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AIBU?

My elderly neighbour told me the riots have set black people fifty years back

172 replies

sundayrose10 · 10/08/2011 02:46

Saw me coming back this evening so stopped me for a chat. Said black people have no chance now they have truly fucked up. (hmm yeah, cos we are allllllllllllllllllllllllll the same)

Is it unreasonable for me to think he could have had tact considering I am black myself

I might teach him a lesson and not buy his Mail on Sunday for him any more. He is normally a sane(ish) person.

OP posts:

Report

Tortoiseonthehalfshell · 10/08/2011 02:51

It's funny, isn't it, that someone's actions are always taken as representative of a group, but which group is determined by the least privileged aspect of that person.

I mean, it's mostly male rioters, right? So do you tell your neighbour that you think men have no chance now, they've proved themselves unworthy of rights? Noooo, I bet he didn't even think 'they're male' - just black, because black isn't the default and male is.

MrsTerryPratchett · 10/08/2011 03:46

YABU buying him the Mail on Sunday. No wonder he has views like that . These riots are really making the racists come out of the woodwork. I wish I knew how to report on FB because I would have a reporting blister by now.

CheerfulYank · 10/08/2011 03:56

We had a high percentage of Native Americans where I grew up and every time one of them would do something stupid/illegal, the other Natives would say the same thing, actually. That now people would think they were all that way.

Sad. :(

thesunshinesbrightly · 10/08/2011 04:02

Not been funny but it would appear that over half of the thugs are black and i'm not racist at all(i have black friends) but when these things happen they don't do themselves any favours(considering all you ever here these days is 'your picking on me just cause i is black? well errr no it's cause you have committed a crime! duh!).

sundayrose10 · 10/08/2011 04:02

Haha! I buy it for him because he is normally such a helpful little man (even if it is the Daily fail). He knows all the local gossip .

Facebook is the devil at the moment. Even people who I thought I knew very well are coming out with really dubious views (all races)

I don't know. I think people are just so angry and that anger has been bubbling for a long time that they can't contain it any longer.

I am ashamed to say that when it was kicking off three days ago, I too felt a sense of shame. I kept thinking so where were the riots when Damilola was stabbed, hundreds of other innocent ppl and KIDS killed via gang culture and no justice has been done?? A known "gangstar" is shot by the police and it causes riots?? It's only when I broke it down for myself that I can look at the wider picture (not making much sense right now, tired)

Tortoise, I completely agree. People are so fired up at the moment, the mouth is loose.

I cannot express how disgusted I have been with the carry on that has been happening, but I believe if any good that comes out of it, some very uncomfortable questions will be need to be asked. Hopefully a debate and some sort of solution can come out of this (I can only hope)

OP posts:

CheerfulYank · 10/08/2011 04:09

People talked the same shit here during the LA riots.

A man named Reginald Denny was yanked from his truck and almost beaten to death. There was live coverage of it (from a helicopter) but no police could get there in time. A black man saw it on TV, ran to him, threw him in the truck and gunned it for the hospital, saving his life.

Fidel Lopez was also almost beaten to death, spray painted black, ear lopped off, etc, until a pastor (also black) lay between him and the rioters and said "you'll have to kill me if you want to kill him."

Some people are good and some are not, regardless of race.

TillyIpswitch · 10/08/2011 04:24

Most of the rioters are men. Most of them are very young. Have they set men back 50 years? The youth?

Oh, and...

Not being funny, but...
I'm not racist, but...
I have black friends...

Ooh, it's numnuts bingo - and I got a full house!!

Tortoiseonthehalfshell · 10/08/2011 04:27

I blame the heterosexuals!

Why, sunshine, is it their blackness that defines them, and none of the above characteristics? 'Over half' are black, are they? What percentage are male? British? Under 25? Able-bodied?

PinkSchmoo · 10/08/2011 04:43

It's not unreasonable at all for you to think he should be showing a bit of tact. He clearly sees you as an individual rather than a stereotype and probably didn't think of you as being black just being Sunday. Pity he doesn't realise the rest of the population are made up of individuals too.

