Is Britain A Racist Country?

I’d tend to agree with that as my 3 kids cannot fathom racism or xenophobia. They have wide ranging friendships. My eldests best mate is back and Welsh, my middle kid’s best friends are Polish, Indian and German and my yongest just likes everyone.

Working in a FE college it’s fair to say that the vast, vast, vast majority of young people care not one fuck about colour, creed, race, religion or sexuality.

I’d like to think I have a similar outlook but seeing the Roma begging boils my piss.

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I honestly think that Social Science should be taught in schools. I did the Open University degree in 2006-2010, and not only found the course really interesting, but it also iliminated the majority of my ignorance aross the board with discrimination, gender equality, race, sexual preferences, disabled, and class among all other issues. I found it easy to study and it opened my eyes to a lot of things. How are children supposed to learn about these kind of things if they are relying on family and friends that are learning from their family. Such families that may alreay have ignorant people in them!

I have not tended to shout my views from my soap box in the past, one, because I am pretty useless at putting things into words, I just cannot get my point across in writing, but can when speaking, even if I do it in long winded wibbling way, (see)! And two I do not really want to ram my views down peoples throats, as I do not like it being done to me.

But recently I have thought that people need to know how I feel and not just people at the meetings and talks I go to in Lancaster and Carlisle, as I think it is now a huge part of me. I am a socalist and a fully paid up subscriber to many publications. I do a lot of work locally, with promoting girls and woman’s football in the local area, also sponsoring through my business of full kits for 3 football teams in the area. I help set up trial sessions for girls and give talks to clubs in the local area on the issues. This is one of my main areas, as you would have noticed from some of my posts on this forum.

Now with recent events I am getting more involved in race issues in the local area, which is a slightly more challenging issue, because you cannot walk into racist clubs and give a talk, but it is more about giving talks to people that are ignorant to the facts (schools, colleges, youth zones), it is much tougher. I do not for one minute I am going to change the mind of a 60/70 year old racist! It is all about the smal things, I now wear a t-shirt with ‘Unite Against Racism’ on it and the wrist bands again, yes a very small thing, but I think it is about time people know how stong I feel about such issues.

Small steps… so frustrating at times!

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Actually, Pap, I had intended to say something along the lines of the sentence I’ve highlighted in your post; so, yes, I agree with all that you’ve said above.

Like you, I’m optimistic that the majority in this country are essentially decent people who will never allow Britain to return to racism of former times.

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I moved from Croydon - quite shitty but multicultural - to Halifax. It was an eye opening experience. My primary memory is how every ‘ordinary’ white guy I encountered - mechanic, football fan, tradies in general, assumed I was racist (I should declare my whiteness) and launched into the ‘Paki’ this and that chunter. Professional classes largely kept a lid on it, but I found it to be a divided town with clear racial segregation and associated tensions. I think this applies to a lot of places around there and oop north.

It was a relief to go to the bigger centres and encounter ‘normal’ asian people, but the I felt the racial tension was under the surface all the time.

So that was more than 10 years ago and there were plenty of riots in the area at the time, and since no doubt. The embedded antipathy was so palpable to me as an outsider, it comes as no surprise that the voting patterns in that area can largely be seen as plain old racism. On the positive side, the stout racist burghers of the area can rest assured that they are not being overrun by foreigners opening corner shops as otherwise the vote would have gone the other way.

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There are clearly racists elements, yes. You only have to read internet forums to see that. Sadly there are racists everywhere, but hopefully less and less as the younger generations come thjrough with a more liberal approach to the world.

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I think rascism seems to be more prevalent today, as it gets bundled in with xenophobia and ‘national pride’ by the media, and to a greater extent social media. It doesn’t help that there also seems to be some confusion as to what racism actually is, and as a term I feel it is getting bandied around far too liberally these days. I’d like to think there is less racism in this country, as I don’t tend to see much going on around me, but I think that may be overly optimistic. It would be nice to think that the human race can evolve past racism, xenophobia, territorialism etc, but I can’t see it happening in my lifetime. Now I’m depressed :lou_facepalm_2:

Edit: When I say less racism in this country, I mean compared to what I witnessed growing up in the 80’s and 90’s

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Of course not, we have racists but less than everywhere else, supposed far right parties are laughed and seen as clowns whilst our European cousins have established far right political parties.
In Asia there is still dowry, religious intolerance and a backward view to womens rights.
The middle East is 500 years behind on many things and the US well the US where do you start?
Australia has huge issues from old systems and now the new ones of immigration and they actively sink refugee boats.
New Zealand has a pretty good record of human rights but they have quite right leaning parties as well.

We aren’t the worst in fact for tolerance and acceptance we are one of the best.

Judge a Country not on the village idiot but the laws in place and whether the people respect them, most here do respect the laws.

We’re ok and better than most, in fact name me 3 more tolerant Nations on the planet?

Looks like we’re joint 16th with Burkina Faso :lou_smiley:

Some people undeniably are (Barry for one), but then a lot of the Brexiters aren’t (Pap for instance).

I’d like to think we can set the bar a bit higher than ‘tolerance’.

Oh Cherts you are a one, a right little whopper.

Originally posted by @Barry-Sanchez

Oh Cherts you are a one, a right little whopper.

Come up with your own insult, jeez.

Ok then Cherts is a moose lover and we hope he doesn’t threaten us again with his Candian passport and moving, it shook the UK to its foundations and I hear Tusk, Juncker and Merkel are trying to sort something out for you, hold on be strong my child.

:lou_lol:

God your bantz is good. I can see that’s why your missus is with you

:lou_facepalm_2:

You have good eyes if you can see that far.

I reckon Cherts is Bazist, and Baz is Chertsist.

It’s a vicious circle.

He is a tit if that’s what you mean.

Well I think this might be a good place for this.

Could have cross posted it to the Trumped thread - note the support for Donald.

Disgusting.

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Cannot wait to see Akala next week.

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