To be staggered that >95% of the population of Wales is White?

[ColeHawlings]

Or, I should say, that it was at the time of the 2011 census (almost 94% White British and Irish combined).

I had absolutely no idea that it was so high.

I vaguely thought that, like Liverpool, parts of Wales had been at the vanguard of multiculturalism, for seafaring reasons.

Am I just thinking too much of Cardiff?

A nurse I worked with started dating a guy from NI. When she went to meet his parents she said people stopped in the street to stare at her because she has brown skin

My friend is very tall, very blonde blue eyed princess Di Look alike her BF is Chinese, she went to his village in china and she said she was started at EVERYWHERE like an alien.

I was in Oz, with blonde friend ( also stunning) and a group of Japanese tourists, stopped to oggle her and ooh and ahh, she said it happens all the time.

I was outside Versailles with my yes....blonde DD and Chinese tourists said she had beautiful hair can they have photos with her , they even touched her hair.

Is all this racism? or do people naturally notice and therefore look at what seems new or different to them?

OP, it's a bit of a hanging comment to just say you are 'surprised'. What is you are wanting to discuss - the history of immigration into Wales? whether Wales is less welcoming to different ethnicities? multiculturalism?

I don't find it surprising. A black friend of mind went to Aberystwyth university and said she was in a tiny, tiny minority - so much so that some of the locals seemed to find her a total novelty.

I don't think there is a single non-white face at DS's school. Nor was there at nursery.
I am always a bit surprised when I do see someone here and think they must be on holiday! But then I do live very far north

I am in Shropshire and all the children at the local school are white.

I kindof resent the implication of the thread here. Where I live in Wales we have a huuuge polish population, thry are white so to walk past you might not know they arent from here.
I certainly have never found my pocket of wales to he backwards or racist, generally friendly and laid back people.

My comparative comment about the Indian population in India is a bit misguided. I've got mixed up between white and white British.

I suppose I was thinking about ethnic Welsh, if you like.

However, in the rural place I am there is little visual diversity (like others have said, the Asian families run the various Asian restaurants). But there is an increasing population of various other white European nationals - but these would still be under the category 'White'.

Someone up thread alluded to the historical and economical elements of increasing diversity in the last century. These communities have yet to filter to some of the more rural locations, as another poster said.

Equally, as other posters have said, where there is little diversity, there's a shocking amount of racism/xenophobia (and homophobia, and general acceptance of anyone slightly different).

I should say: this is my experience of moving from work in a city to a small, rural town.

I wasn't implying anything bollocks. Not at all.

I don't blame you for resenting your own inference, considering how unpleasant it is. I like Wales and the Welsh obviously or why buy a house there?

overthehill

What is you are wanting to discuss - the history of immigration into Wales? whether Wales is less welcoming to different ethnicities? multiculturalism?

Not particularly, no. Just whether I was the only person this stupid surprised.

I was interested in Welsh history anyway, but the history of immigration doesn't stand out as of especial interest, just another strand in a fascinating social history.

Equally, as other posters have said, where there is little diversity, there's a shocking amount of racism/xenophobia (and homophobia, and general acceptance of anyone slightly different).

I REALLY hope that isn't generally true.

Wracking my brains for a monocultural nation, I come up with Japan. Would you say that racism is prevalent in Japan?

Try rural Scotland.
Tis very white, and very Scottish!

the OP made me laugh, made me think about my welsh ancestry. When my grandad was old and very ill I saw him without a shirt for the first time, the welsh are soooo white. I finally understood why I burn so much, more than my my ginger friends! Sorry off point, but the welsh really are white haha.

Light

Ok, when I say "shocking amount" I mean that I was surprised to hear some of the comments (the classic one about taking all the jobs mainly) in comparison to where I'd worked before.

I was also surprised at the lack of tolerance and even knowledge of LGBTQ issues.

I'd say 30 miles has been the equivalent of at least 5 years in cultural terms.

So maybe "surprising" is more appropriate a term than "shocking".

I'm going to stop commenting now. I'm doing myself no favours!

cole

What background are you from?

People who are "different" do tend to have more issues when they are in areas where they are the only "different" person.

If people have not met and mixed with people who are "different", they can sometimes develop prejudices based on what they read and hear.

• Would you say that racism is prevalent in Japan?

My blonde friend was oz was always stared at and had her pic taken by Japanese tourists.

she never felt it was meanly motivated.

another friend lived in tokyo for a while and again was stared at - very blonde but never felt it was racist.

is looking at people however briefly for being different - racist, disabslit etc.

I fully expect major cities of most countries to have some cultural mix and I similarly expect smaller on the edge places to have less of a mix, and this seems for reasons stated above to be perfectly natural wherever you go in the world, and people starting to me is not racist.

I can see that it could be true in some instances and along some parameters Orlando (in fact, I know it is sometimes). I am loathe to believe that racism is a widespread characteristic or habit of the Welsh, however.

Orlando there is another argument that smaller volumes of people with a different culture who settle in a new country may make more effort to fit in? Blend in? Learn the language?

Where as larger no of people with a different cultrure ( whatever colour and origin) can actually cause more problems. ( see david blunketts constituency)

I don't think I'd equate interest or lack of familiarity or even gaucheness with prejudice per se Gasoline

I lived in Tokyo for a while, admittedly a few years ago. I have dark hair and eyes. Quite often older Japanese people wouldn't want to sit next to me or other white friends on the train. There was no overt racism but we were definitely regarded as 'other'. People were generally really really polite though and very friendly and I had a lovely time. Might have felt differently if I had moved there long term though.

Not sure about feel Wales is somehow behind in its multi cultusim. Surely multi culture society is all about being comfortable and celebrate with each other. If ethnic groups prefer to stay inclusters and not settle in some areas of the UK it's not that area fault of being slow to become multi-cultural. It's just a fact.

We could of rules where if an area went over a certain ethic group percentage there had to settle somewhere else and built up to the national average...no didn't think so!

at these areas now accused of racism, just for not having enough migrants

ffs

Norfolk’s population
Norfolk’s population is around 870,100, with more people living in King’s Lynn &
West Norfolk and Norwich and fewer people living in Great Yarmouth and North
Norfolk.
Norfolk’s ethnic make-up is characterised by a predominantly White English,
Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, British or Irish population (92.9%).
The proportion of people with an ethnic group other than White is 3.5%, and at
local authority level this figure varies from 1.4% in North Norfolk to 9.2% in
Norwich.

Stats from where we live. I very rarely meet non white British folk here.

I didn't mean to ascribe purely positive or negative value to the process Akire. I just meant that as a demographic process (as with others) I would have 'expect'ed it to contine once started.

I hadn't thought deeply enough about it, obviously.

Living in Greater London doubtless has had an effect on me, too (in terms of what FEELS to be average or usual).