KRAZY KATS

Welcome to Krazy Kats - a friendly informal online community discussing life issues that we care about. Open 24/7 for chat & chill. Come and join us!

    Why is no one asking questions about the south London slave story?

    Kitkat
    Kitkat

    Why is no one asking questions about the south London slave story? Empty Why is no one asking questions about the south London slave story?

    Post by Kitkat Fri 13 Dec 2013, 18:01

    "Invisible handcuffs" ??  Huh? 

    What this all really boils down to is sensational journalism. Tactical reporting - as seen all too often. Media agenda is everywhere - adding to the increasing list of urban legends to be found on almost every subject.

    It's actually a very powerful tool which can work for good or bad - all depends on whose hands are operating the tool.

    It was just over two weeks ago that the most sensational story of the year hit the headlines: slaves had been found in London.

    A London detective inspector, Kevin Hyland, informed the world that ‘we have never seen anything of this magnitude before’. The UK home secretary, Theresa May, echoed his sentiments and said she would make tackling modern-day slavery her top priority. She said there was ‘one positive’ to the case of the south London slave house: the public had finally become aware of the issue of slavery, which, according to May, continues to have a ‘shocking presence in modern Britain’. By this time, claims that thousands of people in Britain were being held in conditions of ‘slavery’ were circulating in the media.

    Detective inspector Hyland may not have seen ‘anything of this magnitude’ before -  but the fact is that what he saw, or imagined he saw, was a fantasy of slavery rather than the grim reality of forced servitude. Indeed, the story of the south London slaves rapidly unravelled. Early reports hinted at a heroic rescue mission involving detailed planning and up to 40 police operatives. But within a few days it became evident that the three ‘slaves’ were not slaves as we have traditionally understood that term. Certainly they were not physically held against their will. Contrary to early media reports, which suggested the three women had been imprisoned in a house for 30 years, later accounts revealed that they went outdoors to run errands and had access to telephones and a television.

    As the initial story of forced imprisonment became difficult to sustain, the narrative of scaremongering shifted - now focusing on the psychological and emotional horrors the women allegedly suffered. Suddenly, the image of the iron collar and chains used by slave-owners gave way to talk of ‘invisible handcuffs’.


    Read on ...  http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/slaves_in_britain_its_an_urban_legend/14390#.UqtHPeLDN1A

      Current date/time is Fri 29 Mar 2024, 06:40