To wonder how the hell this country got so racist and narrowminded?

[smokinaces]

There is a photo of a letter going round on FB. Basically showing that Aslyum Seekers are getting their gas and electric paid for over Christmas. My god. The comments people are coming out with.

to quote a few:

"What about ones that come over here and get new cars mobile phones etc and we get fuck all. They wouldn't do the same for us if we was that poor and froze we would have our kids taken off us we wouldn't get help to heat our houses up."

"Yeah but a lot of the asylum seekers r terriosts half of them are working for wants his name"

"every tom dick or Harry are allowed into our country to first take all our jobs for half the pay us English need to be paid to pay for our gas electric and every other bill we get thrown at us, secondly to take our placements from our first choice schools cause they got homed near a school of our choice, homed for free!"

"there are english children in this country that dont even have a warm winter coat to wear coz their parents or parent cant a ford to buy one coz most of their benifits go on tryin to heat damp houses and feed them with at least one hot meal a day even if it is only beans on toast.....ive yet to see an under feed immagrint whether asylum seeeker or not and as for designer clothes that under privalaged english child only dream of owning but u see them on the backs of people that dont deserve them (imagrants asylum seekers)"

"im sick to death of working my tits off 6days aweek when im off sick or unable to work and ask for help all i got was £26 a week what a load of bullshit im english born and bred worked from the age off 17 and pay tax all my live and people walk in to this country and get free this free that f##king crap an 90% of bristish people think this to blood sucks, think of the people that fought for this country all them years ago BORN AND BRED"

Seriously?? How the fucking hell did we get to the point where this is what people think? Honestly?? I dont even know what to say to the last two - I tried arguing constructively earlier in the day, but cant even be bothered to waste my breath on the last two. They called me a "goody two shoes" and seem determined to blame everything on "immigrants".

I'm actually ashamed to live in the same town as some of these people.

AIBU to wonder where this country goes from here when this is what crap they spout? Is it the media's fault? or education?

(the worst bit? at least 1 of these people quoted are a 3rd generation European "immigrant" but thats different of course )

YANBU.

But I am not an idiot, so I just hid the photo.

Think that the vast majority of right minded people would have done.

YABU if you think that's the majority opinion in this country. It's not. It is hard on working class white people though when they are struggling and certain sections of the media aimed at that group make immigrants out to be living the high life without any effort. When people are having a hard time and feel powerless, they will lash out, no matter their class or education.

I blame the Daily Mail (I'd love a t-shirt with that slogan). The majority of people think 'asylum seeker' is a synonym for 'illegal, time-wasting, peodophile, moronic, immigrant'. I can't see how anybody who knew what the term means (and surely it's obvious) could possibly think that. Also in my experience (of dealing with asylum seeking kids), I don't think they are actually entitled to that much. I teach one child who is living with 9 'brothers and sisters' (fairly sure some of them are not her blood relations) in a two room flat. Believe me, those kids are going to be a massive asset to this country. In the two months I've been teaching her, she is now holding conversations in English and I've sent her home with Harry Potter this week. I think we should keep her and her highly ambitious, driven family and send some of the FB morons to Somalia instead.

p.s. I work in a school where there are no white British children. I innocently thought this would make the children less racist and more understanding of each other. Nope. Half the rude phrases I've learnt in Punjabi/Singhalese are used to describe somebody with darker skin.

The country is far less racist now than in recent times. These posts have (rightly) shocked, partly because they're so different to acceptable thinking. It wasn't long ago pubs had signs saying "no blacks no dogs and no Irish" on the door. Yes there's still a way to go but generally this is a pretty tolerant country compared to 30 years ago, and many many parts of the world now.

Meant to add... Until the gap between rich and poor narrows considerably, unemployment falls dramatically and inequalities in the welfare system addressed, it is always going to be a case of poor turning on poor. What's the point of lashing out at bankers and regulators who screwed up the economy in the first place? It makes no impact.

AKMD thats what I was thinking - that the media seem to fuel this hatred. After seeing that video clip of the mum on the Croydon tram, and reading these comments, its clear they are getting their "facts" from somewhere - and seeing as they cant say they have ever met any of these with everything handed to them on a plate, all I can gather is it is from the press.

So should the press be held accountable as a race-hate fueller? Should they be banned from reporting so negatively about things like this?

I know this isnt the majority view everywhere. Sadly however, I live on a council estate that is 99% white english and this is all you hear day in day out. I am struggling to ensure my children grow up without being so narrowminded, without being bullied or picked on.

Good for you for your attempt to srgue constructively Tortu. We need to challenge these attitudes every time.

Tortu They are entitled to £30 a week - of which 2/3rds are in voucher form. Not really raking it in are they? I have known through my work over the years several immigrant families and asylum seekers and have yet to meet any who have even 2p spare change, let alone a mobile phone.

