to think racism is getting worse in light of recent world events?

[thefutureofpolitics]

I ask this as when I opened Mumsnet this morning, there were a few particularly unpleasant threads about the wearing of burka. Are there just some really bigoted people around or is it fear created by recent world events? To these people, would it not be better to understand different cultures and learn from them rather than to tar every Muslim with the same brush of fear and suspicion? There is good and bad in every race and cultural diversity in Britain is a great thing.

Discuss.

[MiniTheMinx]

Nationalism and racism is a tool of the elite. Of course Dave and his creed deny this and wag their finger at the likes of the EDL. The working classes can only ever absorb the ideology of the elite because the means of cultural production are not in our hands.

[Freezingwinter]

Unsure. A lot of people are afraid to speak out for fear of being called racist, at the same time I agree this is exactly what the terror group wanted, to divide and spread fear.

[samG76]

Was pretty bad before. An SNP MSP retweeted one of the most antisemitic images ever seen in the UK last week, and didn't even get a slap on the wrist. Feel free to google it, but basically it shows a set of pigs marked UK, US, ISIS, etc suckling on to a Rothschilds "mother pig", with stars of David all over the place. She says she made a mistake, but it makes you wonder what extremists twitter feeds she is on, and why.

[mrsjanedoe]

YABU

There is a difference between racism and demand for integration. People confuse everything. You can reject some cultural elements without being racist.

The worst example: it is acceptable to mutilate young girls in some countries. It is illegal and morally wrong in ours. Would it be reasonable to accept these practice in England in the name of diversity? Is it racist to fight against that?

There is just a group of people who think they are morally superior to everybody, and it's fashionable these last 2 days to express how open-minded you are towards the rest of the world.

I call bullshit. Being affected by pure racism myself (I have been told to my face more than once that I wouldn't be considered for a job because of who I am, and that's London), I can tell you that racism is always there. Nonsense about accepting the unacceptable is only going to make it worst.

[WorraLiberty]

"Discuss"

Is that an order?

[SoDiana]

No. I think you are talking through your hat.

[WhataRacquet]

I think there are people starting threads with that objective in mind

[MiniTheMinx]

In what way is fgm morally wrong? What is moral and good in one culture is not in another. I have an opinion on fgm and that is that it is very wrong. Some politics should always transcend cultural and geographic barriers, such as women's rights. This is because woman is a universal category. I can't speak for Nigerian women but all women can to some degree speak for all women by virtue of the fact we are all women. But using moral instead of vigorous rational argument to the table is useless. Because all morality is relative. Why else would we have extremists murdering people in the name of religion!

Of course even these militant muslim terrorists are subject to ideology. They are duped. Those who fund this and make it possible are not fighting a moral war. This is politics pure and simple.

[ILiveAtTheBeach]

Well, I don't agree with the Burka, but not because of religion. I just think it's ludicrous, that in 2015, women are made to wear such an outfit. I can only imagine how sweltering they must feel, swathed in all that black, during the height of summer. I think it's very unfair to expect our young women to live in a westernised society, but still demand that they cover up and enter arranged marriages. It must be so conflicting for them. If they live here, whether born here or not, they should have all the rights and freedoms that we all enjoy.

[redstrawberry10]

In what way is fgm morally wrong? What is moral and good in one culture is not in another.

I think this is how out of touch our relativism has become. If you at all recognize that one ought to have sovereignty over one's own body, it's very simple to see why it is wrong. It's wrong because of the outcome it produces (irreversible physical damage to a crucial body part without consent) and the motivation behind it (controlling other people).

Why else would we have extremists murdering people in the name of religion!

how is that an outcome of the relativity of morals?

[EnaSharplesHairnet]

Agree the SNP woman's posting was shocking from a mainstream politician.

[thefutureofpolitics]

WorraLiberty Haha,not at all, too much time spent studying English Literature I think! Loving everybody's different points of view. After all, isn't different ideologies that makes the world go round?

[thefutureofpolitics]

*'isn't it' even!

[GoneAndDone]

Mini I think it's completely the opposite. The worst rascists seem to be uneducated and unemployed or in low paid jobs. They think they have the most to lose - if you're struggling to find a job or on a waiting list for council housing, it's easy to believe the UKIP propaganda.

[fanjoforthemammaries7850]

YANBU.

On every Syria related thread on MN at moment there are at least 2 hideous UKIP/BNP/Britain First type soundbites.

And on every news story on social media there are hundreds. Makes me feel sick and ashamed to be British.

[Olivepip59]

I've seen years of 'racist' being shouted at posters here whenever there has been an attempt to discuss the less desirable elements of Islam.

Those of us who have experienced a theocracy know how demeaning and dangerous those tenets are to women.

I find it disappointing that it has been almost impossible in the past to have intelligent informed discussion without the 'R' word being bandied about with abandon.

I am happy to see discussions take a more sophisticated turn recently. There are some posters who are very knowledgeable and I have learned a huge amount from then but it's irritating when they are being accused of racism because they deviate from groupthink.

I have a great friend who posts here who is frequently accused of racism by the very posters who assert she could never be a racist because of her skin colour.

[kerbs]

The race of someone hidden in a burka is irrelevant. We just know that it's a woman.

[Only1scoop]

Or is it?

Where fear can lead us in the light of recent attacks.

[kerbs]

That wasn't something I wanted to highlight Only

[Lostcat2]

I think you are confused op.

It's not racist to disagree with the burka! It's a religious custom which in turn is a life style choice.

I think all religions are inherently mysogynistic and controlling and fundamentally dislike them.

That's not racist. Race is a fact.

Customs and religions are choices and beliefs that should be open to criticism and examination and condemned if needed.

Personally I hate seeing women in burkas as see this as a fundamental insult to both men And women.

Womem that they should cover up their natural bodies and men that presumably they are such animals that they can't control themselves.

[Only1scoop]

Quite

But it's something I hear raised quite regularly.

[LagunaBubbles]

Personally I hate seeing women in burkas as see this as a fundamental insult to both men And women. Womem that they should cover up their natural bodies and men that presumably they are such animals that they can't control themselves

I agree with this. Are you saying its bigoted to disagree with burkas OP?

[Lostcat2]

Yes I see the sexism of requiring a woman to cover her whole body in black and cutting her off from normal social intercourse equally as despicable as racism.

Or are you saying it's ok to toady around Islam or to tolerate the blatant sexism in Christianity op?

Fuck that.

[BadlyBehavedShoppingTrolley]

No OP I absolutely disagree with you. We are going through challenging times right now, it's true, but most of our distrust and unease relates to differences in culture and religion, not race or ethnicity.

In general people's attitudes towards those of different races has never been better, more healthy or more tolerant than it is now. It's not perfect, it never will be, but every decade or so it gets better and better and will continue to do so.

[Timri]

Makes me feel sick and ashamed to be British
I fucking hate these sorts of sentiments.