AIBU to think some people on here are way too obsessed with not being seen as racist?

Well, I agree with you that the vast majority are not, and I also agree that there are many legitimate grievances that should be discussed without being called racist: policing, justice, uncontrolled immigration, cultural differences, the safety of women and girls, grooming gangs...

All absolutely legitimate worries. In fact, BAME people also worry about these.

Huge fear of having the Blaming Finger pointed at them. people tend to be conformist. If they believe bleating about racism is the current ‘ I’m acceptable, me! ‘ badge, they’ll do it, on auto. It’s zombie-speak, these days.

Lots of distasteful posts have been made on those threads. Plenty of faux naivety/goading as well. Nobody is sick of BAME, they are sick of institutions responsible for ensuring fair policing getting it wrong.

I think the problem is summed up as 'overthinking'.

To be clear: I'm very aware of language and not doing stupid, insensitive things like touching people's hair just because it's different to mine (something several black women have experienced and find unpleasant, understandably). But if only everyone of all ethnicities would chill out and not take offence where none is intended, we'd all be a lot happier and less tense.

Another thing: I have always found that the issues the tabloid rabble-rousers pick up on ('banning' hot-cross buns and nativity plays, for eg) never come from ethnic minority people but from officious white British people overthinking things in town halls. It damages inter-race relations.

I worked with an infuriating 'woker than thou' woman once who banned all mention or images of pigs from the classroom I worked in. This was despite the fact that the BBC's main children's character is Peppa Pig, and that there were numerous classic children's books and stories which feature pigs.

Lots of people tried to convince her that pigs were a fact of life in the UK and no-one but her was objecting to seeing them, but she wasn't having any of it. She was also a vociferous atheist and generally anti-religious but fussed over the copy of the Koran, wrapping it in its shawl and treating it with a reverence which made her colleagues roll their eyes. This book was kept in a stock cupboard and didn't see the light of day btw.

Before anyone jumps on me...I have a Muslim DIL and am definitely not a racist. I'm just tired of silly people (mainly white British IME) being inconsistent in their wokeness. (I'm also not religious myself.)

Why would I? MN never does anything..But also, it should be left up there as an example of what some are thinking.
I am not going to link it. I guess you can find it by searching my name. It's on one of the numerous Henry Nowak/ Digwa threads. Maybe in Chat.

Who?? Have you reported this

Anyone working in criminal justice will tell you tackling disproportionately of black boys and traveller boys in the criminal justice system and youth custody is an issue at the forefront of their minds.

Most if not all, YOTs will be working on it - and judged on it.

The police need to go back to basics and stick to fighting crime instead of trying to be social workers or sociologists
Anyone dealing with the public is now expected to be exactly this. Worse, not acting as a social worker or sociologist after a 2 hours training session and some reading is the direct route to dismissal or worse, criminal charges...

On another thread, a poster has declared that she is sick of all BAME people. Interesting how if a BAME person declared themselves sick of all white people, the knives would be out. Pretty certain she will continue to use the NHS, shops, buses and all the services that would not function without BAMES.

It's not racist, IMO, to call for better policing, controlled immigration, enquiries into grooming gangs, control of unvetted men as a pp above has done. I have no issue with that. But I am alarmed that this incident is being used to whip up unthinking hatred against all BAMES.

🙄🙄🙄

Or he could have had dementia and just wondered about your ethnicity.

It’s not always racism that makes people ask “where are you from” and some people have no filter, for various reasons.

Strange times we’re living in.

Recently, a man sat beside me on a bus in Scotland and after a few minutes, without preamble, turned to me and loudly asked if I was from Scotland.

I was in the middle of something on my phone and ignored him
and would have in any event.

He then proceeded to ask me if I was from Africa.

Again, ignored him and shortly afterwards got off at my stop.

I would like to think that this is uncommon behaviour but hard to know what’s happening in other places. However, I do believe that the tendency to generally view non white people suspiciously and as possible recent immigrants milking the system is becoming prevalent.

So, while some may be concerned about not appearing racist, it seems increasingly in the current climate that there are others who think that it’s acceptable to be openly racist.

Yes I'm speaking for you too even if you think you're superior to everyone else!

@LuckyHazelFox they use the term racist to scare us or intimidate us into being quiet for having normal common sense views and that we don't want the country that we know and love disappear before our eyes and look like a 3rd world country, we are being invaded by the 3rd world and having to pander to them. It's the current and previous governments fault, they have turned their own people into supposed 'racists' for letting the country be abused like this. It's called Suicidal Empathy. Matt Goodwins book on it hits the nail on the head.

I think it's about time we started saying, yes OK we are racist. Where do the accusers go from there. The more I've read on these threads the more I've realised that race baiting is nothing more than a hobby to these people.

I used to be concerned about being called racist but not anymore. I believe in looking after our own people first in terms of housing etc, I believe immigration should compliment and benefit the country, noone should move here and be on benefits and social housing. They also should pay into the system in order to receive healthcare via NHS. I also am totally against the boatloads of unvetted men that are coming in constantly and being looked after at taxpayers expense. The UK is starting to resemble the 3rd world, if someone calls me racist for having these views then I don't care

Speak for yourself.

I would think protests were fairly pointless. What would they be protesting exactly?

Although I have not once said a protest, in and of itself stokes hatred and division. People like Tommy Ten Names and Farage latching on to this for their own political motives are doing that.

So if protests broke out regarding the poor Sikh woman who was raped by a white man in a clearly racist attack, you would call that stoking hate and division too? And discourage the protest?

Some people do virtue signal over all kinds of things, depending on who/which group they wish to ingratiate themselves with. I think people do it on the left and the right of politics. So I'd agree with you there.

I think actual racism- attacks, rapes, refusing to employ people because of their race, using insults I thought had gone out with the ark; is all increasing. I find it very depressing, and I worry about the future.

You say you feel bullied by certain posters, but I feel that there is a concerted effort on MN and elsewhere to tell me I shouldn't treat people as I find them, that I shouldn't look for what we have in common, and that I have to set myself against people who are different to me. When I disagree with this, I am told I am evil, have blood on my hands, I am 'thick as pig shit' etc. I get told I support this or that atrocious thing, which I don't at all.

You are the one with the majority on your side, so perhaps think if you feel bullied, what it might be like to be in the minority and have people piling on because you don't 100% agree with them.

Although I have also come to think that our society was rotten even in the 90s as the rape gangs etc existed even then it's just we didn't know about them.

I think everyone is abit racist as we are tribal although as a Christian I would try and overcome this and treat all others well. White liberals are more bothered about appearing racist than anyone else and of course there is a whole anti-racist industry that alot of people, mostly said white liberals make alot of money from so Farage (or Rupert or whoever else comes next) is going to have their work cut out getting rid of it all. I remember the 90s before all this when we all got on fine, it's so sad our leaders have wrecked our cohesive society like this

You are shifting goalposts an awful lot but no - I don’t think this case is indicative that the UK has race problem. I certainly don’t think there is any evidence of systemic racism towards white people but I have already said I am happy to review data people has that suggests otherwise. I have also said I don’t believe any case of violence between people of different ethnicities is always race driven. If you want to believe I am lying about that then that’s on you. I don’t much care.

Although yes I strongly believe stoking division and hate is always wrong.

People should be judged on the content of their character and not the colour of their skin.

Skin colour should be irrelevant.

Unfortunately from viewing MN over many years it is the left that is far more obsessed with bringing up skin colour and obsession of a "racist society" and racism.