To agree with a 15 year old questioning why the white race can’t control their alcohol intake

[cashmygold]

A very close friend of mine is a Humanities specialist in an inner-city multi-ethnic secondary school. This academic year she has been permitted to teach PSHE (Personal Social Heath Education).

Last night we had dinner at her place and she started to tell me about a conversation that was sparked by a 15year old girl of African origin in a lesson on Friday, which was about ?The effects of alcohol?.
Pupil: Why can?t the majority of the white race control themselves when it comes to alcohol.

Teacher: Can you try and expand on what your?re saying maybe give some examples.

Pupil: When I?ve watched programmes on telly documenting Brits abroad, booze Britain, cop shows etc, you always see white people drinking to the extreme and causing more work for the police, damage to council property (criminal damage, urinating in shop entrances, vomiting, fighting etc) , disturbing the peace and the occasional flash of their bums. Why can?t they handle their drink.

AIBU, because I feel that the girl highlighted some salient points which I somehow agree with. Growing up I always saw white teenagers drinking on street corners and I have never been asked by a kid of any other race to go into a shop and buy some alcohol for them.

Furthermore, when am out with my friends from various races, its always the my white counterparts who all of a sudden develop social shyness and need a drink before they can get on the dance floor or speak to the opposite sex....WHY!!!

Apparently the pupil went on to say that an elder in her community used a analogy of a werewolf to describe alcohol and white people. In the day they are normal law abiding citizens, then at night they switch into a uncontrollable wolf looking to cause devastation.

Now I know this isn?t true of all white people but does seem to be a typical feature.

[cashmygold]

Do all Jamaican people have a love of Hashish?

who is stereotyping now. Stop saying all cos you are being racist. I am white so your're not offending me

[lisad123isgoingcrazy]

yadbu!! white race my arse, UK is a mix of so many races, that to lump the white people together and say only they cant control their drink is racist!
Its like saying all black kids are aggressive and murders because thats what seems to be in the news!
TBH I think you are very out of order to post such tripe on MN

[Chil1234]

Your thread title specifies 'the white race'.... I'm sorry but everything else that then follows is then viewed in that light. If you'd titled it 'British people' or 'young people' then it would still be an incorrect generalisation or steretype. As you specified 'race' then you are asking if it's reasonable to associate this particular behaviour as typical to a 'race'.... and it almost never is.

[WriterofDreams]

The whole idea of race has always been baffling to me. It actually means nothing because being from a "race" that is based purely on skin colour doesn't say much about you genetically, personally, or physically. For example, because I am white I can be lumped in the same "race" with someone from South Africa who is white. Yet we probably share no cultural or genetic qualities whatsoever, so what does it even mean to lump us together? The only thing it tells you is our skin colour, nothing else.

Most scientists would now argue that defining races by skin colour is completely meaningless and the only way to relate people is through genetic characteristics such as blood types and susceptibility to certain diseases (such as sickle cell anaemia). Therefore, lumping "white" or "black" people together doesn't really say anything at all.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_genetics

In effect "race" when related to skin colour alone is a completely meaningless word, yet it persists as people like to classify others according to easily identifiable characteristics. Therefore along with "race" we also have "middle class" "red-heads" and "blondes"

If I came on here and said "why are all blondes stupid" I would just be laughed off, because suggesting that being blonde actually says anything at all about that person beyond their hair colour is just ridiculous.

[Ormirian]

I don't think that all black people are one race either. How can they be?

White people come from hugely different parts of the world and cultures.

[mamadiva]

Cashmygold- Yes some white (I assume you mean British) people have drink issues... as do black/asian/indian/chinese and any other kind of people you can think of! It's not something that comes with skin colour.

Like everyone else has said it is not right to stereotype people like this, from what I see on TV black people seem to be the ones shooting and knifing peopple in London. Just because I hear of maybe 10 murders on the news all perpetrated by people with non-british sounding names does not mean that white people are not committing twice as many murders, it's just they don't get reported as much.

