to be angry at what I feel is a racist comment on Facebook?

[peedoffbird]

My blood is boiling. Comment by family member about Crimewatch having no custom if it weren't for foreigners.

I think it's important to be able to distinguish between people who are non-white, and people who are actually foreign. They may be black, they may be white.

If the person who wrote that comment on fb was saying it because she saw a disproportionate number of non-white faces and she made assumpions based on that then she would be being unreasonable and probably racist. If she was saying it because they were actually foreign, irrespective of their colour, then she'd have a point, surely?

However, I find anyone who posts comments of that nature on fb a bit tiresome. The one about the 'how could they, after all she has done for them collecting money in Africa?' is hilarious and awful at the same time!

yanbu but if you're that furious, have you said anything to this person?

Whatsthebuzz I can't confront as would cause too many problems

The point is look at who are being sought for crimes in London. These are facts not opinions.

I think you may well find that these facts have been cherry picked.

I recall a rather racist acquanitance once saying to me that it was a 'fact' that most stop and search and arrests were carried ouit on ethnic minortites. To me this did not indicate the higher incidence of crime so much as point to institutionalised racism. So you see 'facts' can be interpreted either way.

I think you will find the answer to your conundrum in the fourth word of your post 'Rhiannon'.

I find the last line of your post truly offensive (and inaccurate). Yes it is possibly true that more crimes are commited by young black men than by elederly women, but it is absolutley not the case that more crimes are committed by youing black men than by young white men. Shame on you!

Per capita, more crimes are committed by young black men than young white men

Hmm......'spect so (not!)

I have no idea of the figures as to whether more black people commit more crimes than white people

But let's say it's true and more black people do commit more crimes.

Would you not then in turn think that might be a result of the massive prejudice and economic disadvantage that black people have face over the last two centuries in this country?

Such things do not exist in a vacuum.

The point I'm trying to make is when people make comments like the OP's friend, it's an incredibly simplistic but still harmful thing to say.

It keeps feeding prejudice against black people without taking into account the factors that might caused such a problem in the first place.

yanbu to be disgusted by any racist comment ever

yanbu to be disgusted by any racist comment ever

FFS many of the people on the crimewatch site are white and from Eastern and Central Europe. It's a question of importing criminality that we would be better off without.

Hey Rhiannon.

I've a better idea. Why don't we just deport all the young black men as statically they are likely to be criminals? It's like and all improved stop and search. Stop and Deport!

OP you are not unreasonable. I have a simply rule. Any one who displays homophobia/racism/support of David Cameron gets deleted. Otherwise I get massively pissed off and end up arguing with he idiots.

For example this weeks girl put up "You hate our flag, but you don't hat or benefits". Rather than call her a fucking moron I just deleted. Far less stressful...

errors as typing on iPhone :(

That works for everyone Rowan. It's better to walk away from people you disagree with otherwise we would have to live in some sort of civil war. But I do worry our society is fragmenting.

It's better for your sanity to walk away. But good to challenge too sometimes. Otherwise how do attitudes ever change if people don't speak up?

I agree ashes...for sure, a lot of racists don't seem to worry too much about going public with their odious views.

If you're are going to stop more young Black men because they are more likely to be committing a crime (sigh) then surely logic tells us that statistically the numbers of black men committing crimes will appear higher.

When in reality this might not be true. If you only stop young black men then you will only find young, black criminals.

Very silly face book comment. My earlier post was saying ( badly) that white bankers have caused far far more distress and poverty than Eastern European migrants here.

On stop and search, we live in worcestershire an area predominantly white and my older( white) dss were constantly stopped and searched by police. No probs with that at all and neither did they.

My younger son now lives in Stoke, very ethnically diverse area and he and his mates ( Asian, white and black) again are all stopped but they see it as ok as if one kid with a knife is stopped then that might be one kid saved committing a crime or being stabbed.

Gangly, but young black men are more often the victims of other young black men with guns and knives. There is no escaping the gang culture that seems to be endemic in some areas. Pretending there isn't a problem will not help solve it.

Ashesgirl, I have confronted over other comments in the past and it caused problems with my dp so I won't do it again. Apart from that, I know that it is pointless as they will not change their attitude ever. People who peddle these views I find are incapable of seeing things in any other way.

It's a very complex subject isn't it. There does seem to be a distinction to be made between immigration and racism, although I find it all very uncomfortable. Underneath it all, I can't bear the thought that a lot of white people still believe that they are superior in some way - stems from the empire days I suppose. Why do people that have racist attitudes make a distinction between a black person living in this country and a white, French person living in this country? The French person is ok but not the black person - what the hell is that about because I can't see a difference at all, neither does it matter to me where someone chooses to live. Does any of this make any sense?

Yes it's just deeply ingrained prejudice. It makes you furious because it's so ignorant. They have massive privilege on their side but still choose to considers others inferior. The injustice of makes me seethe as well.