RURAL RACISM

[findingthepremise]

So, I live in a predominately white area, an affluent area also. It has become apparent to me that even after decades have passed, the mixed or otherwise non white minority has never developed. I ask myself why? I find that in many rural areas this is the case and I cant understand why. Is having a housing stipulation under the council that requests that only people with family ties to the area can apply to put their name forward for the housing association schemes? is that possibly an undercurrent of racism?

Yes, for sure, though I think family culture can be quite strong for generations, so if you have a family from a very urban oriented culture, you may be less likely to get their kids interested in the country than someone from a more rurally focused culture.

For example, while I grew up in the city, as did my parents, and some of my ancestors have been city dwellers for generations, I also have some parts of my family with very strong rural ties, and I spent time as a child in rural areas because of that.

Things like that make a difference when you are talking about how populations move over time.

This kind of comment about "lack of diversity" is a bit weird. As if lack of ethnic diversity is a moral failing of some kind.

It's difficult to imagine someone going to Japan and saying that with quite the same implication. Sure - they might notice as a matter of interest that there is not a ton of racial diversity. They might even notice that they are not super welcoming to outsiders, that they really notice you, as a non-Japanese person who stands out in the community, and you might find it makes you feel more noticeable than you'd like.

But no one would suggest that really, they would be better people if only there was a greater mix of races. Nor if the same scenario was played out in the millions of villages worldwide which are fairly ethnically homogeneous.

That should say to a rural village in Japan, rather than Japan as a whole, in my post above.

Well it is a moral failing if non white brits don't feel comfortable living in these communities because of insular racism which is very evidently still happening.

Half the time I have to check I am in 2022 when I hear the terms "paki" "half cast" "coloured". It's not as much a problem in the main central belt of Scotland but either side of that when the population is less dense there is a noticeable lack of diversity.

Most of the people I know in these parts are born and bred here, I even know a few who have never been to England despite only being 1.5hrs from the border because of the "English scum" its very scary.

Well, no one would because Japan and the U.K. have entirely different histories that explains the level of ethnic diversity they have.

I live in the cotswolds, and we do have ethnic minorities happily living here and everyone is made welcome and treated with kindness, that is a given

I holidayed in Cotswolds some years back, and was 'sieg heil'.d' on entering a pub.

No 'oh we're happy friendly welcoming people' fantasy changss that

Which pub?

Which pub?
🙄

@CombatBarbie a lack of diversity doesn’t automatically mean that a place is racist.
Also this is always used in relation to white British people. There are quite a few places in London (like Harrow) populated almost entirely by specific ethnic minorities… but nobody’s calling for more diversity there?

Your part of Scotland is insular, and racist, but they have the same attitude towards everything not ‘them’, even the English.

Ironically I have more issues in places populated by people of my own culture and avoid those like the plague. There’s always someone who feels compelled to comment on my accent , wearing short skirts/makeup, white DP… Or saying that English girls are easy etc. I’m shocked by the comments I’ve heard even from ‘educated’ people.

Close-minded people come in all races.…

There are quite a few places in London (like Harrow) populated almost entirely by specific ethnic minorities… but nobody’s calling for more diversity there?

Over a third of Harrow's population based on the most recent reliable stats I can find are white.

The rest come from a dozen or more different ethnic groups, ie a very diverse population.

This may be news to you but not all ethnic minorities are the same.

Which town or village then? It’s not an unreasonable question. The Cotswolds is a big place, but it’s one of the least populated parts of England.

Even my 10yr old commented about the lack of diversity. I think the first non white brit we came across in a city day out over 40 miles away.

Imagine going to a rural village I'm Malawi and saying 'there is a lack of diversity here. Where are the white people?'

@Lovelyricepudding highly doubt Malawi has a 13% minority white population. UK is 87% white, only 80% white British. So if the rural population had a similar makeup, 1 in 10 would not be white...also UK is a developed country with a high car ownership rate. So while cities will remain attractive for ethnic minorities for all the reasons detailed in PP, it is strange there aren't more people from ethnic minority backgrounds who may be interested to settle in the countryside, esp with increased remote working...

Irrespective of how economically, socially and/or geographically mobile a minority population has the potential to be, it doesn’t follow that you will find an even distribution geographically. We are human beings, not a chemical in solution!
Anybody in the UK will have difficulty finding housing in the countryside unless they are very rich. The clue is in the name- countryside, ie not that many houses, and affordable rentals will have long waiting lists.

@Palmfrond most of them look cheaper than my flat in London and bearing in mind a lot of minorities do come from cities with high housing prices and many of them are also home owners. I am far from rich...

