Racism in England, I might have been wrong

[Danishfurniturelover]

So as a few of you know I work part time at B&Q, recently we have had two incidents of racism. One from a guy in his 30's and one froma 19 year old.

Jarring for me because my closest friend there is a 20 year old Muslim lad who when he is not wasting his time at university we are doing a forex course together.

Both racists were sacked after investigations.

I also help out at Hove greyhound stadium with friend who trains dogs. On certain days if you were watching betfair or greyhound TV you could see me putting dogs in the traps. The guys who work track and maintenance there, Jesus the amount of racism. Have heard several of them use the N word.

They also seem to have a bit of a problem with gays. I actually complained to Entain about it and was told I was not licensed to be at the track anyway. Mad way to cover it up.

I'm not woke or even politically correct. But I think I might have been wrong when I thought racism was a thing of the past.

Also seems to me that the is an issue with young men in this country, whether they actually think these things or say it to fit in or because they think it's funny. It seems like a bizarre lack of confidence in some young men here in this country.

Anyone want to tell me what's going on? Am open to ideas.

 

[Lemonade Money]

So as a few of you know I work part time at B&Q, recently we have had two incidents of racism. One from a guy in his 30's and one froma 19 year old.

Jarring for me because my closest friend there is a 20 year old Muslim lad who when he is not wasting his time at university we are doing a forex course together.

Both racists were sacked after investigations.

I also help out at Hove greyhound stadium with friend who trains dogs. On certain days if you were watching betfair or greyhound TV you could see me putting dogs in the traps. The guys who work track and maintenance there, Jesus the amount of racism. Have heard several of them use the N word.

They also seem to have a bit of a problem with gays. I actually complained to Entain about it and was told I was not licensed to be at the track anyway. Mad way to cover it up.

I'm not woke or even politically correct. But I think I might have been wrong when I thought racism was a thing of the past.

Also seems to me that the is an issue with young men in this country, whether they actually think these things or say it to fit in or because they think it's funny. It seems like a bizarre lack of confidence in some young men here in this country.

Anyone want to tell me what's going on? Am open to ideas.

Tabloid newspaper readers.

 

[Grays_1890]

So as a few of you know I work part time at B&Q, recently we have had two incidents of racism. One from a guy in his 30's and one froma 19 year old.

Jarring for me because my closest friend there is a 20 year old Muslim lad who when he is not wasting his time at university we are doing a forex course together.

Both racists were sacked after investigations.

I also help out at Hove greyhound stadium with friend who trains dogs. On certain days if you were watching betfair or greyhound TV you could see me putting dogs in the traps. The guys who work track and maintenance there, Jesus the amount of racism. Have heard several of them use the N word.

They also seem to have a bit of a problem with gays. I actually complained to Entain about it and was told I was not licensed to be at the track anyway. Mad way to cover it up.

I'm not woke or even politically correct. But I think I might have been wrong when I thought racism was a thing of the past.

Also seems to me that the is an issue with young men in this country, whether they actually think these things or say it to fit in or because they think it's funny. It seems like a bizarre lack of confidence in some young men here in this country.

Anyone want to tell me what's going on? Am open to ideas.

Racism still exists because there are still a bunch of cnuts in the world, thats the issue. I find the issue is more prevalent in the sticks where it has a chance to breed within groups who do not self govern for want of a better term. Not shocked that its still prevalent in an industry like Dog Racing because its the same in the Horses and there is a not much to see here vibe rather than admitting their is a problem.

 

[Jurgen the German]

I don’t think you will ever eradicate racism just like we won’t ever get rid of crime, it will always be present everywhere, not just in this country. Human nature is flawed. My wife is from Hong Kong (born in the UK) and we were in holidaying in Wales a couple of months ago and this young lad of about 14 said something racist to my wife. She laughed it off and made him look like a fool but I regret not giving him a clip round the ear even though I’d never hit a child, he totally deserved some sort of punishment or humiliation. The good thing is there are laws in this country and in America that prevent discrimination, doesn’t mean it will go away but it wasn’t even the law decades ago.

 

[Grays_1890]

I don’t think you will ever eradicate racism just like we won’t ever get rid of crime, it will always be present everywhere, not just in this country. Human nature is flawed. My wife is from Hong Kong (born in the UK) and we were in holidaying in Wales a couple of months ago and this young lad of about 14 said something racist to my wife. She laughed it off and made him look like a fool but I regret not giving him a clip round the ear even though I’d never hit a child, he totally deserved some sort of punishment or humiliation. The good thing is there are laws in this country and in America that prevent discrimination, doesn’t mean it will go away but it wasn’t even the law decades ago.

