Anyone familiar with the discipline of sociology will be aware that we live in a symbolic universe. What that means is that we make sense of much of our social reality through symbols, and a great portion of such symbols are delivered by language. When I use the word chair, each of us have a symbolic representation of a chair in our consciousness and so I do not have to explain what I mean by a chair. It is the same with words like kettle, pen or computer. If I use a word like love however, or a word like Muslim or Catholic or black or gay, then the symbol that each of us carry in our consciousness for words such as these that do not denote a physical artefact will depend largely on our socialisation which will render such words either positive or negative depending on how we have been socialised to see them. Language is dynamic, in that meanings alter between and within societies, and over time. In my lifetime the word gay has changed its meaning completely and is almost never used in the Anglo-Saxon form that I learned as a child. In my world, a fag is something you smoke, but in the US it is something different.
The same thing has happened to the word welfare, which was always referred to as social security until the Tories decided to adopt the derogatory and demeaning American use of welfare and render welfare a negative symbol thus stigmatising people who depend on it. This was quite deliberate in order to begin the process of demonising people on benefits and creating a national hatred for them amongst those who are fortunate enough to have a good job. Remember, the Tories goal is to drive as many people into low wage, zero-hours employment as possible. Into jobs with no rights and no security thus replacing one form of benefit dependency with another because the people in such jobs will be totally dependent on the employer and be prepared to accept whatever conditions are on offer. This is the modern form of slavery I keep warning about. Welfare now denotes dependency instead of its Anglo-Saxon definition of well-being and care. It is a stigma today to be a welfare claimant when you are in fact a recipient of social security.
This is in line with Thatcher's infamous statement that there is no such thing as society. Individuals and families get welfare, usually from charities and voluntary associations, but people who are citizens of a real and caring society get social security. Social security is anathema to Tories because it signals that society has a responsibility to those citizens that society has failed and they will not admit that. People in need of social security are in that position because, according to the Tory gospel, its their own fault. Now, admittedly, some people who need benefits are themselves to blame, but, in the cause of a much greater social need, it is of little consequence if these people are included even though they don't really deserve it. That is the hallmark of a civilised society. I remind you, benefit fraud accounts for only 0.7% of the benefits budget whilst the Tories policies have produced foodbanks, widespread poverty and in some cases starvation. Which is the greatest fraud? Such things will not be allowed in an Independent Scotland, you have been warned.
Your Servant
Doktor Kommirat
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