Why taxpayers may feel oppressed by National Theatre of Scotland's anti-oppression training

Societal guilt is being exploited by businesses that enable organisations to be seen to be doing something about injustice

Warning. It’s possible that at some point during this column you might end up feeling oppressed. Apologies in advance if that happens but don’t blame me, instead pick on The Scotsman for their abject failure to send me on training to deal with that.

According to the National Theatre of Scotland, “anti-oppression training is increasingly being provided by organisations in the UK”. That’s news to me and I suspect to most organisations in the UK but it’s always good to know where priorities lie.

Before a production, our National Theatre now requires performers and production staff to undertake a course to “examine how systemic inequality and discrimination manifest with a particular focus on anti-racism and anti-blackness”.

Racism is a form of oppression, but the UK has a long history of other kinds, such as the oppression of working-class people who laboured in mines and 'dark satanic mills' (Picture: CM Dixon) | Print Collector/Getty Images

The weight of the world

Their latest production focusses on the collapse of the Royal Bank of Scotland back in 2008. From memory that was based on arrogance and avarice at its Gogarburn HQ rather than race-based oppression.

Back at the National Theatre, trouble is brewing because the invitation to anti-oppression training excused “people of colour or from the global majority”. Following a complaint from the Free Speech Union that this treats one racial group less favourably than another, the NTS chief executive has now launched the inevitable and predictable review.

This is complicated stuff. And here was us thinking actors were just paid to pretend to be other people? How wrong we were. They literally have the weight of the world on their shoulders.

The dictionary definition of oppression is “a situation in which people are governed in an unfair and cruel way and prevented from having opportunities and freedom”.

Oppression comes in many forms

Slavery and ongoing racism is the most obvious example of that. But it could also extend to poor Americans duped into taking out sub-prime mortgages they couldn’t afford and who were then left homeless after the housing bubble burst, leading to the RBS collapse.

And what about all those from the past who had to work in the dark satanic mills or down the mines or agricultural labourers or the 60,000 conscripted and blown to pieces on the first day of the Battle of the Somme? Who were those poor people oppressing?

The history of this country has been a ruling-class minority holding down and exploiting a working-class majority. This oppression business is not as straight forward as it seems.

And that’s what it is – a business. Societal guilt on a whole range of issues has been exploited by an entire ecosystem of trainers and consultants offering their services with a promise to help tackle wrongs and injustices. Naturally this changes nothing from the past or the present but it allows organisations determined to appear as progressive to be seen to be doing something.

The National Theatre of Scotland production about RBS won’t be any better and it won’t be any worse because of this. Audiences will buy tickets to see it if they are interested in the subject matter or the cast or if it gets good reviews or word of mouth approval.

In fact, all anti-oppression training will do is take money out the £4 million budget NTS receives each year from the Scottish Government. Or rather, you the taxpayer. If that leaves you feeling oppressed, no doubt there will be a course to deal with that.