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| A scene from the documentary The Silence of Others |
A few weeks ago, I read
in an article that the impasse regarding Brexit negotiations is
considered, both by Remainers and Leavers, humiliating for Britain. According
to one poll, 90% of the respondents agreed that the way the UK is dealing with
Brexit is a national humiliation. The author of the article, Professor of
Political Psychology Barry Richards, referred to an increasingly influential
body of psychological theory which emphasises that “the need for dignity is
basic to our psychological make up. To feel that we have been stripped of it is
very threatening and destabilising.” He makes the distinction between feeling
humiliated and feeling betrayed and his advice is to avoid endorsing and
amplifying the sense of humiliation. He also suggests that the word
“humiliation”, and others (such as “traitor”, “betrayal” or “treachery”)
shouldn’t be used in the debate.
