to think this is racist?

[tammymunday]

Upstairs neighbour having loud party again. I have asked politely that they turn it down as has woken baby me and partner up and is 2am.

He says "i dont like your culture" about 3 times.

Stewing over it now. I think this is somewhere very near racism, if nout outright racist - AIBU???

But you must be fairly close to this guy to have his phone number?

I think cultural aspects can be a defining feature, and so yes, racist.
I'm white, from UK, but define myself as something else (sure you can guess!). Nobody has ever made negative comments about me being white British but it's my particular language and culture that gets people going. So, racist.

Hm, not very clear there maybe.

I have noisy neighbours so I sympathise, but of course it's not racist. Think about how we feel when someone in another country is going to be stoned to death. We disapprove of a culture that allows such things right?

@ There is, for example, no genetic difference between the Hutus and the Tutsi.

Actually, there is a genetic difference between the two tribes.

OP, Race and culture are two unrelated concepts ergo he is being xenophobic (disliking foreign cultures) not racist and is also an inconsiderate areswipe.

If he is in the habit of throwing loud parties use the laws we have in this country and bloody well report him for noise pollution or whatever it is called. Agree he is being an arsewipe (love that expression) and he is also an inconsidetate idiot who needs reporting. Do it now and get his unacceptable noise stopped.

Unfortunately our 'laws; mean that it can take many years to actually do anything about someone like that. The police say that enforcing the law isn't their job and the council will say "start writing a log of dates and times so you can show how bad it is" and nothing much will happen

I know of a case where someone was eventually evicted for that after five years. If they own the place you don't even have that as an option.

It isnt racist at all. He wasnt directing it personally at you. He was saying he doesnt like the "british culture" of people going to bed at a normal time and not being selfish arses who keep their neighbours awake..

He isnt a racist, he is an inconsiderate twat.

Well having just done two days on the new EOpps legislation, if you felt he was being racist then he was. People try and disguise racism by using such phrases as culture - call the police and ask their opinion.

It seems to me from what you've said, this guy didnt mean "culture" the way you are thinking, because of his limited english, i think he may have wanted to say "i dont like your attitude" but got his english a bit mixed up, cos "culture" in that sentence doesnt make any sense.

Well having just done two days on the new EOpps legislation, if you felt he was being racist then he was. People try and disguise racism by using such phrases as culture - call the police and ask their opinion.

Divawithattitude, That is complete and utter nonsense. On that basis if I think you are several sparklers short of a box does that mean you are?

My milkman said good morning to me but I knew he was being racist. People disguise it by saying something completely different. but the little pixies that live in my left ear tell me what they really mean

Diva - that sort of thinking leads to paranoia surely? If you imagine someone is rude does it mean they are? Or could it be some people will seek out evidence to support their own view of the word (it's racist/hates people with green shoes/vegetarians/) and conveniently filter out all evidence to the contrary?

Whatever happened to the concept of reliable evidence? Or are people to be accused of crimes on the flimsiest of pretexts now eg a wobbly grasp of language?

I did not have the time for a long considered response but wish I had made one.

If a person feels that they have been racially harassed by a statement then they are able to claim that this is the case. A single incident would not be considered but it may be that a series of incidents may lead to police action.
As few as three incidents.

There are now a set of what are called protected characteristics which are

race
? sex
? sexual orientation (whether being lesbian, gay,
bisexual or heterosexual)
? disability (or because of something connected
with their disability)
? religion or belief
? being a transsexual person (transsexuality is
where someone has changed, is changing or has
proposed changing their sex ? called ?gender
reassignment? in law)
? having just had a baby or being pregnant
? being married or in a civil partnership (this
applies only at work or if someone is being
trained for work), and
? age (this applies only at work or if someone is
being trained for work).

So the religion or belief situation may apply here - there are whole tomes around what is meant by each of these situations and there are some major changes, one of which is that women breastfeeding in public cannot be asked to leave a premises etc.

The new law makes it clear that it?s against the law
for you to get less favourable treatment because
you?re breastfeeding when receiving services.
However, there is no right to breastfeed at work

Sounds a bit racist to me. I would never have said it when I lived abroad to a local. How awful and ghastly of him.

Look, if you said to a black guy "turn your music down, I don't like your culture" it would be interpreted as racist. No question.

So yes, it should be interpreted as racist in the same way.

Basically, if he really doesn't like the culture in the place where he lives then I suppose he has the option of going to live somewhere where he does like the culture.

If you said that to him, people would be calling you racist. So his comment -- yes it is.

Although to be honest, it isn't really, in the same way it wouldn't be racist if you said it to a black person. But as it would be interpreted as racist by the standards that obtain in the UK right now then -- yes, under those standards, it is.

Gooseberrybushes,

What is this obsession with black people? and don't attempt to compare two very different scenarios in an attempt to sell your 'over-used racist card' theory.

Your other posts are just as nonsensical:

"Sounds a bit racist to me"

"Although to be honest, it isn't really"

"yes, under those standards, it is"

Which standards are you referring to? and in your response, try to make up your mind on whether it is was racist of him, or not (and do try and restrain from dragging Black people into it)

I'm not obsessed with black people: I thought the conversation was about racism? Is it racist to introduce race to a conversation about racism?

If I was confusing, I suppose I meant this.

I don't think it's a racist comment. But it would sound more racist if a white person said to to a black person; and if you judge it by those standards, then I suppose it is racist. I don't really think it's racist, but it is rude and tactless.

And as an aside, I said I would never, ever have said it in any of the countries I lived in to any native of that country; I would consider it offensive and I would expect (and probably would have received) the retort: why don't you leave then.

This post is about an Ecuadorian neighbour, (Ecudorian being a nationality, not even a race. Ironically, Ecudorians are a mixed race composed of Caucasians, Africans and Spaniards). If he had been a Caucasian Ecudorian, would your 'racism' argument still have held?

The term 'culture' was introduced by Europeans to distinguish themselves as civilised and others to be primitive, different and to be tolereated. For an Ecudorian, playing loud music in a residential area might be considered acceptable in their culture, but it obviously isn't in this culture (I personally would go as far as to state it is unacceptable in any residential area regardless of the culture).

To then waltz in here, and use the usual scapegoat "if a Black 'guy' did it..." or "If I said that to a Black guy" to justify your claim that this incident smacks of racism is what I find bizzare. In a general discussion (especially among Daily Mail readers) then your argument might hold some weight but not in this instance.

This is a cultural issue, and unfortunately one which the OP will do well to get a man to resolve. Another cultural difference at play here means being told off by a woman probably means very little to him.

Here here LadyFanny, said much better than I managed.

Surely the bigger problem is the late night noise rather than the misguided remark by the neighbour.

She asked whether it was racist. So I said it wasn't, but in a different context it could seem to be racist. I think in the UK it could certainly be interpreted as racist due to certain levels of sensitivity.

What the heck is your problem? Are you suggesting I'm a racist. Now that would be funny.