MrsTerryPratchett · 10/08/2011 05:01

it would appear that over half of the thugs are black. I haven't counted myself (and well over half appear to be men) but I'm from Croydon and the rioters look like the normal people you see at the shops on a Saturday. Lots of young people, lots of them black, lots of them white. I don't know about the other areas that people have been rioting but Croydon does have a lot of young black people living in the areas there have been trouble. I wonder if some of the people commenting live in predominantly white areas and when they see the pictures they see black people because they don't when they look out their windows. I am musing and know that I will get lots of "I live in..." comments.

I think the Police shooting was a catalyst but not the cause of the trouble.

thesunshinesbrightly · 10/08/2011 05:46

True and a major percentage are black..they are so quick to point out their colour when arrested for a crime.Fact is whites dont plead racism, do they?? have heard my friends say many time 'oh we are been looked at cause we are black' etc... blah blah so it's ok for them to point it out but not us whites.

raspberryroop · 10/08/2011 06:00

He is probably right. This will give every Daily Mail reading bigot the right in thier head to discrimatate agaist Black youth for ever. It may only be reinforcing existing predjudice but its always nice to have a bit of real life evidance isn't it !.

And from every picture I have seen a high percentage have been black weather you like it or not

TheFrozenMBJ · 10/08/2011 06:01

Instead of the Mail on Sunday, get him The Observer?

Tortoiseonthehalfshell · 10/08/2011 06:04

sunshine, raspberry, either of you happy to answer this? Nobody's denying that there's a large percentage of black rioters. It's not the point.

"Why is it their blackness that defines them, and none of the above characteristics? 'Over half' are black, are they? What percentage are male? British? Under 25? Able-bodied?"

thesunshinesbrightly · 10/08/2011 06:51

So will they say i'm british when arrested for this crime? no they won't they will plead racism.

Maybe if they didn't make such a big deal out of been black then no one would even bloody notice.

I dO not describe my 'friends' as black they describe themselves that way but too me they are just that, my friends whether they have a pink face with green poka DOTS.

Tortoiseonthehalfshell · 10/08/2011 06:55

Ha! Yes, no-one would even notice.

Except for you, of course, who pointed out early in this thread that over half the rioters were black.

thesunshinesbrightly · 10/08/2011 07:02

Think you will find it was the old man that pointed that out and i suppose you never noticed eh hahaha.

Gonzo33 · 10/08/2011 07:02

I think your neighbour was speaking tosh op!!! I am sure that parties like the EDL and BNP would LOVE the constituents to feel that way, but I am sure most sane people with their eyes open can see that it all sorts of people causing trouble and not just one race or creed.

Tortoiseonthehalfshell · 10/08/2011 07:09

Nope, you were the first person to say over half of the thugs were black sunshine, not the OP's neighbour. Come on, there's only 20-odd posts on this thread, it's not hard to read back.

squeakytoy · 10/08/2011 07:10

The majority of the rioters/looters in London have been black. That is a fact, not a racist statement, just a simple fact.

Tortoiseonthehalfshell · 10/08/2011 07:10

It's irrelevant whether I noticed (actually I'm in Australia, I haven't seen any live footage just written news) - I didn't claim that I 'don't notice' someone's colour a few minutes after specifying the colour of the rioters.

Tortoiseonthehalfshell · 10/08/2011 07:13

YES, squeaky, no-one's denying that. The majority have also been young, male, and able-bodied, right? And so far, nobody's been able to explain to me why the cause of the men (etc) hasn't been set back.

squeakytoy · 10/08/2011 07:17

Because there is not "cause of men" maybe, whereas black people have spent many years fighting for an equal place in society.

thesunshinesbrightly · 10/08/2011 07:21

Tortoise - Australia! Don't have to explain anything to you as it has nothing to do with you and plus you haven't seen any footage so i'm a little as to why your posting as you have no clue what is going on.

NevermindtheNargles · 10/08/2011 07:21

Of the ones you can see, the rioters look to be a fairly representative cross-section of the areas they are smashing up (racially obviously, I haven't seen too many oaps or housewives).

Definitely buy him an Observer this week.

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