To expect my white dd not to be an ethnic minority in her own country

[squatchette]

First of all i would like to make it clear that i am in no way racist.My childrens father is half asian (although he is also an irish catholic too).
Anyway today i was late dropping DD2 at pre school and i got to see her whole class for the first time.This is when i was shocked to realise that she is the only white child in her class.
I think i was shocked as we don't live in a particularly ethnic area or so i thought.I read in the schools ofsted report that 40 % of the kids in the school speak English as a second language.
At first i thought it would be good that she can mix with children of different races and i am all for a diverse society.However something about the fact that she is the minority has worried me.AIBU?

Just remembered what I wanted to add. If the non faith school class had 30 children and my son was the only non muslim child in there.

I would move. The assembly and all that it concerns would not be allowed in that school anyway.

Why should I move is the big question?

bunsen - my DH speaks 2 languages fluently - English and Shona (the latter being his "first" .......they are BOTH official languages of Zimbabwe though (along with Ndbele) - so which language should british Expats living there speak????

lol - UCM I know you didn't - I jsut had to say it (you know me) - by the way I agree totally with your Sun 09-Sep-07 00:04:32 post

"the english culture first and other cultures second,"

hmm lovely - so DH and I should only be brining up our DS's to blend in totally with "British" Culture should we?? (what is British culture anyhow????) it may suprise you to know that it's perfectly possible for different cultures to mix together and not "disturb" the others!

As far as I'm aware there are more British moving out of the British Islands than other countries' nationals moving into them.

Unfortunately, a good number of those British emmigrants don't speak the local language, or are willing to learn it, and they cause damage to the local economy too.

An eye for an eye?

oo yes Chandra - that really gets my goat all this "when in Rome" talk.....and then 100,000's of British Expats around the world who make no attempt to speak the local language or intergrate into the local community - instead choosing to live, work and "play" (ie sociliase) with "their own"......

anyhow - I must sleep - could be up in 3hrs.....

When in Rome etc, etc.

I would expect anyone living in a different country to embrace their culture, otherwise why live there????(whether that be this Country or not)

QoQ - I cannot speak for Zimbabwe, maybe your DH could tell you! But if English is not one of them, then obviously if we moved there, I would not expect my child to be taught in English.
Chandra, lot of British are leaving, but not nearly as many as immigrants are coming in. There are more accurate ways to measure those leaving than those arriving.

British people moving to different Countries - i wonder why????????

QoQ, I think we keep getting off on the wrong foot. I didn't say cricket 'belonged' to anyone in particular, just that in this country cricket is often cited as a marker of Englishness - cricket whites/afternoon tea/Elgar etc. etc. etc. (of course thes things don't reflect the full variety of life in this country and I don't suppose they ever did).

The fact that hundreds of other countries play cricket doesn't make cricket in England any less English. Just as tea-drinking is a signifier of Englishness even though there are probably more people drinking tea in India, I imagine.

"(what is British culture anyhow????) it may suprise you to know that it's perfectly possible for different cultures to mix together and not "disturb" the others! "

Totally agree with that, take the example of the cult to St George, a saint who was born in what we known as Turkey now, a child of a Roman and a Hebrew, and the only saint that was venerated both by Christians and Muslims, Asians and Europeans alike.

And all that would have been kept like that for longer but someone decided to "separate" the cultures for their own good.

Superalien, I loved your Tipton story, btw. Reminds me of the way my Dubliner flatmates used to talk about the Yanks coming over and walking about as if they owned the place.

Did you know that Fish n Chips was first put together in the way we know now by Jewish immigrants at the turn of the 20th century, or so it said on TV the other week. I leave you on this note and say Good Night
...followed by Bonne Nuit et
Gutten Nicht
et cetera...

British culture like most other countries, festivals, holidays, superstitions, costumes, language, history, customs, monarchy, landmarks to name a few

superalien - tipton story hilarious, you must get your sister on mnet she sounds like a real character. I'm sure she'd be able to handle these threads with aplomb.

translate aplomb for "ease and style"

good night or should i say Konban wa

For everyone, just remember what it was that was good about the UK for everyone to immigrate.

Whatever that was, it's not going to be here in 30 years time. So emigrate now.

UCM you are rapidly making yourself a minority with those xenophobic scare-mongering views. Calm down!

Ok, I will stay put until my son goes into a class of 30 and is the only one who is a Christian because the rest are Muslim

I can't be doing with all of that Koran stuff, I wear makeup for fucks sake!!

But the great thing about wearing a veil is that you can say what you like and no-one sees your face......

Queen of quotes - It really gets your goat when 100,000's of British Expats around the world make no attempt to speak the local language or intergrate into the local community - instead choosing to live, work and "play" with "their own"......

How about when people come to this Country and make no attempt to speak the language or intergrate etc, etc, does that get your goat too?

Thing about British expats is that they are not my responsibility. It's up to wherever they have settled to sort out any problems they create. Of course they should try to fit in, just as any immigrant should.

But saying 'British people emigrate too' doesn't do anything to sort out conflict due to rapid social change here.

quq was talking about the general "when in rome" attitude that we (brits) aspire to but accuse immigrants of not doing and the hypocrisy therein.

I meant qoq not quq!

I know what she was talking about. But it's irrelevant, IMO.