To be worried about Norfolk holiday as an ethnic minority?

[Faffandahalf]

I’m from London.

Going to north Norfolk in the summer. It’s been booked. Research showed it was a beautiful part of the UK. Want to do more UK hols.

We’ve been to Cornwall which seemed ok, the Cotswold we were openly stared at.

But now I’m doing some more reading and turns out Norfolk is horribly racist.

We are Asian. Me DH, 2 young kids. My sister is coming too...she wears a headscarf but very modern dress...jeans and hoodie etc. I don’t wear a headscarf. But we are all brown!

Are we going to get trouble? We’ve booked a cottage in a lovely little village which I imagine doesn’t see many brown folks.

I don’t venture out of London much and forget it’s a different world out there sometimes.

I just want a nice holiday without being gawped at.

Certainyou’ve made me laugh!

Ah good

Hope you have a great time

I am indian (ethnically, american nationality, hindu background, but no religious markers, so just look plain brown. I am quite dark though) and DP is white, and we have two obviously mixed kids.

Been to Norfolk a few years ago. Perfectly lovely friendly place. no issues for us. Great holiday. I don't remember being stared at all, and definitely nothing threatening. In fact, the worst part of the holiday was having some terrible curry on the way back to London. Oh the irony.

@PandaG I LOVE Natural Surroundings! I almost don't want to tell too many people about it because I love it too much to spoil it (I still do though, assuming they'll get lost on the way to it).

I'm from Norfolk. I live north Norfolk but I would say that in my experiences the proportion of ignorant bigots in rural Norfolk is quite a bit higher than where I live now in sheffield. Venture into more isolated parts of South Yorkshire and its similar. My mumis racist as fuck, although not representative.

We're still talking small minorities though so I hope you have a lovely time. Holkham Beach. Blakeney and grey seal if you like coffee. Little walk on the Norfolk coast path from Cley.

Norwich is a beautiful city and if you're going soon the arts festival may still be in. It's hardly diverse as some people said but it is more so than it used to be and it's an accepting place. If you like a bit of shopping its got all the usual but the streets around lower goat lane are full of gems.

One of my very favourite places is holkham beach. If your doing a full beach day do it here, but bring stuff as there's not facilities. Wells beach and Brancaster beach are nice too.

Bewilderwood is great for kids.
If you dare venture down gressenhall rural life museum is quite interesting and has a good play area.

Wells has a little train the kids might like

Samantha are you implying that using the term 'whitesplaining" is racist? If so I would suggest you do some reading.
And yes, parts of Norfolk can be horribly racist.

I don’t want my children being stared at. Some people think that’s ok, not a big deal. That I jusvhave to deal with ignorance because it’s a small place etc.

OP: My kids are mixed Indian and white. One looks very Indian, the other could be anything. In any case, you can't protect your kids from these things forever, and really there is no better or safer place to dip your foot into the non-London waters than Norfolk. If you are worried about Norfolk, what about going to places like southern France, Italy, or eastern Europe? I certainly wouldn't suggest you go somewhere where your safety is compromised, but Norfolk really really isn't one of those places. you are going to miss out on a lot of the world if a little staring is going to get to you that upset.

I have had my share of uncomfortable staring in small places and I agree it's not pleasant. But unless I scared all the racists into their homes while I was there, Norfolk is fine.

We went to Norfolk a few years back, and didn’t have any issues with staring or racism and I’m in a headscarf, dh is Asian. Can’t remenber all of the places we went but would recommend bewilderwood it was lovely. I would go to Norfolk again, we didn’t feel uncomfortable or anything. Hope you enjoy your trip op!

I know where u are coming from Faff, it isn't nice when your kids have to encounter the staring and 'off' behaviour.

We have had moments like these in Great Yarmouth and Whipsnade safari park (where nobody would sit next to us but we got the whole row to ourselves-and boy did we spread ourselves out) It is silly but I try to make light of the situation for the kids sake (the more stares we get, the posher our accents become). My kids find it hilarious and it's a little family joke that is how we deal with it. It is sad when you have to find strategies to shield your kids from racism but it works for us. Obviously if it's overt racism then we just leg it

I think it’s really easy for white people to say ‘it’s fine, no racism here’ because they haven’t experienced it.

Til we met, my husband would have said there was no racism in his country (Korea) either. But I (white) get stared at, get racist comments both bengin and less benign, almost every day. I don’t mind too much but when kids yell ‘omg a foreigner’ and their parents just stop and gawp with them instead of correcting them, yes, it is bothersome and it is dehumanising. Until you’ve experienced it, it’s not really possible to understand how it feels and how often it happens.

Yes, in London there is also racism, but no one is likely to stare in shock at a non-white person like they do in some parts of the countryside. My parents live in the country and if my husband and I go there with our mixed kids, we get stared at and some comments occasionally. It doesn’t happen in London at all, although people don’t always realise we’re all together in restaurants and stuff sometimes which is slightly annoying.

I can’t comment particularly on Norfolk, but I do get tired of threads of people saying ‘no big deal’ if they don’t have any experience of discrimination. As a mixed family, I know we’ll get it wherever we go. I don’t have a chip on my shoulder, but I do find it hard not to be bothered sometimes.

