AIBU to be offended by this?

[Binina]

A friend of a friend on Facebook put up a post about how racist Britain is..

It was followed by lots of comments agreeing with her. Someone said British people don't know what culture is, let alone British culture and another said 'Uk culture? please, what culture would the UK have if it wasn't for immigrants'.

Isn't this racism in itself, in some form? I dunno, it's just bothered me.

please carry on sharing facebook posts from friends of your friends, i really want to know how this ends

How on is that racism?

If your friend isn't white then it's not racism & you need to stop minimizing her experiences (and that of those around her).

As the fabulous Nessa once said:

'it's not racism Stace, it's xenophobia'

You're right, it's rude but it's their opinion. Either engage it disengage and ask Fb not to show your stuff like this.

And if you do engage, well you can't really argue it, as it's their opinion. You can express sorrow that they experience Britain like that, show an interest in what exactly has formed their view and then maybe ask what they would like to change in British culture for them to feel more accepted.

But as it's not someone close to you I'd leave it tbh.

Groupie123

If your friend isn't white then it's not racism

What do you mean?

Binina

Not racist. Just bigoted.

Fuck me OP I guess you have never experienced racism then.
You honestly think standing up to racism is racist. By your logic I guess if a child is bullied at school and complains about being bullied he's also a bully himself. Wtf

Instead of getting defensive why don't you have an open mind and listen to what your friends are saying.

"YES, Black/Brown people can be prejudice, bigoted, hateful, etc, but they cannot be “Racist”, in that they do not have the ability to affect ‘Systemic Racism’ against Whites. If YOU as a White person want to personally consider someone being Prejudice the same as them being Racist, that’s up to you. But that is inaccurate from a scholarly sense, and more importantly regardless of your opinion, Black people do not have the ability to impact Systemic Racism against Whites."

Link- medium.com/@natemezmer/black-people-cant-be-racist-e01266f17d45

"Minorities cannot be racist. I’ll say it louder for the people in the back who did not hear me—minorities cannot be racist.

Racism is the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. That definition was not found on Tumblr or Buzzfeed, but good ole Merriam-Webster.

The system of racism begins with a race designating itself as superior to another. To carry out acts of racism, a race must have power and privilege. There has never been a time in American history when a race other than white has had power and privilege over another—especially in the case of African-Americans."

Link;
star.txstate.edu/2016/02/15/black-people-cannot-be-racist-and-heres-why/

Well without immigration we'd not have a lot of things we'd consider British. I have friends of different skin tones and backgrounds and they face racism on a depressing regular basis. Everything from it being assumed they didn't attend uni, to being asked where they are 'really from'. It's not as bad as some other places in the world, but it does exist. Just look at the story of the NHS worker on his way into work to help the MCR bombing victims who was hit with racist abuse and called a terrorist.

But would be interested if you had some examples of British culture untouched by immigration.

Groupie123

If you are saying "systemic racism" and "racism" are (slightly) different then I agree.

If you are saying that you can only be racist if you are white then I don't.

Having studies this in a module at degree level. Your friend is right, and NOT racist.
Immigration has been fairly consistent for over 100yrs, regardless of what the daily fail ect will lead you to believe. If you look further back, the english would literally kidnap people from oversees and force them to work here. The UK has been multi-cultural for a very long time, and I'm glad about that.

You don't seem to have a good grasp of Imperialist history do you?

One can be offended by anything one like. However being offended by some things makes one look stupid. HTH

I agree - multiculturalism underpins UK culture, and those who think there was ever a time where everyone was, I dunno, living together in some society where we were all genetically similar and spoke the same language in the UK (I actually find it hard to picture what it is that people who are "against" immigration think that a society should look like) are seriously deluded. There has ALWAYS been lots of movement, in and out and around this island. It is a good thing, and should continue. We are all the richer for it.

Sorry, I was agreeing with what was the last poster's comment at the time... looks odd now.

To OP - so no it's not racism. I don't really understand why you think it is.

Groupie123 - are you saying only white people can be racist?
A friend of mine - Chinese Malasian - is very racist when it comes to Asian, and an African friend is very racist when it comes to people from the WIndies (something to do with them being slaves whilst Africans are not)

"All my black friends are really racist"......

Well you know what Corbyn says 'if it wasn't for immigrants, we wouldn't have all those lovely doctors and nurses and specialists and other health professional/health workers etc etc.'

rolleyes. 🙄🙄

Hmm, culture varies a lot through the UK though. The North of England, Scotland, Wales and the South of England all have different cultures, some quite distinctly different I would say. Yes, we have influences from different cultures in the UK but which cultures don't? I don't think culture is something that exists within a vacuum. Does that mean that the culture is any less 'British'. I would say it enriches our 'British' culture.

Yes that is one theory Groupie, one which I must say I disagree with. I lived in various Asian countries as a child. Some I found particularly racist towards white people, it was very difficult at times. So by the theory you mentioned, If I was to turn around and say something racist about the Japanese whilst in Japan it wouldn't be racist, yet if I was to say exactly the same thing while here in the UK then it would be?

I've been called a fucking Brit (a fucking brit; you are all unhealthy and overweight; fucking brit you are all the same; brits you are all the same, all alcoholics and you do not care about anyone else, fuck this country)
and a fucking Jew on numerous occasions; apparently it's neither racist nor antisementic because i'm a blonde-haired, blue-eyed British Jew.

I'm just "too sensitive" (I put up with it for a year before I asked them to stop).

The person was just as bad about the Dutch though so I guess it wasn't just limited to me.

Not racist but bloody daft and obviously incorrect and a lazy stupid generalisation made by someone clearly trying a little too hard to be goady.

Ignore and block.

groupie
Minorities may not be able to be racist on the institutional/systemic level, but then I think racism and systemic racism are entirely different concepts.

Prejudiced based on a race is racism.
Prejudiced based on a sex is sexism.
Prejudiced based on an age is ageist.

It's not hard.

However, talking macro-level societal racism, then sure - minorities can't be systemically racist.
In the same way, both men and women can be sexist against each other in the everyday sense of the word. But, institutionally - as we live under patriarchy - only men can be systemically sexist.

I saw a video of a white mother and child getting beaten up by a group of black people because they were on a 'black' neighbourhood - one of my friends commented "It's prejudiced but not racist". Bullshit - it was an attack based on race.

OP
"British" is not a race, it is a nationality. It's not racist, It's xenophobic.

Black/Brown people can be prejudice, bigoted, hateful, etc, but they cannot be “Racist”

because...

Minorities cannot be racist.

Yeah love, but do you realize that black and brown people are NOT minorities in many parts of the world, and that the one, American situation you gave is not the only one around?

Racism comes in many colours.

ps yes, Britain is racist as fuck

Desiree True. In majority black countries where white people are a minority, then black people surely can be racist, by groupie's definition.