By: Dr Matevž Tomšič
One of the mantras of modern woke progressivism is that society is sharply divided into two categories – oppressors and the oppressed. This division is said to apply to modern Western society as well. On one side, there is the oppressive majority, composed of the native white, Christian, and heterosexual population. On the other side, there are so-called oppressed minorities, including ethnic and religious communities, often those who have immigrated from the so-called third world, as well as domestic marginalised groups, such as the LGBT population. These supposedly endangered communities are therefore seen as deserving of unconditional systemic protection.
However, this portrayal is highly ideologically driven, stemming from a negative attitude, if not outright hostility, towards Western civilisation. As such, it often does not reflect the actual state of affairs or presents it in a very one-sided way, for example, by uncritically projecting patterns from the past onto the present. For instance, American society is often portrayed as racially unequal, where African Americans are still said to be subjected to discrimination, oppression, and violence (there is even talk of so-called systemic racism). It cannot be denied that African Americans, on average, are in a significantly worse socio-economic position than their white counterparts, and that racial prejudices still exist among the latter. However, there are also numerous mechanisms of so-called positive discrimination that favour underprivileged minorities. When it comes to violence, the picture becomes far more complex. Statistics show that some of these minorities are disproportionately represented when it comes to committing violent crimes. For instance, whites are much more likely to be victims of violence committed by African Americans than vice versa. This complicates the issue of who is the victim and who is the perpetrator, casting it in a different light.
The distortion of the narrative about who is at risk becomes even clearer when examining the case of the Roma in Slovenia. For decades, left-wing politics, the media, and NGOs have convinced us that the Roma are a marginalised ethnic group. It is true that this community faces many problems, such as low material standards, poor living conditions, low levels of education, high unemployment, etc. These issues are tied to the weak integration of the Roma population into the majority society, especially evident in southeastern Slovenia.
However, the majority population in these areas also faces problems, specifically with the Roma and their actions. There have been numerous incidents involving members of these communities that threaten people’s safety and property. Over the summer, a Roma student brutally beat his peer – inside a school. Even more shocking was the attack by a group of Roma on a police patrol near Kočevje. Not to mention the “smaller” attacks, threats, burglaries, and illegal occupation of private land, which have become a regular occurrence in these areas.
Leftists argue that the cause lies in the underprivileged status of the Roma population, blaming the majority population for the poor integration of the Roma due to their lack of acceptance. But this is a distortion of the facts. The state has been generously providing various forms of social assistance to the Roma for decades (funded by taxes paid by the majority population). The judiciary and law enforcement agencies are relatively lenient in punishing the offenses committed by members of these communities. Schools tolerate the non-attendance of Roma children. In reality, it is the local non-Roma population in southeastern Slovenia that is at risk, as they are often victims of violence from some members of the Roma population.
To address the Roma issue, there is no need for special laws, strategies, or measures. What is needed is consistent enforcement of the rules so that they apply equally to everyone. It is unacceptable for a particular group to be given concessions in the name of some supposed “cultural particularities”. This approach harms even (or especially) those members of the Roma community who wish to integrate.