David OlusogaRead
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