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?

I live in a very small village indeed. An Asian man and his East European wife run the pub and their children are very happily absorbed into the life of the village and the school. Next to them is a Ghanaian woman who is big part of village life. There is a woman from Brazil and one from Argentina. I really do think things are beginning to change.

As to allocating rural social housing to people brought up here and to local families there is a great deal of sense in this as a lot of the employment is centred around farming which needs people on tap, not commuting from miles away. And being near family means family help with child care. I do not think this is about keeping others out, but is simply a practical way of farms being staffed.

The problem here is that the few new houses that have been built are too expensive for farm workers to afford, or indeed for young couples. They are mostly bought by retired people.

Call bullshit all you want.... Its a very real thing. The two closest towns 20 miles in both directions I've yet to see a black person. The only ethnics I've seen run the very few takeaways. I don't recall every seeing them in normal daily activities, shopping etc.

And they are racist, p*ki, c**n, foreigners is part of their normal conversation... I only pick up on it because it is racist!!

Racism will only cease to exist once White people do the work.

White people need to deconstruct the system of White Supremacy that they have upheld, whether consciously or unconsciously.

White people invented racism, i.e., the classification of humans by the colour of their skin, in order to benefit themselves and to justify the disgraceful treatment of others.

I wonder how many of the race deniers on this thread have read any books on race since this thread was started last year.

Do you not realise the complete paradox in what you have just written?

For paradox I really should of wrote contradiction.

No. Please explain?
If you’re alluding to my use of the term White whilst also referring to race as a construct that was introduced by racists, then no, I have not contradicted myself as my brown-skinned ancestors did not create the terms White or Black as a means to steal, divide, brainwash/whitewash and rule.

Well first of all, you have just called out an entire race stating their behaviour as being not acceptable. I know that I, and my two previous generations at the very least are innocent of stealing, dividing etc from you or your ancestors in the past 100 years. So that in itself is a racist statement.

Using peoples skin tone as a descriptor has been going on since mankind began and we started exploring the world around us. People of all colours use it. Providing it isn't used in a derogatory manner, it is no worse than pointing out someone with red hair and describing them as such.

Lastly, if we are defining racism as what our long dead ancestors did, then none of us humans are in any position to act as judge and jury. We all did appalling things. As an example slavery. It had been going on in Africa long before any of the Western nations reached there. While the claim the British were entirely responsible for ending slavery is incorrect. We did play a large instrumental hand.

Lets not forget either that during the same period this was all happening, Vast amounts of White British were living an existence not dissimilar to slavery working in mines, mills & other factories in incredibly hard conditions with their wages tied to only being used in the factory/mill/mine owners shop with it's inflated prices. This included children.

At what point does it stop being the fault of the current generation for the sins of our forefathers?

A lot of people who live in these areas have families who have owned properties there for a very long time. They are passed down through generations and it's nothing to do with race or being "underdeveloped".

My family own a smallholding in a very rural area, it's our aim as a family that it is not sold to rich Londoners who would want to come in and develop it, it's also our aim that our family heritage stays in our family.

The same is the case with a lot of places around the Cotswolds which isn't far from me. Families have lived there for generations and passed them down, when they go up for sale anyone can buy them if they have the money. The council don't have any say in what race gets what house.

To be honest I have to be honest and say that I feel a bit offended by your comments because this is nothing to do with race, it's about historical families keeping their family homes and a lot of families who have lived rurally in the same places for years don't want to let their houses go to people who will come in and make changes that don't fit with the area (the council around the cotswolds are extremely hot on that). Either way it's nothing to do with race whatsoever and I really have a problem with the idea that it's "underdeveloped" because there aren't more people of a certain race there.

People live where they want to live, and there is heritage and history in England which people want to keep in their families, why on EARTH does that have to be again made about race. People can live where they want to live if they can afford it and want to live there and there is a house for them to buy.

Why does everything have to be about race just because someone decides there aren't enough of x race in a place then there's something wrong with it. Ugh.

I do not have the inclination or the time to response with an essay length response.

Transatlantic chattel slavery - Google it. This will signpost you to relevant information about British history and race. Which in turn will link you to World history re. other communities in other countries.

Also, read up on American history, in particular African American history. This will hopefully help you to piece it all together and see the light.

In addition, check the definition of ‘Unconscious Bias’ in relation to race.

100 years. Can you trace your ancestry back 400+ years? I can not. I am eagerly looking forward to your response explaining why it may be that I am unable to trace my ancestry back to Africa.

We all did appalling things. As an example slavery. It had been going on in Africa long before any of the Western nations reached there.

Why is the above always trotted out as a supposedly acceptable justification for Africans being enslaved. Where did you hear or read this?

There are huge economical and social reasons for repatriations.
Other groups of people are more than welcome to claim reparations should they wish to. Nobody is stopping them.

I’m still not clear how I contradicted myself or how pointing out that the racist behaviour of others is racist.
People who are not racist (anti-racist) should not take offence and should not feel personally responsible for racism. I called out racist White people, not all White people. I also called out all non-White people who have been brainwashed in order to uphold White Supremacy by pandering to racist ideology.

At what point does it stop being the fault of the current generation for the sins of our forefathers?

