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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

older people with racist and ignorant views

107 replies

x2boys · 09/06/2014 17:35

Aibu in thinking age is not an excuse to racist and ignorant?
I was on the bus this afternoon and there was a man who appeared white but was dressed in traditional Muslim clothing and wearing a royal mail coat so presumably a postman,I,m sure like any other race religion Islam doesn't discriminate and anyone should they wish can convert to Islam
Anyway a couple got on the bus who were probably in their 70,s and started shouting very loudly that this man was white and why was he wearing clothes like that!
They continued to talk very loudly about it and then they man in in 70,s said the Muslim postman better not deliver mail to his house!! A second older lady joined in and said the postman was a white man is this a generational thing ?
My parents who are also in their 70,s have made if not racist comments certainly ignorant comments which I have told them off for?

OP posts:

Deverethemuzzler · 09/06/2014 21:52

As Voltaire almost said, 'I don't agree with what you are saying, but I defend to the death your right to say it

I have always thought this a particularly stupid quote and before I knew it was a misquote I thought Voltaire was a smug twat.

Like I would guard Nick Griffin's big slimy self so he can spout his racist shite.

cricketpitch · 09/06/2014 21:56

Thoughtful post Montegomongoose

Original poster

x2boys · 09/06/2014 21:59

Old or young montegomongoose the people I encounters today had paticulary nasty views so yes I do judge them on one snapshot I would judge anyone with views li!e that regardless of their age the postman in question was minding his own buissness probably having just finished his shift as it was just prior to me picking my boys up from school,and some couple get on the bus criticising him loudly for his chosen religion his attire and the fact he was white and in their mind he had no right to be Muslim how am I not supposed to judge?

OP posts:

Jinsei · 09/06/2014 22:00

Many older people in this country haven't travelled much, and they aren't, despite what Londoners tell them, exposed to 'multicultural Britain' on a daily basis.

So what's your point here? My mother has hardly travelled at all, and has only very recently started living in a multicultural area. She has always known that racism was wrong, and she didn't need to be "exposed" to people from different countries in order to discover this.

There is no excuse for racism (or ageism, sexism, homophobia, disablism or indeed any other type of irrational prejudice).

Icimoi · 09/06/2014 22:01

Chipstick10, the only people I have seen till now using the oh-so-amusing "Ms Harperson" terminology have been in the more rabid sectors of the Mail's comment columns. And strangely they, too, can only bring themselves to get worked about about supposed anti-white racism. How do you feel about the type of racism referred to by the OP?

Original poster

x2boys · 09/06/2014 22:03

And where I come from it is very common to see people of all races maybe not a man who is apparently white and Muslim but even so they were spectacularly rude.

OP posts:

Latara · 09/06/2014 22:03

Sadly young people can be racist and ignorant too; it's across all age groups!

I started a thread a while back about how many of my colleagues are sharing Britain First and BNP posts.

Latara · 09/06/2014 22:03

(On the Facebook Newsfeed)

cricketpitch · 09/06/2014 22:05

Maybe OP, but if the couple had been young would you have mentioned their ages three times in the post? Maybe you would - I don't want to be unfair.

Hatred, ignorance, prejudice need to be fought - but not with more of the same but with debate and education, (and I don't just mean schools!), and a bit of understanding.

(paxtecum - wasn't there a general boycott of S.African goods? Fruit and veg, especially oranges I believe? There were a lot of demo's too and a real move to change things)

Original poster

x2boys · 09/06/2014 22:10

I would have started a thread about this regardless of ages but tbh I have never encountered such blatant racism before maybe I am lucky.

OP posts:

SisterMoonshine · 09/06/2014 22:20

I think some of these people get little bits of brainwashing each day from the Daily Express etc

AliceInSandwichLand · 09/06/2014 22:24

Sorry X2boys, I wasn't trying to defend the nasty people you saw by wondering if they had dementia, since as you say it's obviously unlikely they all did, I was thinking more generally. There is no excuse either a) for bigotry by someone, even if they are old or b) ageism in assuming someone's objectionable views are just because they are old - except that someone with dementia may say some awful things, and obviously dementia is a disease of the elderly which does account for nasty behaviour in some old people, so it's a bit of a special case, i think. Not sure if I've been any clearer here!

