Being observant Vs Being racist

[lynnikins]

growing up in NZ there are a lot of non-white NZ'ers around , we have alot of immigration from Japan and Korea as well as from the Pacific Islands but very few ( at least where i lived ) people of african or afro-carribean descent

So yes it was strange moving to London and having Ghanain (sp) flatmates for a while. after being here 6 years though living in parts of london at times with very high immigrant populations then im quite used to seeing and interacting with people outside my own "race" so have little trouble with the " they all look the same " at least for me.

There is no call to be racist but it can be a challenge breaking sterotypes down and talking about issues without it being misinterpreted by people simply because an issue relates more to one ethnic group than another or is more prevelant in their society.

I dont think it helps though when large groups of a certain ethnicity all choose to live together in one area and not intergrate with mainstream society I cant see how it does them much in the way of benifits considering in the UK at least we benefit from being able to travel freely and relatively easily between neighborhoods within cities and indeed between cities to visit family and friends, Not saying you shouldnt be part of a community but saying that considering the diverse ethnicity over the popluation as a whole then communities should reflect this more and this would probably bring down the levels of "racisim" as our children would grow up knowing people as people not as "black" "white" " Indian" etc.....

 

[tasha41]

What I dont like is people who say you've got a problem with me becuase i'm black/forgien/woman/gay/fat. When you just have a problem with them cos they are a twat!

OMG how true!!

I remember we once had a customer come through trying to use an expired coupon and we told her we couldn't, and she told us that she was going to call head office and that we could "bet I'll be pulling out the black card"... wtf?

 

[Mrs Mayhem]

I was once had an almighty discussion (bordering on row) with someone about racism. I am white, she was (and i presume still is ) black.

She made a statement during a culture and diversity lecture that 'most white people are racist' and failed to back it up with any evidence at all. I must add, she was the guest speaker, not another student.

So of course, I piped up that she had just made a very racist comment, ie: a massive generalisation about white people. To which she replied 'there's no such thing of racism against white people, it's the minority cultures who are the victims of racism'.

I mean......REALLY??

It seriously annoys me when people make assumptions about others because of their colour. She had clearly made a massive assumption about white people, it may have stemmed from personal experience of some white people, but to then include all other white people was just ridiculous.

I also get very annoyed when people accuse you of being racist when they just don't like what you have done/said.

Eg, I am a manager at work. On one occasion when doing the shift rota I needed someone to cover nights for a couple of weeks. I put a woman on and spoke to her about it. She automatically said that I had done it because she wasn't English, before I even got a chance to say a word.

I actually put her on because she was a very experienced, restraint trained, ILS trained female. All of the qualities necessary for that role.

I also pointed out to her that she may not be English, but then neither are the other qualified nurses who at the time were from: The Philippines, Holland, Nigeria, Ireland, Canada and Germany. I guess that all went out of her head.

I know I am waffling, but I guess what I am saying is that there are too many people out there who are quick to accuse for no reason which means that so many people then are afraid to say anything at some times!!

Its a shame, because when there really are some horrible racist things said or done, it could be missed by the 'boy who cried wolf' syndrome.


Sorry for the waffle!!

 

[lynnikins]

oh yeah i was forced into quiting a job once because i made a ligeitimant complaint against a staff member who imediately pulled the "race" card and told all sorts of lies and of course if i had tried to defend myself i would have been made out to be racist ( didnt matter that i was the only white origin employee in the store so if anything i was the minority race !! ) i just let it go quit and found a different job caus i needed good references from the store management.

if people think that just because im white doesnt mean i get discriminated against they are wrong !! yes i might not get it as much as some other ppl but its hardly my fault and having lived in some areas of london where there is HUGE immigrant populations so much that as a White origin person you feel out of place and at time threatend and vunerable ( i say threatend because ppl have tried to intimadate me in these areas on buses etc.. ) then im well aware of the issue from both sides