Can you imagine?

If you don’t mind, I would like to tell you a story. A story about a man, a man who loved his country, his culture and his language as nobody did. Can you imagine him?

This boy was proud of his origins and his history. He lived, enjoyed and was concerned about his language—and dreamt in his language. Although he knew other languages, he treated his own the best he could. But suddenly, he noticed that everything he had done to protect his language was about to be demolished, no explanations given. The man withstood peacefully the blows he had received, as his grandparents did.

The man, an IT lover, saw the social networks as a place to announce his patriotism. But soon he started to be insulted and despised. He was told to stop feeling what he felt. He was also told that people like him should be executed, or that a bomb should be dropped on his house. They belittled his language and its history, insulted him only for his origins. He thought that it might just be the work of cowards hidden behind anonymity, that this couldn’t be happening. So the boy kept on withstanding, peacefully, as his grandparents did.

But the leaders, who let his country get impoverished on purpose, kept insisting that he had no right to decide on his own and threatened him with military intervention. They lied to him so that fear would make him change his ideology, his thoughts, his life. The lies got bigger and louder but again, he withstood the attacks peacefully, as his grandparents did.

Can you imagine this man? Can you imagine his powerlessness? Nobody appreciated his history, the one which his grandparents died for. Insulted, deceived, threatened, without being heard. 

Can you imagine? Can you? Now I would like you to imagine this man being a dark skinned person and reread this article. This time, however, visualizing that this man is a black person suffering from the prejudices of those who feel superior.

Does this seem like racism for you? Personally, I think it does.

This is the reason why Catalans feel the way they do. And that’s why we really want to be INDEPENDENT.

VISCA CATALUNYA LLIURE!

 

Jordi Corominas

@jcorominas