To ask how racist you think the UK is?

[HateWarts]

I’ve seen videos on this before, I’m wondering how you feel about it.

[badstarttothedayisitoveryet]

Me too, LakieLady. The modern far right scares the shit out of me. They're very organised, international, skilled at spreading misinformation online and they seem to have a lot of money behind them (not all of it from obvious sources).

[LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD]

My polish neighbour talks about the ‘bloody romanians’.

[Ithinkmycatisevil]

I don't think there's as much now as there was. I believe on the whole people have more inclusive views.

There will likely always be some though, where ever people view them selves or others as different and stick together with their own ethinicisity, to the exclusion of others, there will always be something of a them and us mind set. It's a shame, we are all just people at the end of the day, but it's a fact.

I am white and grew up in a predominantly Asian area. I experienced exclusion which you could call racism for being white. There were parents on our street who wouldn't let their children play with the white kids. We all got along well as children, it was the parents attitudes causing the segregation.

[wheresmymojo]

"I don’t believe we have institutional racism"

What about Windrush?

I do think the UK is less racist overall than many countries. I'm deeply unhappy about the rise of racism since Brexit though, it feels like people feel it somehow lifted the lid on some quite horrible undercurrents.

I'm not saying all leavers are racist...just that some leavers voted leave for racist reasons and feel that their 'win' means most people agree with them.

[surferjet]

It always amazes me when white people who say they’re anti racist, have so much hate for other white people who they suspect are racist - no evidence for this hatred, the person probably just has an England sticker in their car.
It’s almost as if as long as they only hate & despise white people they're fine.

[RUOKHUN]

A lot of casual and passive aggressive racism, which I think when people are loud and brash about it we are outraged because that’s not how things are done here.

[EnthusiasmIsDisturbed]

I don't think UK is a melting pot as much as US is especially in towns and cities outside of London

Orange while I agree with you about outside some towns and cities here in the UK is still very white but the segregation in America even in the most diverse cities NY, LA, San Francisco is far more so than here. go to a say popular shopping area it will appear very ethnically diverse but a residential suburb its very different

[noenergy]

I haven't read the full thread but I do think there is quite a bit of racism in the UK. It seems to have got worse since Brexit.
Not just towards Asians and black people but also Polish.

There was also research about applying for jobs and receiving an interview. It found that You were more likely to get to interview stage if you had an English sounding name even if your were not as qualified, than if you have an Asian name.

[53rdWay]

Interesting to hear people say that the UK isn't institutionally racist, given that the term 'institutionally racist' became familiar to the country as a result of the Macpherson report into Stephen Lawrence's death. Which used 'institutionally racist' as a good way to describe how organisations and systems can themselves be racist, rather than making the whole inquiry about whether individual Met officers were good or bad people.

Institutional racism: "The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people."

[Adversecamber22]

Mominatrix I’m mixed Chinese and white but was a child in the 1970’s and 1980’s racism was overt then and I suffered horribly at school. Racism still exists but being of Asian origin well that’s very missed off the agenda. If your interested there has been serious research on this issue. It’s generally accepted that slang using the N and P words associated with being black or Pakistani is racist. I think these days only racists would use these words. But some people insist it’s not racist to say I’m having a chinky to mean Chinese takeaway. It absolutely is racist and that word was used against me as a child and the last time I was racially abused was with that word in the street was about 15 years ago. The jokes about eating dogs, cats etc and the refusal to understand that Asian countries are so different, the their all the same rubbish is annoying.

Also if you have any girls be aware of yellow fever, the mainstreaming of anime has not helped this situation. I know many women get harassed in the street everywhere but it brings its own sexual harassment rooted in racism, oh your so exotic, are you number 69 on the menu?

The UK is more tolerant than many countries though let’s not pretend it’s the worst. We have moved on, my children who are only a quarter Chinese both experienced one incident each that’s too many but far better. Now my DS gets more a sort of jealousy that he gets amazing (his words ) Asian food at home and gets me to cook it for his friends.

[americandream]

There is racism towards EVERY creed and colour, from other creeds and colours, in EVERY country on EVERY continent.

HTH.

[SandyY2K]

It's not something you can put in percentages, but racism exists in the UK. I'm black and I've experienced it.

My brothers have experienced it. Getting stopped by the police because they have nice cars. Though that was when they were younger.

I also find as a black person, that other ethnicities (apart from white/white British) discriminate against us. I've been racially abused by someone of Asian descent...I think they were Indian.

I find there is a tendency to dump anyone who isn't white in the same group and I recall a claim of racism work, whether managers said, but the person being accused is Asian (the complainant was black) and I had to let him know in a professional manner that the two were from different ethnicities and just because they fell under the BAME umbrella, didn't mean it wasn't a valid grievance.

Things have improved in my lifetime and I know my DC don't have the same experience s I did.

I know it still exists in recruitment. Employers can put aside CVs of an Asian or African applicant.

An Asian friend married to a white man experienced this. She shortened her name from Anupam to Ann on her CV.

