The year is 1985. The place, central Manchester. A large guy in a full "National Front chic" is giving a much smaller and younger man a hard time. The victim is of either Indian or Pakistani descent, I can't tell from the bus stop across the street. The only thing I'm certain of is that he's not a Sikh, because he's not wearing a turban. There are three of us at the bus stop and it's late evening so the street is otherwise empty. Two of us are looking uncomfortable, almost huddling into the corner of the bus shelter. I'm just getting angry. This bastard is doing this in my name, he's claiming to be speaking and acting for everybody "white and British."
One of the fundamental principles of just about any martial art is that you are not ever supposed to be the aggressor, not supposed to initiate the fight. I'd completely taken that on board in my own years of training, so to this day I am not entirely sure why I just put my gym bag down in the bus shelter, walked across the street and gave the bigot the beating of his life. I don't remember what I did. You never really do when you're going pretty much all-out. I do remember the bloody knuckles, the sore knee and the "blocking bruises" up and down both forearms though. I also remember telling his victim "People like him are not this country." He starts to thank me in a Gujarati accent, but I just shake my head at him and indicate with a gesture that we should both be elsewhere. He takes the hint. I never saw either of them again and the incident wasn't reported anywhere, not even on the "police notes" pages of the local paper. It was like it never happened to anyone not involved.
I am not, by any means, advocating violence or suggesting that I did the "right" thing thumping a guy I knew I could beat to a pulp but this guy was acting on his hate in my name. He was hanging his hate on me and putting me under that same repugnant banner, just because I happened to be the same color as him. To me, that was an act of aggression more profound than anything physical.
The things your government is doing are being done in your name. The things your so-called "president" are saying are being said in your name. They are becoming what everybody else thinks of when they hear the word "America."
You need to do something about it.