In simple terms, this quote speaks about how people often perceive basic needs or fundamental rights as extraordinary when these necessities are unattainable due to systemic issues. It highlights situations where a person finds themselves struggling with basic health care or finding suitable educational opportunities for their children and views such essential services as radical because they have become so scarce.
The deeper meaning of the quote reflects on how societal expectations shift when fundamental needs are not met consistently. When someone is gasping for breath in a hospital, it becomes glaringly clear that proper healthcare should be available to everyone, but its absence is perceived as a crisis. Similarly, securing a place for one's child in a school should ideally be straightforward and expected, yet when this process turns into an arduous challenge, it prompts a reevaluation of what society deems as standard or even radical. The quote challenges the notion that certain services are radical rather than fundamental by highlighting how far we've strayed from considering them basic rights.
Jess Phillips is a British Labour politician and author known for her outspoken stance on social issues and her activism in areas such as women's rights, education, and healthcare. She has been a vocal advocate for making essential services more accessible to everyone, which aligns with the sentiment expressed in this quote. Through her work, she aims to highlight systemic flaws that make basic needs seem unattainable or radical when they should be fundamental human rights.