The recruiting manager openly said they weren't expecting an Asian person from the name on her CV. Then proceeded to ask the occupation of her parents.

[EnthusiasmIsDisturbed]

The UK is institutionally racist

I come across very few ethic minority senior management in the NHS and Social Services shockingly so as many complain about and this is in London

And police force, judiciary, finance (never worked with a senior manager who wasn’t white usually male in years of working in the city apart from the legal departments and not the most senior roles)

Not sure how anyone can claim that there is no Institutional Racism

[Heratnumber7]

White people are not discriminated against in the U.K

Ask someone Welsh if they've ever experienced racism.

[Totaldogsbody]

Yes racism is alive and kicking in the UK. How many times have you heard people say "I'm not racist but" then they'll go on to say something extremely racist. I believe everyone is racist to some degree but acting on that racism is the problem. John Barnes on question time says it really well, Google it its worth a viewing, he says its all about the environment we were brought up in and its subconscious. I was brought up to treat people the way I would want to be treated and brought my children up the same way . I think you only need to look at the campaign to leave the EU it was fought entirely on the immigration question as can be seen by Nigel Farage and UKIP basically taken the lead in the campaign. ( Sorry not wanting a brexit thread here, just think its relevant).
Also all this nonsense about the holocaust never happening totally racist sentiments.

[ivykaty44]

Racism has become worse since Brexit - why? Is it fuelled by the far right to be open about being racist?

[MistressDeeCee]

Quite racist.

Racism is fuelled by the government as immigrants are convenient scapegoats for the shit policies inflicted on the nation.

Rags such as the Daily Mail are rabble rousers who aid the government in dog-whistle politics. So racists feel more emboldened nowadays to express themselves openly.

Then you have the sly cowardly racists. The 'Ive got black friends', 'Im not saying it because s/he is black' type.

Diversity is just a word on a piece of paper here. Non-whites experiencing racism often have these experiences minimized or denied. Then are told how they should respond, think, feel about racism.

There's never been a time when there's been less racism. It just shifts and changes in the ways in which it manifests.

I

[surferjet]

White people are not discriminated against in the U.K


Ask someone Welsh if they've ever experienced racism

Or Irish.

[Dervel]

Yes, and I think it’s getting worse. It’s worth bearing in mind there are two definitions of racism and to lock down precisely which we are all using. Originally racism simply meant prejudice against any race. The goalposts have now changed to mean prejudice reinforced by numerical superiority and systemic reinforcement through organisational apparatus (either state or private). Obviously white people cannot be victims of the latter definition (although they can still be victims of prejudice).

Racism serves a political purpose in the current political zeitgeist. The left have a thorny problem. You fix poverty and you lose your voter base as the more people enter the middle class the more you lose your
voter base. Labour struck gold under Tony Blair through a massive increase in immigration. Which serves two purposes 1) a significant number of immigrants tend to vote left and 2) the influx of cheap labour drives down the cost of labour keeping more of the original population poorer.

There is also an economic class issue going on here as middle class people will mix with middle class BAME people and get to feel progressive as broadly speaking people in a positive economic situation can mix and integrate pretty well. Meanwhile poor white people rubbing up against poor migrants. People in economic poverty are more inclined to galvanise around perceived in-groups. As economic pressures drive conflicts. Plus the gift is you get to write off the indigenous populations complaints as “racist” which both contains a kernel of truth now AND it’s cheaper to focus on minorities and still get to paint a positive picture of your policies.

The major issues are economic and class based, but they are feeding into increased intolerance on all sides. Things will escalate further and further unless arrested and we will see a form of balkanisation and a fracturing of our society possibly a very violent one. Of course we’re all more similar than we are different, and we’re all responding in the same way no matter which group we are “in”.

[SleepOhHowIMissYou]

"White people are not discriminated against in the U.K"

Unless you have ginger hair.

[TealandAbs]

Britain is very racist.

There is also classism - white people discriminating against other white people.

[PinguForPresident]

It's racist. Institutionally so. Amplified by the right-leadning media - the Daily Mail etc.

Do white people face racism? Not British-born white people for sure. White immigrants do.

[NotSureThisIsWhatIWant]

There is racism, plenty of it, but compared to most other countries, this is heaven.

Nice thing if Britain is that mostly everyone have a clear idea what is racism and understand it is not on. In other places racism and discrimation are so normalised people doesn’t even notice they are racist.

Having said that, racism is often hidden as classism, but then, it tends to be the minorities who happen to be more likely in low incomes, therefore have less access to good schools that can prepared them to compete at work to vanish all stupid stereotypes.

[NotSureThisIsWhatIWant]

... and lack of opportunity perpetuates racism.

[LakieLady]

I'm not saying all leavers are racist...just that some leavers voted leave for racist reasons

You, me and Will Self all agree on that! And I'm afraid that imo Brexit is one of the factors that makes racists feel that their views are no longer anathema to the rest of us.