Don’t know but the last time I went people did gawp at me in the pub - amused me but my husband said it’s probably because they don’t get many mixed raced folks there. You’ll be fine.

Don’t forget to take in the sights and also - the beautiful offshore windfarms!

Firststep:

After coming to the UK, one thing I have noticed here is that most places really don't have overt racism. The most I have had here is drunk men at night saying racist things, and I think it's more because they were drunk rather than there were racist (as was evident by the very sexist thing they said to the woman right behind me).

I can imagine Korea being very different. but in close to ten years in this country I have never had someone gawp at me, and except for the few drunk men incidents, never heard so much as a peep from anyone about my race. I am not saying there isn't racism here, but I have been pleasantly surprised at how much it isn't overt. I am not a muslim, though being indian I could very easily be confused for one, and I don't know how much that affects things, but I never got the feeling that this country is just heaving with silent racists.

Lack of diversity doesn’t make a place racist?? I’ve been to Norfolk a few times, and have thoroughly enjoyed the place, and the people. I’m sure you will find the same OP. People get stared at for many an odd reason at times, no matter what colour we are!

No, no racism here.

Hi OP, I’m really upset that you felt the need to post your fears.
Wherever you go you will find small minded bigots but you really mustn’t let that stop you holding your head up high and enjoying your holiday like everyone else!

Oh has anyone mentioned the dinosaur park near Norwich? My kids LOVED it there when they were younger, was a regular haunt for a day out.

OP I am Asian and I go to Norfolk a lot due to DH's family connections. Our kids are mixed race. The truth is a lot of the time, I am the only non white person in a place. However I have never been on the end of overt racism. I must admit, I am more self conscious in Norfolk and I do try and be very friendly and smiley everywhere but I am like that most of the time anyway.
I think racism stems from ignorance and fear of the unknown. People are concerned they won't get on with you, threatened by you.
Once I speak and people realise I am not too different to them, they relax, visibly.
A lot of people are from London or the Home counties and have retired there. It is a slower way of life there, for sure.
I would say you would have a lovely time.

I live in Norfolk, it isn't very diverse, I can't imagine you will have any trouble at all other than nosy children with embarrassed parents however that is because many children in the area haven't seen other skin colors, ethnicities in real life before.

If you have children under 10 years old then be sure to visit Bewilderwood and also go rockpooling and crabbing in Cromer.

I'm not white, have grown up and lived in the UK 30+ years, now married with a white DH and biracial kids.

In the past 20 years there has been a massive increase in the number of non-white faces in the SE / Home Counties town that I live in. I consider myself and my kids lucky to be in this particular area because we visually do not stand out so much. It's been many years since I was last shouted at to "go home, back to your own country" (but only a matter of months ago that I was "othered" when an acquaintance referred to me and my "home country": hint, isn't a home country where one grows up ? In my case, the UK.... sigh.)

I'm posting all this because I absolutely believe in and support Faff and think their concerns are valid and justified.

Racism doesn't have to be overt street shouting (group of teens at me, Hastings 2017) and "reverse" racism exists - everyone across the world has prejudices, but in this country prejudice + power is mainly held by white folk therefore we're discussing racism exhibited by white folk towards non-white folk in the UK.

By all means if you're white and you feel you've never seen racism or known other white folk to be racist, good for you. But don't be defensive and dismiss other people's very real experiences and consequent fears and anxieties.

I wish I didn't have "a chip on my shoulder", but unfortunately a life time of being made to feel different and not belonging has placed that chip there - I'd rather it never existed.

Hope your holiday goes well Faff. If anything, it's the British weather that'll be the greater factor

prejudice + power is mainly held by white folk

not sure what this is based on. White folk also make up much of the powerless. Working class white boys are now near the worst performing group in schools. The mayor of Europe's wealthiest city (London) is not white. I don't think it's so black and white.

but it’s hardly red neck America either.

The rednecks are not the racist ones.

Wow! This is a thread that highlights how some white people can live their lives unaware of the racism around them. I've friends and family in Norfolk. The level of casual ignorant unthinking racism and homophobia is high. A racially mixed gay couple I know actively avoid some shops in their town because of the level of antagonism.

Having said that OP, I'd very much hope that in more touristy areas they'd be more interested in your custom than being abusive. Curious maybe. Wishing you well.

White folk also make up much of the powerless

Class and race are different things. I am a working class white woman. My class means I have less power; my race means I have more power.

Just because we have one example of someone doing well for themselves (Sadiq Khan) doesn’t mean there is no racism in the UK any more.

I'm from there and have family who are from Asia, yes you will be looked at, yes you will stand out. No you won't have anyone treating differently to your face but because you will be 'something a bit different' you are almost for sure going to find people looking at you. You're more likely to have people being too friendly to you because of their fear of people thinking they are being racist and anything else. Go and have a great time.

Faffandahalf I'm Asian too and wear a headscarf and DH even sometimes wears a jabbah. I get where you're coming from.

We holiday alot in very rural areas in the UK so we're pretty much always the only non white person in the village / hamlet. It used to concern me before but pleased to say that every single place we've has been fine bar one small hamlet where we just got gawped at. Having said that we haven't been to Norfolk though!

It's shit that we even have to think about whether a place will be rascist or not.

If anyone stares - fuck them.
Hold your head up high and go about your business and enjoy your holiday. You have every right to be there.