I earn my living by speaking, so words and their meaning are very important to me. Not just the word but how it is said, when it is said and how often it is said. This week’s word is desensitised. Now I don’t know what the dictionary says but I know what it means to me…..something which should have a particular (shocking) affect doesn’t anymore.
I am struggling not to be so affected by the 47 senseless and ever increasing number of deaths on the streets of the Capital.
After the weekend, when I turn on my phone, I now expect to see that another child has been killed. That means Mother’s, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles, friends, associates and indeed a whole community is in mourning….Again. [If you are wondering, anybody under 30 is a child to me]
This time a 17 year old girl known locally as Tanesha, shot dead in a drive by shooting in Tottenham. In my many WhatsApp groups the consensus seems to be that officials don’t care enough to do anything about it. And they won’t, until little white children get killed. Nobody wants that but so moved/desperate are people, I’ve spoken to, that they are now advocating curfews. People are dying at a rate of one every fortnight and if it were terrorism, something would be done. I will leave it to you to decide whether cuts to youth facilities, music, video games and absent fathers have played a part but I am not waiting for anyone to save my children. That is my job. I dont know if I am doing it right because there aren’t classes like that. We all just do our best.
We ALL have to do something as I am sure there is worst to come, which is why mere words are no longer enough. We have to act. Engage young people. Be positive around them. Get three friends who also have children. Go out, reason, set boundaries, grow that tiny network into a village. Then we might get some control. Seems like all the youngsters want is respect. Let us as elders show them what real respect is because even though I earn my money by speaking, I understand Actions speak louder than words.
