Response to Striking Scorpion 82 Brexit Vote Video

Hi all,

I believe that politics shouldn't enter gaming as its a place we go to enjoy a fantasy world, to immerse ourselves in imagination away from reality. But equally I despise misinformation and cruelty.

I recently viewed a video by SS82 that made me unsubscribe from his channel and prompted me to write this post as I felt so visciously angry at his disregard for truth evidence and humanity. If you put forward such arguments you MUST provide supporting evidence.

I will not link his video, it is easily findable on his channel. However I will state he urges Britons to vote to leave the EU. I will not tell you to vote to remain, but I will present evidence for why his arguments are factually incorrect and his attitude was not only racist but incalculably regressive.

Flags

SS82 says they are being taken away by the EU. How so? It is true that in England particularly the union jack and st George's cross are not prominent and frowned upon. But where is the evidence this has anything to do with the EU, it is merely a reflection that in very recent memory and even the present, they have been liberally used as iconic symbols of far right activism. 

The 80s saw the prominence of the national front movement wear the flags as symbols of hate, racism and homophobia, a divisionary movement that time has shown was wrong, with greater equality always persevering against all opposition though gains still need to be made.

Equally the last decade saw the rise and fall of the British national party and the continuing rise of UKIP and the EDL whose members time and again demonstrate those same right wing attitudes, simply glibly hidden behind a more subtle guile.

These flags were NOT taken away, we chose to put them in a box for shame of what they had come to represent. That shame will only be rectified by using them as symbols for peace and unity. 

Traditions

We have Morris dancing, shin kicking, biscuit throwing, caber tossing, worm charming, pasty competitions, cheese chasing traditions. We have a tradition of satire and comedy so bleak and equally ridiculous. These have gained greater notice and prominence as we become a more aware world, there is simply no evidence to suggest that the EU has had any Machiavellian hand in removing them from our collective personalit.

We are a United kingdom of countries and counties, each wonderfully distinct and laughably proud.

We laugh at ourselves like no other country and I am so very proud of this. Indeed I have a union Jack tattoo on my body as I love our pessimism as a people, our love hate relationship with the weather and our ability to take and include any and all cultures that come to rest in our land.

Laws

Does the EU make our laws? No. Simply no. Since we have been within the EU, less than 15% of our own Parliament laws have been dictated by European mandate [1] [2] and those that have include strikingly important and progressive laws on the environment to name one hot topic [3].

Indeed, the European bill of human rights, so vehemently derided by the right wing was drafted by primarily a British legal expert after world war 2 to safeguard all peoples of Europe from the state [4].

Many will dismiss this as left wing propoganda, but the good thing about facts (like global warming) is that they are true whether you believe them or not. They are not a malleable tool.

Evidence demonstrates that the EU has little to no bearing on our laws or our traditions.

Indeed we have a history of resisting change and utilising vetos when we truly believe our position to be correct.

Migrants

Finally I will draw your attention to Luke Barkers repugnant phrasing of migrants as snakes in our society.

Snakes? A Christianity defined byword for evil from the garden of Eden that persists today (no blame or judgement on Christians merely an observation of its origin).

The office of national statistics in combination with ipso mori shows that perception of the public and actual reality are frequently at odds. The public consistently rate the percentage of our population as 30% Migrants and that these are draining our welfare system.

Not only is the true number at 13% (15% including illegal immigrants) but migrants are less likely to claim benefits and are less likely to claim them illegally [5] [6]

Even the most conservative estimates show that illegal immigrants put more into our countries economy than they remove [7]

Being a migrant is not a dirty word. They come for a new life, to escape war and destitution. Some of our life staples such as tea and curry are migrants in our country, yet we embrace them willingly into our culture. So why not the people?

The long view

History has shown that as we integrate in our ever more connected world we improve our humanity. The rate of wars has fallen dramatically in Europe and the world in general in the 20th and 21st century, even when two world wars occurred [8]

An Englishmen in America was instrumental in the development of the internet, and another the iPhone. Scientific collaborations throughout Europe and the world have lead to inventions beyond our imagination mere decades ago. These are only possible working TOGETHER. 

Nationalism is the short view. That we somehow own a land that is 15 billion years old, we are merely caretakers, the shores of the UK witnessed trillions of sunrises and sunsets before our ancestors, migrants themselves stepped foot on its land, when it was not even an island.

Humanity must unite as we move forward to progress and develop. History shows that United we stand and divided we fall.

Conclusion

I will never tell you what I think you should do.

But I will tell you that looking for the evidence yourself, objectively with your brain and ignoring your heart will lead you to the conclusion that fits reality. Please seek out the evidence, follow the links I've presented and make up your mind according to facts, not spurious speeches and venomous vitriol.

I am a scientist and I live by that method, to never judge without seeing, or to think without looking or dismiss without knowing.

If we as a country became rent with war, I would hope the humanity of others (particularly Europeans) would be our refuge, so why not have that humanity ourselves. If we do not, who will lend their hand when we need help?

I would normally sign a post with peace out, but that optimism feels lost in the face of such ignorance for the real world, the facts of it, and replacing with a fantasy that far outstrips the table top.

I will merely apologise for any offence I may have brought and I will gladly accept and understand those who choose to no longer follow me or rebuke me in my comments. Unlike Luke I will not censor those who disagree. 

SS82 is free to his opinion, I am free to mine and you to yours. But an opinion without evidence is as mist on the wind.

Be kind, be good, be human.

Rob

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