If a white person had stated this question would have felt the need to ask? I doubt it you'd probably have thought it was racist.

TV is not a reliable source of information on anyhting serious, it dramatises and plays up on stories such as drunken white 'hoodies' and gun yielding black men does'nt mean everyone is like them does it/ Maybe your friend should point this out to the pupil.

[cashmygold]

So are we to assume that she was not brought up here and views Britain with the eyes of an outsider? And that she says 'white race' when she means who she observes around her here in Britain?

The girl is of african heritage. Born and bred in Uk

[WhereYouLeftIt]

"Pupil: Why can?t the majority of the white race control themselves when it comes to alcohol."

The teacher should have pointed out there is no 'white race' - nor, OP, is ther a 'black race', but more importantly should have asked her to justify her use of the word "majority". It's a minority, not a majority. They're just very loud so it make it feel like there's more of them .

[cashmygold]

Using the phrase 'wite race' is just silly and the student should have been corrected on that. As people said, if a white student would have said something similar on the 'black race' all hell would have broken loose.

Why woudld hell break loose. I didnt know it was taboo to say blk race or white race. My word I have been enlightened

[2shoes]

me thinks the op is bored and just stirring

[Rockbird]

Stereotyping much

Maybe your friend should explain to this girl that what she sees on the television represents a tiny minority of the 'white' population. Probably the same percentage as black people who carry guns. Hopefully, most people aren't stupid enough to lump everyone in together purely on the colour of their skin, be it white or black. Some people drink to excess. Some people are involved in violent crime.

Typical feature? You, your friend, and the girl are talking bollocks.

[mamadiva]

Well in saying that I have no right to argue... I am Scottish so I am obviously a fat, ginger haired, wooly chumper and kilt wearing, red faced alchae... as we are stereotyping :o

Noo bugger aff am awa tae catch ma haggis!

[cashmygold]

I wonder if the teacher pulled the 15yr old up about her racist assumptions.

I have no doubt about my friend's competence as a teacher. I am sure based on the demograpic of the school she has dealt with such scenarios in the most sensitive way possible. The girl was asked by her to give examples and she did.

[Rockbird]

Sorry, let me amend my post as the gun thing was a completely stupid analogy and the numbers of drinkers v gun carriers wouldn't be anywhere near the same . I was struggling for a comparison. But you get what I mean, hopefully.

[tethersend]

Assuming this is not completely made up, I think using the French as an example of (on the whole) a 'healthy' relationship with alcohol may go some way to illustrate that nationality is a greater factor than race when it comes to alcohol abuse.

[cashmygold]

You are a troll or an idiot - I strongly suspect both!

I object.

[BoneyBackJefferson]

cashmygold Sun 21-Nov-10 11:09:23
@ LessonsinL This girl is african. dont get it mixed up with west indian absent fathers.

Its a bit late to try to differentiate now.
If as the girl suggests that white is white then black must be black.

[mamadiva]

Oh I do apollogise OP were you ebing stereoryped amongst the other fuckwits trolls?

[BoneyBackJefferson]

sorry missed off

in the context of the thread

[cashmygold]

Your thread title specifies 'the white race'.... I'm sorry but everything else that then follows is then viewed in that light. If you'd titled it 'British people' or 'young people' then it would still be an incorrect generalisation or steretype. As you specified 'race' then you are asking if it's reasonable to associate this particular behaviour as typical to a 'race'.... and it almost never is.

as i mentioned before i was paraphrasing.

to all the white ppl if you dont perceive yourself to be a race then what are u?

[perfumedlife]

cashmygold I really am not stereotying, am illustrating how my comment is, and that you made the distinction of West Indian absent fathers and Africans. Both are black, or black race if we do it your way, and yes, you have made the distinction between the two, just as I am saying you cannot lump a whole white race together.

Your comment on West Indian absent fathers is a bit suspect too.

[WriterofDreams]

I'm Irish.