Racism in the UK in 2011

[timwilky]

Originally Posted by reeder

I live in a town where it's unusual to see ethnic/black/coloured (whatever im meant to call it) people, so when I do I can't help as to notice them and I feel I'm staring and by that, treating them differently.

when I first started to work in China in the 80s. The gwai lo was a rarity. Whilst most kids would run upto us for a look, it was strange to also have adults doing it. Boot on the other foot I guess

Originally Posted by reeder

I live in a town where it's unusual to see ethnic/black/coloured (whatever im meant to call it) people, so when I do I can't help as to notice them and I feel I'm staring and by that, treating them differently. With all the media coverage of 'black youths' and everything you see on TV and in films etc I personally do think I see them differently to white people, although I don't want to.
If I ever go to major city one thing that strikes me is just how many people there are of different ethnicities and I find it slightly uncomfortable. I think that sounds racist to read, but in fact I think it's just me not having the experience of being around such people and the influence of the media making me feel differently towards them.

From experience of growing up in east london i am with you on the black youth thing.
Im far more aware and on edge of a group of young black guys than i am of white. Now i know groups of white guys can be scum but this is down to experience aswel as media coverage. Growing up on council estate i knew of stabbings, mugging's, drugs etc etc and they were normally committed by black guys. I had 2 groups of guys try and mug me during my teen years, both groups were black.
your views are moulded from your life experience, altho i know there are loads of groups of white guys that do the same thing im more aware of blacks because my personal experience is of that
but is that racist? i guess to a degree yes it is, your treating someone different due to the colour of their skin

[G]

'Come Fly With Me'... combats some ineresting racial sterotypes... Taj the airline assistant getting questioned by Ian Foot the immigration officer.

Then theres a black lady in the coffee shop.

There quite a lot of blacking of the face with shoe polish going on too.

Very amusing. I must be racist lol.

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

+1

Racism against ethnic minorities, I think is well on the way out. But I do think that as a result we are starting to see the racism within ethnic minorities which has been bubbling under the surface.

i agree you see more white english people friends with asians/blacks than you see asians and blacks friends weather thats ethnic tension i dont know but at college's its quite noticeable

[G]

Originally Posted by irons

From experience of growing up in east london i am with you on the black youth thing.
Im far more aware and on edge of a group of young black guys than i am of white. Now i know groups of white guys can be scum but this is down to experience aswel as media coverage. Growing up on council estate i knew of stabbings, mugging's, drugs etc etc and they were normally committed by black guys. I had 2 groups of guys try and mug me during my teen years, both groups were black.
your views are moulded from your life experience, altho i know there are loads of groups of white guys that do the same thing im more aware of blacks because my personal experience is of that
but is that racist? i guess to a degree yes it is, your treating someone different due to the colour of their skin

That's another thing... You see BREAKING NEWS on BBC or Sky News... there's been a stabbing in London, a shooting in London, a shooting in Nottingham or Manchester.

You can guarantee that it will always be a black community, they don't help themselve.

When that **** goes on every week, people are going to form opinions.

White kids play gangsta, black kids actually get the knives and guns out.

[dizzyblonde]

I have quite a few black and asian friends, most of the asian ones are my work colleagues, and we all work harmoniously with each other. I also have a few Polish friends, now they seem to be the ones that get the jonny foreigner race card thrown at them..not by the younger end of the asian workforce but the older....ie they're taking all our jobs etc.
I don't have a problem with those that wish to live harmoniously with each other, what I don't like is those that make it awkward for that to happen. A lot of time unfortunately it comes from the 'ethnic minority' ( I actually hate that phrase). These people really get my goat.
Peg always says that the Greeks are the most racist group of people on the planet, good job he ain't then, being Cypriot and Scottish, what a mix there.

My closest work colleague bumped into me in Asda a couple of weeks ago, I'd got a copy of film from him and my DVD player rejected it. He asked where I lived, and I said my street and he should know where it is, cause its near etc. He turned round really straight faced, and said
'just cause I'm asian don't mean I know where it is, I aren't a taxi driver you know!'

Well I was mortified, and felt almost embarrassed, his straight face soon bloomed into a massive grin and a roar of laughter. I was relieved to say the least. Luckily we share a friendship as well as just being colleagues.

Originally Posted by G

That's another thing... You see BREAKING NEWS on BBC or Sky News... there's been a stabbing in London, a shooting in London, a shooting in Nottingham or Manchester.

You can guarantee that it will always be a black community, they don't help themselve.

When that **** goes on every week, people are going to form opinions.

White kids play gangsta, black kids actually get the knives and guns out.

That may be true in London, growing up in Liverpool, nearly all the gangs were white lads, the shootings were done by white lads, nearly everytime I got my head kicked in it was white lads. However where I lived was mostly a white area, going into Toxteth a lot of the gangs were black etc. etc. I have not really had any personal experiences that have developed negative impressions of other races. I have found in my personal experience that asians generally seem to be quite poor at time keeping, everytime I have phoned for a taxi and its been an asian driver, the taxi has been late and my asian friends always seem to turn up later than they said they would. That doesnt make me racist it just means that my experience has enforced that stereotype. Like all southerners are pooftas.

Originally Posted by benji106

That may be true in London, growing up in Liverpool, nearly all the gangs were white lads, the shootings were done by white lads, nearly everytime I got my head kicked in it was white lads.

You is black init!

Originally Posted by benji106

That may be true in London, growing up in Liverpool

[JamesMio]

*Disclaimer - THIS IS NOT DIRECTED AT ANYONE ON HERE!

Originally Posted by G

If someone has only ever had negative experiences of
a certain type of culture, they may choose to dislike like that culture on fair grounds...

Having lost both his parents at Auschwitz, then spending years in one of Hitler's POW camps, my (Polish) Grandad has every right to, shall we say, hold not exactly the rosiest of views on Germany and it's people.

But, he's never ushered a negative word about the Germans (certainly not in my company or to my knowledge) for as long as I can remember.

Any hatred or ill feeling towards Germans he would have had in the past is no longer vaild. It's a completely different Germany today than it was 70 years ago, and he accepts that.

Anyway, my point.

Now, if HE's able to take a viewpoint like that, it's taught me to put into some form of perspective all the complete and utter racist bile (from all sides I might add) that's so common place today.

I don't understand racism, never have, and the same goes for religious conflict, morons at Old Firm football games and so on.

So many people should really just have a long, hard look at themselves, grow up and get on with it, for f**k sake!

*Disclaimer - THIS IS NOT DIRECTED AT ANYONE ON HERE!