By waving about the term “uncivilised”, what are we saying about our communities? By commodifying the term, turning it into an ironic fashion statement, who are we empowering?
As the situation in Ukraine continues to escalate in instability and violence, it’s been reported this week that over two million people have now fled Ukraine in the pursuit of safety from the Russian invasion. However, like many of the conversations around immigration in this country, media outlets, politicians, and public figures have been using language couched in the ‘good’ v ‘bad’ immigrant rhetoric. But this time, we’re hearing the term “civilised” being used when referring to Ukrainian refugees.
This isn’t to say that Ukrainians fleeing the war and violence should have to experience the same plight as Syrians or Libyans fleeing violence, for example, as no human should have to face border violence. But it’s to simply point out the glaring double standard of Western powers when it comes to who is – and isn’t – deserving of support.
As I watched news reporters lament the arrival of war to Europe and mourn the suffering of fellow “blonde-haired, blue-eyed Europeans“, I couldn’t help but feel sickened by the blatant double standard on show in our media and political landscapes. Some refugees, it seems, are more deserving of help than others. The same countries that greeted Syrian refugees with rubber bullets and tear gas are welcoming Ukrainians with open arms, warm homes, and clean clothes. As we should be doing for all people seeking refuge.
Organisations that were apolitical in the face of all other conflicts are suddenly very vocal about Russia’s actions. Influencers and celebrities are dismayed at how something like this could happen in our lifetimes, blind to the decades of bombing and invading enacted in the name of red, white, and blue. The same news channels that portray Palestinian children with rocks as terrorists are live streaming the production of homemade Molotov cocktails, heralding this a heroic act.
“By commodifying the term “uncivilised”, turning it into an ironic fashion statement, who are we actually empowering?“
We’re told that this is because they are “civilised people”, which leads us to the unspoken conclusion that Black and brown refugees are therefore “uncivilised” and undeserving of help from Western nations. And with the United Nations finding that people of colour were indeed experiencing racism and discrimination on the Ukrainian borders, it seems this conclusion isn’t too far from the truth.
And yet, people of colour seem to now be attempting to reclaim the term “uncivilised”. My social media feeds in recent weeks have been filled with pictures of people doing mundane everyday activities – like going for brunch, taking selfies, and hanging out with friends – all under the hashtag #uncivilised. Of course, it didn’t take long for the ever-turning cogs of capitalism to churn out a t-shirt too, boasting the word “uncivilised” in English and Arabic – offering you the option to reclaim the word for a small fee.
Don’t get me wrong, reappropriating language has provided the opportunity for many communities to regain power and autonomy over slurs that once defined them. But in this case, something just doesn’t sit right with me. Who gets to reclaim the word “uncivilised”? Is it my Libyan family fleeing the civil war in search of safety in Europe? Or is it me, a hijabi with a British accent, ironically wearing an “uncivilised” t-shirt tucked into Topshop jeans?
By waving about the term “uncivilised”, what are we saying about our communities? By commodifying the term, turning it into an ironic fashion statement, who are we actually empowering?
“Uncivilised” is a label that has justified wars, invasions, pillaging, foreign policy, and anti-terror legislation.”
This notion of civilised versus uncivilised peoples is one steeped in colonial connotations and it reveals the ugly and violent reality of the white supremacy that’s deeply ingrained in Western societies. “Uncivilised” is a label that has justified wars, invasions, pillaging, foreign policy, and anti-terror legislation. It’s a word that divides. Dripping in blood. It’s the reason some people are condemned to the fringes of Europe in camps for years and others get to arrive on planes as expats.
The unspoken subtext of this social media trend is that it’s supposed to be ironic. It’s ironic that a picture of me doing something normal and boring, or exceptional and cool is juxtaposed next to the idea of being uncivilised. For this to succeed, however, the person wearing that “uncivilised” t-shirt or using that hashtag must be far enough removed from the idea of what it actually means to be uncivilised in the Western imagination. Or, put simply, they likely have the luxury of a proximity to whiteness.
As a visibly Muslim woman, I face systemic and ingrained discrimination, but it’s more nuanced than that. My British accent, education and upbringing shield me from certain prejudices. If the purpose of calling myself “uncivilised” is a tongue-in-cheek joke where I’m not uncivilised, then isn’t the next logical step that others are, in fact, uncivilised after all? All we’re saying when reclaiming this term is “I’m not one of them” because my proximity to whiteness shields me, but what of the people who don’t have this privilege?
“Instead of reclaiming this term, it would be so much more powerful to use our privileges to hold governments and decision makers to account…”
Unless we have seen our loved ones at the mercy of the deep, dark ocean in desperate search for a better life, only to be met by purposefully created obstacles, left to the mercy of a racist state, and pushed from European border to border, is “uncivilised” really ours to reclaim? Is it a word to be taken so lightly that it should find its way onto a £10 t-shirt that we’ll wear a couple of times and forget about once the ‘trend’ is over?
Instead, it would be so much more powerful to use our privileges to hold governments and decision makers to account as it’s they who have been responsible for some refugees being met with closed doors and others with open arms. We should focus on challenging the double standards in the reporting of this conflict compared to others, and not let it just become another viral trend that’s forgotten about the following week.
“Uncivilised” doesn’t need to be reclaimed or made our own. We need to tear it open, break it apart, and dismantle the very root of the idea itself.
Nadeine is a teacher and new mama from East London who writes about her identity as a mixed-race Muslim woman, motherhood and current affairs. She also runs a bookstagram where she reviews books by marginalised writers. @nadeinereads
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