Gennz · 09/06/2014 22:26

Montegomongoose yes I would slam someone as ignornant and racist if they made offensive comments because they "hadn't travelled much" or "hadn't been exposed to multi-cultural Britain". By definition that's what they would be.

I don't live in multi-cultural Britain myself but I can recognise racism when I see it. Of course some racist views may come from people with otherwise good hearts and those views may be borne of ignorance but that's still no excuse for them.

Original poster

x2boys · 09/06/2014 22:27

Its fine Alice if they had dementia it would have been more excusable but I don't think there is any excuse for nasty racist views.

OP posts:

cricketpitch · 09/06/2014 22:29

I'm sure you would OP - and you are right the behaviour was despicable. It would be nice if we thought we could challenge it at the time - but that is difficult - the tendency is not to want to get involved, (I don't just mean you - i don't either especially if I am with the DCs).

I'm not saying that they weren't behaving badly and they don't sound like nice people but your post comes across as ageist and people have reacted to that too.

(Technically if both he and they were white and they were criticising his clothes and religious views or his "defection" it is a different type of prejudice)

mrsmalcolmreynolds · 09/06/2014 22:34

Goblin that Voltaire quote does indeed set out the reason that the folk on the bus are allowed to express racist views. However, it goes just the same for the OP's right to tell them she thought it was wrong (had she done so) and the right of posters here to say the same.

On the topic of elderly relatives and racism, I recently had a deeply uncomfortable exchange with DH's GM who is 85. I'd not experienced it fromher before but on a recent visit she suddenly started a whole DM/UKIP rant which DH and I tried to divert but when she started on about how half her neighbours (she lives in Crawley) were training at suicide bomber camps I said to her that I couldn't listen to any more and just got in the car (we were on the point of leaving anyway, DC already strapped in etc.).

All this wasn't because she is 85 but rather because (a) she is easily led (b) all her local friends have either died or moved away and she feels a bit isolated (c) partly as a result of b she doesn't want to live in her house any more and possibly (d) some basic intolerance. Some of these things are more likely to be present in an older person, notably (b) but it's assuming that they are a characteristic of someone of a particular age that amounts to a prejudice.

grimbletart · 09/06/2014 22:45

I am in my 70s and am not racist. You, however, OP are ageist.

GarlicJuneBlooms · 09/06/2014 23:05

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Floisme · 09/06/2014 23:09

'Is it a generational thing?' I think there is a generational thing going on, yes. However I don't believe older people are any more racist than anyone else (and certainly not 70+ year olds who, unlike a lot of us, got off their arses and fought discrimination).

What I do think is happening is that we only notice older people when they do or say obnoxious or outrageous things. I am in my late 50s and already I can feel myself sliding out of view so in 10 or 15 years time I expect to be pretty much invisible.

GarlicJuneBlooms · 09/06/2014 23:13

That's why I've taken to wearing loud colours, Flo

Floisme · 09/06/2014 23:20

I think I'll try my hand at holding up banks, Garlic - no-one will be able to give a description

GarlicJuneBlooms · 10/06/2014 00:00

Ha! Great idea When do we start?

fifi669 · 10/06/2014 00:09

My nan went to the new Asian buffet in town and not seeing many vegetarian options spoke to the manager. She said if you talk to the chef he may be able to make you something special. On seeing a big black man walk out she asked where he originated from.... The answer was the next town. (We live in Cornwall, non white population of 0.000001%)possible exaggeration

She wasn't being racist, just ignorant and not used to seeing or dealing with other colours/ethnicities etc.

fifi669 · 10/06/2014 00:11

Oh and she asked my sister what my DPs last name was.... He's mixed race. When she told her her reply was it can't be, that's not a real name

Hakluyt · 10/06/2014 00:12

Yep. All older people are racist, and all younger people are models of liberal multiculturalism.

Oh, wait..........

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