What’s the worst racist incident you have experienced?

[Hope54321]

I’ve had quite a few:

Students in secondary school have pulled my hijab off.

After the 9/11 a group of boys threw paper balls at me and shouted “Taliban” at me.

The day after a terror attack in London, a man pulled his window down and called me a dumb whore. There was no one else around.

Walking back from school, a man told me, “Go back to your own country”.

On my way to college, I got on the bus and a woman said, “I don’t know why you would want to draw attention to yourself by wearing that”.

This is really bad, but it isn't racism. Being ginger isn't a race.

Your posting style is strangely familiar... anyway the only fixating going on was in your pp where readers were told in no uncertain terms which definition was acceptable. Instead, like a fool I was introducing an alternative, for discussion. Not much point in doing that on mumsnet really.

I remember as a child going to visit another school with my Asian friend and having a group of teens shouting out and calling us nuggets several times as we walked past. I was bullied at that age and so it wasn’t strange to me to have older kids shout out and call names in my direction but I remember thinking at the time it was a strange insult for them to use.

It was years later that I realised what they would have actually been shouting. As a white child the racial slur went over my head but I doubt it went unnoticed by my friend and I feel sad that she had to deal with that.

I'm not fixating on anything. I'm pointing out that not everyone goes by your single fixed definition in an American dictionary. Your belief that racism equals this one definition does tend to bias the discussion somewhat, as it implies you can't be racist if you are black. Which is not true.

I'm not sure what your comment about my positing style is supposed to mean. Are you implying that I have spoken to you before? I don't think I have.

Being called a h on key on a daily basis during my walk to school.

My sister was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by an Asian man who wanted to have intercourse with a white girl. It happened in a major English city and my sister was 16. He didn't manage to get the whole way before she escaped. I was obviously not there at the time but I collected my sister from the police station. I remember her walking towards me with a piercing look of terror in her eyes and she absolutely stunk. I have never seen fear like that in all of my life. Il never forget it. The look in her eyes was terrifying and the smell would make you sick. It was like every ounce of sweat had poured out of her and she hadn't showered for a year. I remember it as though it was yesterday.

That is bizarre.

It’s a thread about racism, the poster concerned posted a very racist response to a PP who had experienced racism. (Through ignorance I think but still).

People do have a responsibility to be aware of the debate around what is racism and what is racial prejudice, and it isn’t unreasonable to point this out. So can you refer this up the chain at @MNHQ please. Not because it bothers me, but because I think you need a better understanding of the subject yourself if you are being asked to monitor these threads.

I have name changed for this. It was when I was at teacher training college and in a sociology class.

The lecturer was racist, and the whole lesson was about the inferiority of black people. They were apparently not far removed from apes, their brains were smaller, they were less intelligent than whites, they were smaller in stature, they were inferior in every possible way.

Note - I was the only black person in the room.

All the rest of the class was staring at me - mostly with pity, but no one said anything and I was too shaken to react. This was over 50 years ago now but it still makes me cry when I remember it.

I was so upset that I got the first train home. I went back eventually, but it continues to haunt me.

I have had counselling to try to deal with it, but it wasn't a success.

Saragossa that is utterly disgraceful I’m so sorry this happened and it’s still so painful for you (I can understand why)

I just don’t understand people at the times

I think you mean, being called a 'n.' Yes this was my experience too.

@Tranquilsea you took me out of my rage 🤣

@DomPerignon12

That view is increasingly accepted as outdated (dictionary definitions change rather slowly). Although apparently some of the MN monitors aren’t aware of that either.. but given we are in a multi-racial society, it is important to understand how the debate has moved on.

A quick Google produces some useful info -

www.crer.org.uk/what-is-racism

www.crer.org.uk/what-is-racism

www.crer.org.uk/what-is-racism

At school, from both black and white girls.

There’s no such thing as “reverse racism”. Racism is less favourable treatment of anyone on grounds of their race. It can be directed at people of all and any race and be perpetrated by people of every race.

It’s funny the posters telling other posters they must be lying because they’ve never experienced it from a certain race or culture. So no one else can apparently.

Throw all the shade and doubt you like but you shouldn’t be doing that.

Shouting racist slurs at white women absolutely is racist. Shouting racist slurs at anyone is racist.

Says the person asking MNHQ to delete other posters experiences. If the reality makes you uncomfortable just say so.

Reality 😂

I think you've lost touch with what that is.

Fortunately people can see you for what you are. Even somewhere as MC as Mumsnet.

There was a very well to do looking lady with a posh looking dog who racially insulted a guy cleaning the windows of his takeaway. I was gobsmacked and he signalled that it was fine. Also lots of older people being cunts when an elderly Indian guy got on the bus, both incidents were in leafy Hertfordshire. Where we used to live there was also some lovely neo nazi graffiti too.

I found people there were for some reason more openly racist, less so than the poor shitty home town I have returned to. Odd. Although my thick as fuck sister is very racist. We don't talk anymore.

What am I?

A mixed race woman who’s experienced racism.

And what are you? A woman who derides and accuses other women of lying about their experiences.. now that is very telling isn’t it? Why?

Sorry I worded it terribly. His uncle was hurt in a racially motivated attack. The attack was racist not the badges.

Just remembered an experience when pushing one of DC in the pram years ago, walking past a house where a couple were painting and decorating their home.

Toddler amused at seeing the man standing on the window, waves at him. The man stares back at my toddler, toddler waves again. The man stared with such hatred and intensity that his wife had to call his name. I’ll never forget the awful looks he was giving to a TODDLER.

It left me quite shook and I can still see his face clearly in my mind.