To despair at the growing level of racism and xenophobia in this country?

[AlexaShutUp]

I have just been told by the security guard at my local shop that the coronavirus is a "good thing" because it will stop people from traveling and it will therefore "keep them foreigners out". I am ashamed to say that I couldn't think of a good response quickly enough, and just muttered something disapproving but pretty incoherent back to him. Have so many much better responses going round in my head now, and I am annoyed that I didn't challenge him in a more articulate manner.

I know that there have always been racists and xenophobes, but I'm sure that there was a time when such hideous views would not have been expressed to a stranger in public. Over the last few years, it seems that there have been more and more comments of this nature, and it makes me so sad to see the ignorant, unwelcoming little nation we have become.

What sort of fuckwit thinks that a global pandemic is good news? And what sort of society makes people think it's ok to voice such opinions?

So what if other countries are more racist? OP is concerned about growing racism in UK. Let our objective be to not become as racist as those other countries then. OP... do your bit and report the prick. You'll feel better. Evil triumphs because good people do nothing.

Yanbu. I agree they’ve always been there and have been emboldened by that racist wanker in Downing Street and all his cronies.

I tend to just call them an ignorant racist rather loudly, and yes, I’ve done it and would do it again. I cba to hide my loathing of racist thickos.

I upset a ‘worthy’ from my village the other day who was ranting on the village fb page about a whole other country being feckless and useless. I told him he was a racist (didn’t say xenophobic as he’s probably too thick to understand it) and he had the gall to say I’d offended him. Wow. Ok, you’ve just offended an entire country with your crap, but your personal offence is more important.

Sorry. That was a rant in itself.

"I say the least racist (country) is still racist" as sung by the rapper Dave

You can't measure anything without metrics, and metrics are based on the average, so Dave's song is nonsense.

So what if other countries are more racist? OP is concerned about growing racism in UK.

So we are to make a judgement on an anonymous post that someone had with a security guard as racism increasing, we are to ignore statistics and evidence? It's almost like we are should not trust experts.

This is a small shop, I'm in there a couple of times a week. I have spoken to this guy a couple of times before. I sneezed, he said "bless you" and started talking about the cold that he had recently got over. That led him onto the subject of the coronavirus, and ultimately his comment.

This makes it even more so believable, small shop with a security guard, openly talks keeping the foreigners out, this might not be as wide spread as you think it is but more a localised issue, a small shop needing a security guard is obviously a rise in racism.

It still didn't happen though.

It is hard to measure or generalise the bigotry levels of a whole nation but I prefer not to give in to despair.

I truly believe there are more good people than bad.

The way to deal with the bad people is to push back.

Google the news story (press release really) from today about Tesco releasing plasters in different skin colours. That is a small bright point.

Progress is happening and - in the end- it will win.

It still didn't happen though.

If it makes you feel better to believe this, that's fine. Doesn't change the reality.

And yes, it's a small shop (mini Tesco) with a security guard. It's a rough area.

I can't be arsed to argue with the armchair detectives who seem to think that they are the arbiters of what happens and what does not. If you think I'm making it up, why waste your time on the thread - report me if you think I'm trolling.

As for ignoring statistics and evidence, who's doing that? I'm talking about my personal experience of things that I've heard and observed, and my personal perception that people are expressing these views more openly than they did before. If your experience is different, that's great and I'm delighted to hear it, but it doesn't change the reality of mine.

As for ignoring statistics and evidence, who's doing that? I'm talking about my personal experience of things that I've heard and observed,

One guy. No need to despair and extrapolate to the whole country.

Put your energy into the pushback. Do something positive.

It's not just one guy, though, Arietty. As I said in my opening post, I've noticed a growing trend over the last few years. This evening's incident merely brought it into sharper focus.

I believe you OP. I take a taxi home from work most nights the Irish driver's give out about the foreigners and the foreign drivers have lots of stories of racial abuse they get daily.
My niece is going out with a black lad the amount of people who have passed remark, her own Father is angry saying he is only one generation from direct provision. Adult friends have commented at her 18th they can't believe she is with a black guy. Niece's new boyfriend said here he wouldn't sit beside a Chinese person incase he got the virus. I put him to rights, people are cruel.

Growing racism and xenophobia has made the UK a hell of a lot more unattractive to immigrants. If my PhD-educated British husband were not in such a fantastic position at work right now, both he and I (along with our soon-to-be British baby) would be out of this country in a heartbeat.

As an immigrant, I feel so incredibly unwelcome here.

All I’m saying OP, is push back.

Complain to his boss. Do something positive to balance him out.

Britain is far too tolerant

Yes, you're right Arietty, I should do something. I am annoyed with myself that I didn't have a better response at the time, but it isn't too late.

I'm still very uncomfortable about my failure to report a racist incident that occurred in my dd's school a few weeks ago. The victim in that situation made it very clear that she did not want to report it, and I felt that I should respect her decision/let her parents deal with it, but it didn't sit easy with me to do nothing, and I still don't know if that was the right thing to do. We're all complicit if we do nothing.

Having said that, when my DH did report an incident to the police, they did nothing anyway because there were no witnesses.

What’s that supposed to mean @isadoradancing123 ?

Are you the duty EDL rep?

@contentedsoul Where is this free housing and free money you say is available to immigrants? I certainly didn't get that when I came here 8 years ago. I also pay £1000 in NHS surcharges every 2.5 years, plus taxes and National Insurance. So free healthcare my arse.

I'll live as I please and practice my religion and culture in my own home, regardless of which country I am in, thank you very much. Do you only ever do "British" things? Do you never eat pizza or curry? Do you never drink wine or vodka? What a sad life you must live if you don't allow other cultures to influence your life.

I’ve never heard anyone IRL, nor anywhere else, actually use that phrase.

I've never seen anyone stabbed therefore it doesn't happen.

I've never seen someone steal a car therefore it doesn't happen

And so on.

Eejits

Growing racism and xenophobia has made the UK a hell of a lot more unattractive to immigrants. If my PhD-educated British husband were not in such a fantastic position at work right now, both he and I (along with our soon-to-be British baby) would be out of this country in a heartbeat.

Such a weak appeal to authority and emotion, and people wonder why MN is considered laughable among the wider internet community, hint, it isn't because it is mostly us women posting.

As an immigrant, I feel so incredibly unwelcome here.

I'm so sorry to hear that moose, my DH feels the same. When I lived overseas, I only had one experience in which I was made to feel unwelcome in almost a decade. I'm ashamed of what we have become.

Britain is the most toerant country in the eu

@contentedsoul

Your username is not befitting. You sound like the lady from question time.

@moosebreath

Where is this free housing and free money you say is available to immigrants?

Mainly in the Daily Express. (Between the Diana Stories and the adverts for incontinence pants ).

Britain is the most toerant country in the eu

Whether or not that's true is irrelevant. It isn't a race to the bottom.

I'm still very uncomfortable about my failure to report a racist incident that occurred in my dd's school a few weeks ago. The victim in that situation made it very clear that she did not want to report it, and I felt that I should respect her decision/let her parents deal with it, but it didn't sit easy with me to do nothing, and I still don't know if that was the right thing to do. We're all complicit if we do nothing.

This scenario is something you need to take to twitter, MN doesn't provide the likes you are wanting, especially considering you are automatically dismissing anyone who isn't patting you on the back and ignoring the difficult grey scenarios.

Stand by your words and call them out instead of coming on an anonymous forum, you know they are wrong if that is what they are said, if you want to ignore statistics and just want to signal call, own up to it and make it public on twitter, it's almost like you could make a complaint online just as quick as you could making an mn post, one wouldn't be as back slapping though