Interesting you mention the clip round the ear, but I think where you realise racism is not such a problem is where there is a level of self governance. I have been lucky enough to live in East and South London in terms of a real high level of multiculturalism, where as you say, yes idiots exist but I have seen someone get an absolute pasting of a dressing down from white people who have witnessed racism, seen it more than once. And I think that goes back to my original point of where racism is almost allowed to thrive in certain environmetns based on the local experiences or lack of them.

 

[Glenda's Legs]

I think we need to be careful about complacency where we think racism is less prevalent, as it is still so enshrined in many organisations. Look at the Met and other police forces, look at recent reports about the fire phalanx, look at reports on pay differentials, look at reports how people of ethnic minority are treated differently by the NHS. It might not all be deliberate (eg the report about training in neo-natal care still using advice from donkeys years ago about looking at the colour of a baby’s skin to judge for jaundice and other illnesses) but it is still there. Thankfully there is more focus now and many companies are doing more to bridge the gap and raise awareness but there’s a long way to go still.

 

[parklane1]

Tabloid newspaper readers.

Lot of turth in that and the rise of social media over the last decade has seen it more prevelant. However its allways been there but as i say its more in the open now then it was a couple of decades ago. As a kid my parents moved around quite a bit and by the time i was 11 we had lived in several different parts of the country ( i was born in Fulham) during that time we lived in Manchester, Norfolk, the Midlands and a couple more. I was always fighting the local kids because of my accent etc and i was a target for them.

Different type of racism maybe but its always been there and the sad thing is it will only get worse with as i say the rise of social media. T w atter, facebook etc.

 

[K.D.D.D.D.Soc]

Lot of turth in that and the rise of social media over the last decade has seen it more prevelant. However its allways been there but as i say its more in the open now then it was a couple of decades ago. As a kid my parents moved around quite a bit and by the time i was 11 we had lived in several different parts of the country ( i was born in Fulham) during that time we lived in Manchester, Norfolk, the Midlands and a couple more. I was always fighting the local kids because of my accent etc and i was a target for them.

Different type of racism maybe but its always been there and the sad thing is it will only get worse with as i say the rise of social media. T w atter, facebook etc.

Easy to hide on the net.

 

[parklane1]

Easy to hide on the net.

Indeed, it gives them a chance to wallow in their blindness.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

I think we need to be careful about complacency where we think racism is less prevalent, as it is still so enshrined in many organisations. Look at the Met and other police forces, look at recent reports about the fire phalanx, look at reports on pay differentials, look at reports how people of ethnic minority are treated differently by the NHS. It might not all be deliberate (eg the report about training in neo-natal care still using advice from donkeys years ago about looking at the colour of a baby’s skin to judge for jaundice and other illnesses) but it is still there. Thankfully there is more focus now and many companies are doing more to bridge the gap and raise awareness but there’s a long way to go still.

I'm starting to think the is more of it about then I thought. Did not realise and it has shocked me a bit. I grew up in London and remember combat 18 but they were full on nutters, where as now I am noticing more casual racism rlthen I ever had at anytime in my life.

 

[Lilbaz]

People are going to be angry. They are going to be rude. They will hate. There will be idiots and there will be those that are just evil and cruel.

We will never get rid of that.

What we need to do is educate (especially from an early age). That that is wrong. Also ensure that if you are that way there will be serious consequences for your actions.

 

[Lilbaz]

We also have to understand that racism isn't a one way street. It goes both ways.

If i am white it doesn't mean i was a colonialist or a slave trader. I am not the cause of your problems. I am not by default a racist.

 

[spurspinter1]

We also have to understand that racism isn't a one way street. It goes both ways.

If i am white it doesn't mean i was a colonialist or a slave trader. I am not the cause of your problems. I am not by default a racist.

It's kind of a given that if someone is basing a negative generalisation based on an individual because of their ethnicity, that's pretty much the definition of racism. That your ancestors may be colonisers / slave traders does seem a different thing, it's not guaranteed unless proven but it is generally more probable if you're a white guy from the UK. And obviously whatever anyone's ancestors/ country has done previously aren't the responsibility of the present individual but it's good to have a bit of awareness.

This idea that black / asian people can't be racist is a phony argument to trigger daily mail readers in to thinking it's only a one way street but nobody serious thinks it / believes it.

Well done to the OP admitting they were misguided. There's plenty of racism about but usually people are less brazen, people like to test the water with "You can't say anything these days" and then it slowly seeps in and if you react you're the problem for apparent not getting it's a joke.

