My teenage son is too right-wing

[outdamnedspots]

We talk a lot about crime and politics at home.

Ds 17 has picked up that a lot of crime is committed by immigrants and people who are not-white, and us getting far too right-wing for my taste. He sounds awful, really racist.

What can I say to him to combat his thoughts?

Someone needs to start a podcast aimed at teenage boys that's not full of nonsense...idk that any kids read papers anymore

He's entitled to have different political beliefs to you being right wing isn't inherently wrong
As long there's balance.and his opnions can be backed up
We live in a Democracy .

Paper, s can be very left leaning or right leaning to.

As long as he doesn't turn views into violence his views are his own . Maybe he is just seeing what a shitshow this country has become and is worried for his future .

This. That program is frightening!

@Drivingnowhere what I was trying to get at (clumsily I admit) is that because ethnic minorities tend to be disproportionately impacted by poverty and deprivation it wouldn't be surprising to find them appearing disproportionately in other sets of statistics. And that's before you take it into account the impact of bias (including unconscious bias) on investigations to arrests and convictions.

He is entitled to his opinions. It is true that certain racial demographics commit more of certain crimes. Is it racist to state facts - I would say not.

Maybe you can educate him and yourself about why people feel the need to emigrate to Europe and about how US/ European imperialist foreign policy has created the situation we now find ourselves in.
It’s a vast and complex subject. I think the best you can do is encourage him to read / follow arguments from both sides and least then his opinions will be more informed.

And this

@Toptotoe

Equally statistically children from different ethnic backgrounds perform differently academically:

www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/education-skills-and-training/11-to-16-years-old/gcse-results-attainment-8-for-children-aged-14-to-16-key-stage-4/latest/#:~:text=Data%20for%20the%202021%20to%202022%20school%20year%20shows%20that,the%20Indian%20ethnic%20group%20(61.3)

With Chinese and Indian children performing better than others- is it racist to point this out? If so I guess that makes the Gov website racist.

Watch American History X with him and discuss afterwards how our opinions are formed and consequences.

Those are crime stats for Black British men, the OPs son is referring to migrants being responsible for crime. Are all non white people migrants? It's a sweeping generalisation which is typical of right wing rhetoric.

Psych social research shows that most people don't fully mature until the age of 25. (Coincidentally most crime is committed by males between the ages of 18-24.)
Having lower maturity means that young adults tend to have rigid thinking style, less likely to consider another person's perspective and generally have less life experience which means they are less likely to understand the nuances of media/information and human nature.

I'm sure with more life experience and maturity your son's views will change, just keep talking to him, especially about how media is produced etc..

I think he needs to research what countries the migrants are coming from. The conditions, often post civil war, corrupt government's, no infrastructure or working economy.... the impact of climate change like draughts and flooding affecting food production. Then there is the long journey in the hands of human traffickers....
Once he understands people's motivations, hopefully he'll be happier about sharing some of the security we have.

Then there is obviously the insane power media has. Can you really believe everything that is said?

These views are "far too right wing"?

In the naive bubble of SW London MNetters, maybe.

In the real world? No.

Well, I guess the OP's statement begs the question as to "far too right wing" for what.

But I'm nowhere near SW London and it would certainly be far too right wing for me, and for a lot of people I know. Most people I know would be deeply ashamed to have a child spouting racist views. We aren't ^all" raging racists outside London, you know!

But many of the things you've listed are exactly what people are concerned about.

Generally, people who question high immigration are not anti-immigration. They just aren't naive about the impact of bringing in huge numbers of people who may have very different cultures/outlooks/experiences.

@MNHQ Why was my comment on the first page deleted? There was nothing rude, offensive or derogatory in it.

What is wrong with saying that some demographics are over represented in certain crimes (eg sexual crimes are overwhelmingly committed by men), but that we shouldn’t wish harm on anyone for belonging to any demographic?

Plenty of other users had given “thanks” on that post, so it couldn’t have been that bad!

Was it was mistakenly deleted?

Good idea. I am doing this.

Op whatever you do, don't be aggressive in your response, take his phone or WiFi or shout him down.

Just chat! Chat talk, discuss.

And as pp said, do gen up on the incel and new nazi type grip symbols so you recognise them where necessary.

@outdamnedspots also however he needs to understand the periods we have been through in our country to get to where we ate today in democracy and that often these migrants are escaping dictators and people are seizing power.

Yes I would. You can be racist and not white.

@pilo7 that's my point. Understanding cultural background and desperation, arriving and adjusting to an alien environment is important.

Forming an opinion from a point of understanding is what a young person like OP'S DS needs.

Actually the OP said "Ds 17 has picked up that a lot of crime is committed by immigrants and people who are not-white". I, not unreasonably I don't think, took that to mean by immigrants (no data as far as I'm aware) and by non-white British people (data available).

A lot of young people are moving to the right. Reform are appealing to them.

Personally I don’t think it’s a good strategy to start to talk with young people with the attitude that they are entirely wrong.

Let’s face it, he’s not on his own thinking we’ve an immigration issue. So maybe he’s not actually wrong

Personally I don’t think it’s a good strategy to start to talk with young people with the attitude that they are entirely wrong

I do. Some of the stuff they come out with is absolute bollocks. I'm too old to pussy foot around. If they want to believe all that shit, let them get on with it. Just don't talk to me about it.