Europe and elsewhere

 

one Reader Comment in The Guardian

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The events in the USA should be a warning to us in Europe and elsewhere.

Suddenly we were made aware of how paper-thin the veneer of civilization and democracy is - even in the supposed protective power of the so-called free Western world.

Yet glaring contradictions have accompanied the U.S. since its beginnings.

Having just escaped the unjust feudal conditions in Europe, the new settlers had nothing more urgent to do than to let African slaves toil for them.

As an aside, the troublesome indigenous people were almost completely wiped out.

That the unspeakable racial segregation was still common practice until the 60's of the last century is also hardly comprehensible.

Black GIs were forced to risk their lives side by side with their white comrades for "freedom" in the fight against fascist racists in World War II.

Afterwards again at home, however, they had to use separate [restrooms] only for blacks.

Aspiring black star Sammy Davis Jr. was only allowed to use the front entrance and main elevator in Las Vegas instead of the back entrance after Frank Sinatra intervened.

Not to mention the systemic racism in the current U.S. police system.

A revenge-based penal system and in addition commercialized prisons with a logical consequence:  among the highest per capita prison population in the world.

Democracy is not a state, but a constant process of development and, above all, it has to defend itself - always.

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