I remember calling someone out for using the P word (abbreviation of Pakistan) and they said "What's the problem, there's none of them about I checked". If you have to do a neck swivel to see if you can use a certain word or tell a joke, chances are you should just shut the fudge up.

 

[Bullet]

There are still huge amounts of racism, sexism, intolerance, bullying, anti-non-binary feelings etc

Including on this website. Anti-fat. Anti-bald. All sorts

 

[Jurgen the German]

I think we need to be careful about complacency where we think racism is less prevalent, as it is still so enshrined in many organisations. Look at the Met and other police forces, look at recent reports about the fire phalanx, look at reports on pay differentials, look at reports how people of ethnic minority are treated differently by the NHS. It might not all be deliberate (eg the report about training in neo-natal care still using advice from donkeys years ago about looking at the colour of a baby’s skin to judge for jaundice and other illnesses) but it is still there. Thankfully there is more focus now and many companies are doing more to bridge the gap and raise awareness but there’s a long way to go still.

I think that’s a fair analysis. Like I said before, I don’t think racism will ever truly go away as human nature is tainted but I honestly do feel like things are better, that doesn’t mean it’s mission accomplished but one of the most uncool things these days is to be racist. We need to keep shaming people for it just like we did when people didn’t wear seatbelts and how we shamed people to stop smoking.

 

[Jurgen the German]

There are still huge amounts of racism, sexism, intolerance, bullying, anti-non-binary feelings etc

Including on this website. Anti-fat. Anti-bald. All sorts

One of the last things it’s seemingly ok to mock but it shouldn’t be. I also feel ageism is one of the few remaining acceptable prejudices in western culture. Completely the opposite in countries like Greece, Italy and most of Asia where old people are revered and asked for guidance.

 

[Glenda's Legs]

I think that’s a fair analysis. Like I said before, I don’t think racism will ever truly go away as human nature is tainted but I honestly do feel like things are better, that doesn’t mean it’s mission accomplished but one of the most uncool things these days is to be racist. We need to keep shaming people for it just like we did when people didn’t wear seatbelts and how we shamed people to stop smoking.

I would agree better in terms of awareness, better in terms of there being more people willing to call out racism when they come across it. Whether things are actually better in practice though, I wouldn't feel qualified to judge.

 

[Jurgen the German]

I would agree better in terms of awareness, better in terms of there being more people willing to call out racism when they come across it. Whether things are actually better in practice though, I wouldn't feel qualified to judge.

I think social media can make it seem like things have gone backwards but twitter and Facebook weren’t around 30 years ago so I think that skews peoples perception at times. I just look at TV as one example, the most popular shows like Only Fools and Horses and Fawlty Towers had characters that said racist things and it clearly wasn’t a big issue back then, and they were made by the BBC who have always been held up as a one of our most liberal institutions. We have an Asian prime minister, the US had a black president. Would have been unthinkable 30 years ago. As you said in a previous post, institutions and workplaces are doing more to show how inclusive they are. Slightly different topic but ties in with inclusion but just about every big company now celebrates pride month. Probably easier to count the companies who don’t celebrate it. I haven’t lived anywhere else besides the UK but I have travelled and seen a lot of Europe, Asia and America and I do feel Britain is one of the more open and tolerant countries which is why so many immigrants come here IMO. That doesn’t mean we don’t have problems like any other country and we should be complacent as you said previously.

 

[DTA]

I think that’s a fair analysis. Like I said before, I don’t think racism will ever truly go away as human nature is tainted but I honestly do feel like things are better, that doesn’t mean it’s mission accomplished but one of the most uncool things these days is to be racist. We need to keep shaming people for it just like we did when people didn’t wear seatbelts and how we shamed people to stop smoking.

this is going backwards now unfortunately. Racism is actually rising in this country unfortunately, culture wars is a big thing and social media algorithms has lead racists to believe that views are not just acceptable but prevalent… thus making the expression of which more prevalent.

 

[Jurgen the German]

this is going backwards now unfortunately. Racism is actually rising in this country unfortunately, culture wars is a big thing and social media algorithms has lead racists to believe that views are not just acceptable but prevalent… thus making the expression of which more prevalent.

I respectfully disagree. Something like 10% of people on twitter are responsible for 95% of tweets. Social media isn’t real life and it skews reality. Culture wars isn’t necessarily always about race and it’s often a battle between the far right and the far left with most sane people in the middle staying out of it. It’s still around but I wouldn’t say things are worse.