Is there a more despicable slogan than “Not in my name” ? It is hard to imagine one. Alternatives that could have been used- “No War”, “Stop the bombing”, “No killing”, and so forth – would all have been superior. They would have focussed on what was being opposed. They would have argued against the dangers of death and destruction. They would have been clear and to the point.

But “not in my name” ! This turns things around. The most important issue is not the war, not the killing, not the dead or dying but the danger than someone might think that they agreed with it. This is the sanctimonious cry that “I didn’t do it, I knew better”. To the #notinmynamer it is more important that they escape any blame than we consider  who dies where.

Sitting in the comfort of a safe home, enjoying the technologies and freedom of an affluent open society they also  need to have clean souls and a feeling of superiority. As they hashtag an apt quotation, or repost a shameful picture, they signal their virtue; that they knew what was right and they are not to blame. There is no attempt to enter the debate, or find a solution to the horrors, simply an escape hatch from feelings of guilt and avoidance of difficult decisions.

Ironically anyone using the slogan ought to feel ashamed.

3 thoughts on “Not in my name

  1. Ooh, now I fear I have to take issue with this somewhat, dear writer. You may well have some valid points to make here but as an advocate of the tag, not in my name, back in 2003 when Tony Blair, the sycophantic Catholic denyer and traitor wanted to ally the UK with the USA on his crusade with dubbya, I specifically objected to it for, amongst other things, presuming that he could wage such a massacre under the cloak of the name of the country of which I am also a citizen. This was his personal choice, his adventure, his legacy pursuit, his religious mania but only under the national mantle could he hope to be seen to be doing it as of right. I needed to make him aware that he did so without my support and against my express consent or wish. I needed that for me. I was crying inside. Mine was not a cry of “no war” though I’d always prefer to avoid one where possible, this was a howl against this particular baseless slaughter, against his hiding behind any apparent veil of democracy. I will stand by it to my dying day. What’s been done with it since is, I grant you, somewhat facile and unimaginative. If someone wants to kill fascists like these misbegotten nutters in The Levant [sic] with their Kalashnikovs and bomb vests, please tattoo my name on their forehead before you pull the trigger. But please, can we be a little more subtle than proposed? If air strikes were as precise as we’re led to believe, does it not occur to anyone else as odd that we didn’t try it in Belfast in all those years? If they had, I think I would have used exactly the same tag line or taken up arms myself.
    Love & Peace

  2. There is a big protest going on in India right now that just started two days ago and it is based on this slogan. It deals with the unjust Muslim lynching’s since 2015 and it may have something to do with Hindus eating beef. I have not seen anything on the regular news about this yet.

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