Why just apply this logic to the UK? Surely given high leg owndership rate one in seven people in every country should be of Indian ethnicity and more than that Chinese?

The R word being bandied about, yet again, driven by presumption, rather than facts. Racism of course exists, however, it has become a badge, for some. Understand it and debate it, but don't espouse it at the drop of a hat.

I don't live in a village, I live on the edge of a small town and one of the neighbours we've had most problems with isn't local, not from this town, this county or even this region. In our small cul de sac there is another family from the same city as me, they don't have the same issues, never have.

I understand the local thing, it happens, but that isn't what I'm talking about/experiencing.

Thank you. I did disappear as I felt it got personal and didn't see much point in continuing.

I do think a mixed marriage/relationship does give the white partner a view of what is happening that isn't always obvious to other white people so I do understand that some people just won't see it. Harder to understand why they don't want to listen.

@Lovelyricepudding Re Chinese diaspora- there is a large Chinese diaspora in the world now but actually historically, most Chinese were not allowed to leave China until the wing dynasty was forced to let it's subjects work overseas by colonial powers. However, I guess due to difficulties in travel, most Chinese who left in the 20th century pre 1949(when communists took over) were from the port cities/nearby villages in South China including my great grandparents who left China in early 1900s for British Malaya/Singapore. They travelled to South East Asia mainly, like Malaysia (30% Chinese today, maybe lesser), and Singapore (70% Chinese). A lot also travelled to USA but this was limited due to Chinese exclusion act and only relatives could join which is why historic Chinese communities in USA tend to be from the same village (different from the newer emigrants who came in the 1980s to 2020s and these are upper middle class Chinese). There were sailors who settled in Manchester/Liverpool/London but more limited. Also HKers and Taiwanese who I guess have been emigrating since 1970s (but these are smaller countries). And most of China is still developing so international emigration is mainly for upper middle class. So not surprising in actual numbers, the Chinese diaspora would never be a huge percentage even if they may seem huge in certain parts of London/Manchester/university cities! Until China's GDP per capita is comparable to the west, then perhaps they may travel/emigrate at similar rates.

Less familiar with the Indian story but I would also imagine other than historic waves of immigration, as India is still developing, travel/emigration would be for the upper middle class professionals and they would generally want to go to western countries where English is the Lingua Franca like UK/USA/Canada/Australia.

*qing dynasty

desiringonlychild2022 well quite. The same sort of forces also impact on movements on a local scale.

I am an ethnic minority and live in a small mining town in Greater Manchester (I won't name the place). Unfortunately due to finances I am still stuck here, as its much cheaper living here than closer to Manchester. Rural racism is most certainly a thing! Where do I even start- white locals starring at me and my kids (all of us have dark skin), giving us funny looks, just making us feel quite uncomfortable with their intrusive stares. Mind you, my kids and I speak English, we don't speak a foreign language. I can only imagine the amount of disdain and hatred the white locals would show us if we did speak a foreign language in public. Lets see more examples- school mums all being very snobbish and unfriendly, even after seeing me at drop offs for many years, these local mums can barely smile or say hello. And yes I have tried smiling and saying hello first, but got sick of always being the only one to put some effort in. People are also actively unfriendly at playgroups, even at churches. I have had many encounters in shops where I have noticed the cashiers are much friendly towards white British customers, making conversation and having a laugh with them, and then when serving me, its the exact opposite, I don't even get greeted with a hello, instead just looked at with suspicion. What really grates me the most about living here is the stares from random strangers out in public as though our presence has personally offended them. As a woman it can be very intimidating to have white blokes (or any male for that matter) starring at you for a little too long, when I can see the hostility and disdain in their expressions. And these stares from random males have 99.9 percent of the time have come from the white British locals, men in their 20's/30's/40s, very unfriendly/hostile stares. My children also suffer this small town's prejudice too, they hardly get invited to playdates/parties. This town is absolutely shit if you are a person of colour. Although there are a small minority of ethnic minorities living here, the white locals are certainly in the majority and a good chunk of them are very racist, they will not hold back for a second at showing their intolerance/hatred for ethnic minorities. And they make it a point to actively exclude you on the basis of being different. Have lived here for 10 years now, and this is by far the worse place I have ever lived, just waiting for my economic situation to improve so I can get out of this shithole!

This! Very sad and so unfair when an incident of racism or prejudice is shared, people of colour get accused of playing the race card!

I'm calling bull on this. I live in rural SW Scotland. I have lived or worked in a number of small villages around the area. I can't think of many places there isn't a small town with a mix of ethnicities within a short distance.

Some villages are insular, however it isn't racism. They are like it with anyone from outside of the place.