Report that says Institutional Racism doesn't exist and more ...

[Dustyboots]

Is no one else angry about this?

I can't find any other threads about it.

What is going on?

And the bit that says the “slave period”, was not just about “profit and suffering” and argues that the era was also about how “culturally African people transformed themselves into a re-modelled African/Britain”.

Are people unaware of this? Or do we just no longer care ...

And to be honest, in my time on Mumsnet the race threads are almost always blinkered and just reveal how either ignorant or actually hostile general attitudes are about race/racial dynamics in Britain. You wouldn't join a vegan forum to preach the wonders of a bacon sandwich on a sunday morning therefore you really shouldn't expect that you can reasonably discuss this report on Mumsnet.

Go to any black forum (US/UK-oriented) and count how many times you'll see the "victim" narrative (You brought this up not me) with no white person's input, then tell me who paints who as a victim.

Black people write about their experiences and feelings on internet. What's wrong with that @whenthebellsring?

Oh good I'm glad we got that sorted out 🙄
Now we can move on to fixing institutionalised sexism by pretending it doesn't exist

“Movements like Black Lives Matter make people think the problem is much worse than it is”

But who is involved in BLM if not people? It isn't protesters on one hand and 'people' on the other. Protests are started by people for a reason, mainly due to an injustice they have experienced or seen.

@DioneTheDiabolist

Go to any black forum (US/UK-oriented) and count how many times you'll see the "victim" narrative (You brought this up not me) with no white person's input, then tell me who paints who as a victim.

Black people write about their experiences and feelings on internet. What's wrong with that @whenthebellsring?

Nothing. Except FluffyHippo claims white liberals champion that narrative and force victimhood on black people. If we're to call that victim narrative (or anything for that matter), then white liberals aren't the ones leading or forcing it. They're only following their cues from the black people they want to support.

@Nightbear

Funny how the ‘best person for the job’ = white and male isn’t it?

Historically yes but these days that will probably against the candidate. I was looking at jobs recently and there were several adverts basically seeking candidates particularly from ethnic minorities ot those with disabilities etc...

I think there there is a change and quite rightly so.

The report is surprisingly well balanced - acknowledges the past and I think well written. Thanks for sharing it

@FluffyHippo

Maybe it’s a self fulfilling prophecy as they see their own mum has such a negative attitude towards them.

I wouldn't call it a victim narrative at all. I think to do so distorts, minimises and dismisses the conversations.

@skirk64

The report is surprisingly sensible. The main points I got from it are:

• Britain is a model example of a country where minorities are treated well.
• We shouldn't automatically assume that where minorities are disadvantaged, the cause is racism.
• Movements like Black Lives Matter make people think the problem is much worse than it is.
• Black African and Asian children are better students than white children, in fact only Black Caribbean child perform worse than white children.
• British history in terms of Empire and slavery isn't automatically negative in every aspect.
• To all intents and purposes, there is no evidence of "institutional racism" - most people who throw that term about don't actually understand what it means.
• There is a large element who want to present the current situation as being no improvement over that of the 1970s, when in actual fact things are drastically improved.

I'm actually quite impressed with how reasoned the report is. It looks at the facts and takes the emotions out of it, which is exactly what it should be doing.

Brilliantly put. Said exactly what I was thinking.

Of course some non-white people suffer racism in this country, and yes, there are some white racist people. But this is NOT a racist country, and most white people are not racist. And at LAST, we have something to illustrate that!

Of course, some people are going to deny it, but then they would wouldn't they? Because it's not what they want to hear.

I think quite a lot of people are angry at this report saying the UK isn't racist, (and you are not any more disadvantaged as a black working class person, as you are a white working class person,) because they have been shouting so loudly for so many years about how horribly racist and advantaged white people are. But it doesn't change the fact that in the UK, non-white people are generally no more disadvantaged than white people, and most white people are not racist!

Also, with the BLM protests, the vast majority of people at them, were people who were not disadvantaged in any way. They were mostly young, and some were white, and I don't believe most of them even knew what they were protesting about!

That's my only post on the matter, because I know this thread will get ugly.... All I will say is I am glad this has come out, because I am sick to death of the UK being labelled racist, and the ludicrous myth that if you're white, you have every advantage over non-white people.

This legitimate, well-balanced, and detailed report tells quite a different story.

British history in terms of Empire and slavery isn't automatically negative in every aspect.

This part, just wow. Of course if wasn’t bad in every respect. No slavery is, if you account for slave owners getting crazy rich over literally owning human beings! It’s a legitimate argument that life is better for MOST people is a section of people are slaves, working extremely hard for zero money so that everyone else enjoys a better quality of life. Society is meant to be passed this though and accept that all people are people and deserve to be treated as people. This statement is pretty close to saying “some slaves liked being slaves” to my ear.

’Historically yes but these days that will probably against the candidate.’

Have you looked around many boardrooms lately?

Black working-class males - and I should know - constantly underperform because they're unwilling to work hard at anything - it's a constant struggle I have with my son and his cousins.
Oh, well, your son and his cousins don't want to work hard. Case closed then eh.

@Countrygirl2021

We shouldn't automatically assume that where minorities are disadvantaged, the cause is racism.

Yes yes yes to this. I hate that the assumption is always racism.

I particularly object to employing people based of colour or gender take up quotas rather than the best person for the job. That isn't helpful.

Absolutely all this.

“Historically yes but these days that will probably against the candidate. I was looking at jobs recently and there were several adverts basically seeking candidates particularly from ethnic minorities ot those with disabilities etc...

I think there there is a change and quite rightly so.”

To me this is completely the wrong way to go. It’s patronising and demeaning to ethnic minority or disabled people to imply they got the job purely based on their sex/race/disability. It also breeds resentment in society and is unfair.

It should always be the best qualified person for the job whatever sex, or race. There are many disabled, ethnic minorities and females across society in a range of high level positions. Many of whom I work with. Highly skilled surgeons, consultants etc.

@Unsuremover

Yes. That was the absolute worst part for me to read. Tell that to our ancestors who wore sold, whipped, beaten, raped, killed, throw over board, separated from children/families.

Repulsive.

I am so fucked off about this.

Thank you for posting OP.

One day we get told the met behaved fine over the vigil (the met do shit things over and over and over and that's always the answer, what happened was for me but a one off but the last in a long list)

And then

We get this total fucking bollocks report saying there's no racism

I mean come the fuck off it.

Fucking insulting load of bollocks.

@FluffyHippo

Black working-class males - and I should know - constantly underperform because they're unwilling to work hard at anything - it's a constant struggle I have with my son and his cousins.

You wrote that about your own children. Then call me racist?

I am the mother to black sons, wife to a black man, and dual black/Israeli.

@IntermittentParps

Thank you. I’m also very confused how I was called racist after she wrote that about her own children!

@OverTheRainbow88 yes exactly. I can’t imagine researching this and after seeing how slaves were treated thinking “hmmm ok and what about the man at the other end of the whip, how did this affect him”.

But this is NOT a racist country, and most white people are not racist.

Hmmm - I'm not sure were you live @littlepattilou and/or who you are surrounded by ...

I myself live in a part of London that doesn't feel racist at all (to me) but then I'm white. However my family live in rural, very white parts of England - and through them I have met such blatant racist people. They're married to them etc

There is no way that anyone could say we are not a racist country. It simply is not true, in any way.

It is the posters opinion and they are entitled to express it. You don’t get to have their opinion silenced regardless of skin colour