(TAAT warning) to ask if Norfolk has high incidents of racism...

[woffington]

There's a thread about Hull but bizarrely it has turned to how racist Norfolk is.

I'm 'other' and have lived here for three years and find it shockingly so.

Ive heard the term darky used more than once and heard too many people, some as young as thirty, bemoaning the fact that golliwogs are seen as taboo.

Just curious as to what others think?

It can be an incredibly insular place. I suppose because you don't travel via Norfolk to get anywhere that historically there haven't been many outsiders passing through. Not that that is an adequate bloody excuse today though.

So I agree. Perhaps not huge numbers of overtly racist incidents, but definitely high levels of casual racism.

Darky! Good God, I haven't heard that one in ages. I'd forgotten about it.

Yup, it's awful. I lived there from 7 'till 18 (when I got the hell out!)

As a teen I had friends who would speak horribly about 'darkies' and say the BNP had a point!

I worked in a supermarket, in a town that had recently had an influx of east asian nurses and their families. Every time they came to our (deli) counter, whatever they got was gossiped over afterwards, with much sneering and wrinkling of noses about their wierd and ignorant ways. So grim.

Of course, other rural places may be equally as bad, but in my experience yes, Norfolk is hella rascist

Definitely casually racist and homophobic as well. Overheard plumbers mate aged about 23 say 'And I can't stand XXs mate, I'm sure he's a poofter,' I was stunned.

I can't decide whether it's because there are lots of small villages with few black and Asian people so fewer locals meet and interact with them, or whether the schools don't do a good enough job at widening the perspective of youngsters. Probably a bit of both. I know my children who grew up in London are always astonished by how few black and ethnic minority people there are and think that it is weird as a result.

God, threads like this just remind me how glad I am to live in London.

It's depressing how little some folk have moved on.

I have lived in Norfolk for almost 10 years now and haven't experienced much racism, if any.

The city itself I find to be most friendly, if not a little quirky, and the UEA is massively diverse, as is the staffing at the hospital here. South Norfolk and surrounding is equally as nice but I find as you head towards Thetford, or up towards kings lynn that things do get a bit more of a "Local towns for local people" feeling.

You are right about there not being many passers by but generally I find it a friendly place. It does seem to be parts of secluded North Norfolk where ost of the issues are (and a couple of towns to the east......)

I remember somebody telling me, I don't like such and such people, but, you're alright. That was another Kings Lynn one. In the day time the place was OK. At night it turned into either Sodom or Gomorrah, you choose. I even met one of the chief architects of Gomorrah's Ville, in broad daylight, with his missus & pram, crossing the street. He even said hello to me! I still haven't forgotten it. I just stood there in the middle of the road staring at him with my mouth wide open.

Yep.

I am half Indian, lived there for six years.

The amount of shitty comments was astounding. Like when I was asked in a very patronising way what my religion was. I'm Catholic. They didn't belive me as, in there words "don't all P*** have those strange religions".

That was one of the gems from ds preschool.

I have a friend who lives in Thetford

When I visit, I lose count of the amount of people who slag the Portuguese fruit pickers off. I've heard some really vile things said about them.

Norwich was completely different. I never had any trouble there.

Yes, Norwich on the other hand is totally different.

If I ever had to live in Norfolk again, I'd live there (it's my fave uk City actually and I say that as a Londoner!). Lots of students and workers from everywhere.

It's the rural areas and small towns that are horrid.

Norwich is the best

I live in South Norfolk and honestly haven't encountered any of the attitudes described here, tbh I've encountered far more racism (against Eastern Europeans rather than particular ethnicities) in the North West where I'm originally from. However we're on the main Norwich to London train line and have lots and lots of incomers and London commuters so it's not really insular.

That said, I'm friends with someone who lives in a local village, family been there for generations, who is shockingly homophobic. Not in an angry 'I hate them' kind of way but in a very ignorant kind of way.

I live on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Dd was called 'paki', 'spaz', 'asian babe' and others that I cannot bear to repeat, all the way through high school in South Norfolk. She is now in sixth form and is often called 'paki' or 'chinky'. We are only 15 miles from Norwich but goodness, it could be a million.

1987 Norwich

6th form friend : bla bla [insert racist shite]
Me: My Dad's from India
6th form friend : Oh, he's alright.

dawndon would you happen to know if the children doing the namecalling are the same ones over and over again? And, what is the reaction of the heads/principal(s)? In the past I've found that a useless head is often half the problem.

bonkers the my best friend is a [insert stupidity here] or I hate so and sos, but X is alright.

I'm not racist!

Gets me every time. You just have to sit in the middle of the carpet and think, OK this is a circle. Where the hell do I start!

You definitely don't want to come to our village in deepest Devon, then.

Dora Both here (6th form) and High school have dealt with it reasonably well, one repeat offender being excluded for a period of time and then, being removed from the school on a permanent basis. This may have had a great deal to do with the mother stating that fucking cripples and fucking crippled pakis shouldn't be taking up their school spaces. She did this, in front of DD, in the main reception area. But there's no racism here.

By the way, DD isn't particularly dark, but we're of Spanish descent, so olive with dark brown/black hair. We know we must be darker than some because we have both suffered for it over the years (I have scars from being beaten up by the NF in the seventies). Funny thing is, dh had it too. He has brown eyes, tans easily and almost black hair. He's welsh!

I never got beaten up, thank god. But, I've been in my fair share of hairy situations.

My family are from a city that's nearly Norfolk. I would imagine were I to draw a chart of the number of racist comments ever made by individuals it would directly correllate to their workplaces proximity to Norfolk. My parents moved away, maybe my perception is biased. But there's something very disturbing about what is 'acceptable' in that area.
I happen to now live in an area that has experienced similar levels of (and reasons for immigration). It is notably less common to hear something negative here.

Lived in Norwich for 4 years and it is still very VERY white compared to other U.K. cities. I wouldn't say I've encountered much racism here (DS goes to a very culturally diverse school) but there's still the propensity for people to stick to their "own"... So, sadly, the Asians form their own social groups, Eastern Europeans in another, and the rest of "looocal Noorfolk" reminiscing about the old times.

I'm white, from a non EU country, and don't belong with any of 'em.