Winkly ""The country is far less racist now than in recent times. These posts have (rightly) shocked, partly because they're so different to acceptable thinking. It wasn't long ago pubs had signs saying "no blacks no dogs and no Irish" on the door"" - Thank you for this. It gives me hope that actually we are moving forward, albeit slowly.

The comments made are obviously shocking, not only horrible, but don't make much sense either. I'd imagine the people saying those sort of things are just sounding off, and clearly have no idea what they are talking about. I dont know anyone in RL who would think anything along those lines though, so IMO it's a very small minority-in general I'd like to think 'we' as a country aren't racist or narrow minded, although there will always be exceptions

I think a lot of people have never not been racist and narrowminded. They just have more ways of spreading the hate, these days.

i have seen some on fb tonight about the government not allowing people to say christmas or christmas tree and it has to now be holiday tree. I dont believe ive ever heard the government say any of this, yet people pick up on it and are outraged. What a load of bollocks. I know i should pick people up on the fact its untrue but when i have in the past i just get called a snotty bitch. I cant be arsed with the aurguments.

The people who make the comments are uneducated numpties though, they have no idea what they're saying.

I think very few people are rascist now.

I really really don't think the country is that racist and narrow minded. I think as a nation the English are mostly a tolerant, broad minded bunch. Historically we've always absorbed other cultures. The racist fuckers who make the news are a tiny minority - and yes, from the sounds of it where you live will affect what you perceive to be the "normal" view of things.

ouryve - interesting angle that. I have to admit I've been surprised recently at friends reactions to certain things like this - and its always been over facebook conversations or online. Almost like they feel they can get away with saying things in text that they wouldnt say in person - and also I see things they write with friends that wouldnt neccesarily come up in conversation with me ordinarily.

Technology isnt always a good thing I guess. Look at the London Riots in the summer - wasnt the hate fuelled by BBM and facebook then too? (and incidently werent people charged for it?)

Utterly vile! Those people have not idea what real poverty means and how lucky they are to be born in this country.

Of course they fuel it. If the tabloids got all het up about how destitute families fleeing from warzones went without food and housing while bankers own 5 houses and a private jet then it might change. But no. Bankers may as well be a different species for all they've got in common with your average white, working class council tenant. Far easier to whip up the vitriol against the darkie who's sneaked into the country and taken the 4 bedroom council house and is in training to get YOUR low-skilled job, who doesn't even speak English and wants to cancel Christmas and blow up Her Majesty. It's perfect because even real politicians can't agree on immigration and social welfare so there is someone everyone can blame and people feel like something might change that actually affects them. It's exactly the same situation as with the Jews in the last few centuries before the second world war.

Have to disagree with the sentence that very few people are racist now,I think a lot of people hide their racist views in everday life but post on the internet thnking they are anonymous and then the racism becomes apparent.

monstermissy - indeed i dont think I will be entering into this kind of argument of debate again. Not one person in the 30 odd there agreed with me, they all jumped on the "hate" bandwagon and ended up firing abuse at me.

hassled I am very very glad to hear that the views I am sadly exposed to arent the majority. It gives me hope.

is this what you mean OP?

I've seen this on Facebook and just ignored it to be honest.

AKMD - very good post. you put it so well.

The thing about the Jews? I think thats what worries me - look what happened there...... I'm guessing thats what we have to look forward to if BNP were to ever get into power?? Someone reassure me thats not likely to happen in my lifetime.....

Sorry - by "the English" in my post I meant people from all of the UK. And I know that racism is alive and well - but I don't think our children are racist; I really think it's a dying concept. I hope I'm not being naive.

A good example - I live in a largely white provincial city. It has never been especially multi-cultural and when I first moved here it was the sort of place you had to have been born in to ever be accepted. We (political party) recently selected a black candidate to stand at the next general election - I can't begin to see that that would have happened 20 odd years ago when I first came here.

The letter is FAKE for a start.

C&P this link to them www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/practice/basics/facts

YANBU.

But, sadly, I don't think that kind of attitude is in any way new.
And yes, t'interweb allows people to spout this offensive crap with impunity .

I am an (European) 'immigrant', I work, I pay taxes and have done for 18 years. I am married to a Brit. I could apply for UK citizenship, but just don't feel British so I have no plans to. Oh, but how I'd like to be able to vote... .

Yes worraliberty, thats the one. One of my FB friends put it on her page - and nothing else. So I wrote "I dont get it, whats with the photo of a letter" and got the tirade of "they get everything on a plate, we get fuck all" crap spouted at me. I didnt even think about there being a hate reason behind the letter - I was looking for spelling mistakes or a joke in it or something!!

I'm not too sure it's face lubey

Have checked around a few internet sites and it doesn't seem to flag up as fake

On the other hand, if they're not allowed to work, what do people expect the Government to do, let them freeze to death?