The saying, ‘You can’t fix stupid,’ came to mind when I saw the widely circulated clip of a bunch of rowdy Chelsea fans taunting a black man and pushing him of a train, twice. I say stupid because first of all, it’s a train, not a private jet so anyone can use it. Secondly, the black man who endured abuse could be a Chelsea fan too. Maybe he was late for work or wanted to catch the game at home or at his local pub. Not every fan is keen on wearing his or her club’s colours. Thirdly, Chelsea, the team the clueless fans claim to support has black players. Let’s do a quick count: Kurt Zouma, Didier Drogba, Willian, Loïc Rémy, John Obi Mikel, Ramires… So really, what they did is deplorable and sadly, no amount of fines or life bans can stop racism. Other tragic events in recent days that made me wish we could all just try to treat those different from us with more respect and kindness include the following: The killing of a Jewish man outside Copenhagen’s main synagogue, which prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge European Jews to return to Israel in the face of increasing attacks, not only in Denmark but also in France, Germany and USA. Fearing for their lives, Jewish-owned or run schools, temples, supermarkets and the like across the world have had to request for round-the-clock security which should not be the case in 2015. Didn’t we learn anything from the holocaust? Last week in the USA, a 46-year-old atheist handed himself in after killing three young Muslim students who were his neighbours. Some reports suggest it was a hate crime, others claim it was a parking spot dispute. Whatever the case, dreams were cut short when a young husband studying to become a dentist, his wife of two months and her sister were murdered. Earlier this week, Isis released a video of 21 Coptic Christians who were beheaded at a beach in Libya. At least 48 Iraqis were also burnt to death by the same group who’re also reported to be holding about 18 Kurdish fighters they have threatened to burn; like they did to a Jordanian pilot they took hostage weeks earlier. In Turkey, a woman was stabbed and beaten to death by a man who tried to rape her. After the 26-year-old victim attempted to use pepper spray to ward off the attacker, he beat her to death with an iron bar before enlisting help from his father and a friend to burn and dump the body in a river. There’s also the Russia-Ukraine crisis that has claimed thousands even as both countries have signed ceasefire agreements a couple of times. Elsewhere, more migrants continue to flood the Mediterranean hoping to make it to Europe. Hundreds have drowned and these last two weeks, thousands have been rescued and sent to Lampedusa off the Italian Coast for processing. No doubt thousands more are on their way too, fleeing poverty, unrest and conflict from countries like Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya and Somalia. All this pain and suffering is not about to stop. Why let religion, race and greed get the best of us?