When does it end? - I guess when racism ends.
As non-Black/POC people need to be on board to help deconstruct the system of White Supremacy - likely never.

When do you think it will end, and what do you think will need to happen for it to end?

Wilful ignorance and gaslighting will never be accepted as an excuse.

@CallumDansTransitVan
My response to you is posted above.

@CallumDansTransitVan

Using peoples skin tone as a descriptor has been going on since mankind began and we started exploring the world around us. People of all colours use it. Providing it isn't used in a derogatory manner, it is no worse than pointing out someone with red hair and describing them as such.

Yes, I agree. Talking or thinking about people in a derogatory manner because of the colour of their skin is racist.

Comparing humans natural red hair colour to the psychological turmoil brown-skinned humans continue to experience due to racism is not the same and is problematic.

I live in a rural area. I grew up in a working class mining town with overt racism (BNP/NF heartland at the time) and it's not the same. There absolutely is racism but it's hidden under a sheen of naiceness. Examples... There was uproar a while ago on a Facebook group when someone complained about a shop in a nearby town having golliwogs on display and the majority couldn't comprehend why that might be a problem. And the occasional local posts about "suspicious" people hanging around, who inevitably are speaking a foreign language or are not white. One of my worries moving here was the lack of diversity and the effect on my child's attitude growing up but luckily they go to a large school with a more diverse community than in the immediate local area.

Please do further research. Slavery in it's entirety has gone on as long as man has been around. But with regards to Africa, you could look to the ancient Egyptians as being among the first to enslave Africans. along with many other nationalities Also remember that even those from the UK or USA often didn't go out and catch themselves some slaves. The biggest nationalities dealing in slaves were Black African themselves. They rounded other tribes up, forced them on marches where many died and sold them to the White traders at sea ports.

If I was able to research my entire history going back 400 years, I'm confident there will be a fair mixing pot of family connections around the globe.

As far as reparations for slavery are concerned, how far do you go? Do we all go back to the Roman, Ottoman or Egyptian empires as an example for something done centuries before the current population was born?

At what point does it stop being fault of eg the USA or UK for sins carried out years ago? At what point does it become your personal responsibility to improve your lot in life?

The problem with likes of the golliwog is that for the vast majority of us, it was nothing more than a childs doll. I had one as a child in the 70's. My parents were in no way racist. We were brought up to respect everyone no matter of background. This is why so few people see any problem with it.

Times change.

If you can't change your view about a soft toy after hearing how it makes other people feel, I think there's something wrong with that.

I also grew up in the old days. My view of the toy has changed with the times.

You clearly do have the time or inclination to respond with an essay length response projecting your "knowledge" on everyone.

Slavery has happened to all colours and countries to some degree. Why the eff people think it's ONLY a black person issue is beyond me. Clearly history needs to be taught without an MO.

I'd be very interested in hearing from those (especially those below the age of 40) why they consider a golly to be racist. I strongly suspect very few, even within the black community know the history of where the gollywog idea originated. They have just been told it is racist.

To a degree it is like saying it is sexist Barbie being a blonde perfect 10 with big boobs or action man tall muscly with great abs despite the vast majority of the population not being like that. I'd like to think most of us are rational enough to realise they are just a childrens toy and no offence is meant by them.

For most of us children of the 70's & 80's Gollywas a cuddly toy or the wee guy on the side of jam jars. We had never considered it a slur & the black children of the time likely didn't know the connection either.

I’m always learning and doing further research.

I’m aware that other people have been enslaved, not just Black Africans, but as stated in a previous post, why is the above always trotted out as a supposedly acceptable justification for Africans being enslaved?

Why would you assume that I need to improve my lot in life?
That was quite a big assumption about someone you do not even know. Not all people of African descent are struggling. We are not a monolith.

My lot in life has improved greatly. My family and I are successful due to education and hard work. We have had no choice but to be aspirational, which has resulted in us having options and living very well indeed, despite the racism.

Black people can buy houses too you know.

You need to remember that immigrants from Asia see rural living as backwards compared to city living. They also come from mega cities (some several times larger than London population and size wise) and don’t want to suffer a reduction in their quality of life. Example - I don’t know a single Indian or Pakistani person who would move further than 30mins drive from a South Asian grocery store.

Their kids and grandkids certainly do move to rural and suburbian areas - but they are just as likey to emigrate and the latter happens a lot from the UK

I’ve written many essays. That response was definitely not essay length.

You are not being forced to take on my ‘knowledge’ or respond. You can take it on board if you wish to do so, do your own independent research and form your own opinions.

Who said slavery was only a Black issue???

Yes, history definitely needs to be taught without an MO!

I was born in London in the 70’s and grew up seeing gollywogs on jars. I absolutely was not happy seeing them as a child, and I still feel the same as an adult.

I am a Black person telling you that I find gollywog dolls racist. You or anyone else (regardless of what you look like) can override or erase my lived experience as a Black person with gaslighting.

Yep! We have a big house. The biggest, naicest and most expensive house on our road. London. Leafy area walking distance from a few National Trust parks. Tree lined street near a tube station. In a nutshell, our house is big enough in that we are not forced to pay for gym membership in order to work out at a gym.

I understood the Golliwog issue as soon as someone told me how it made them feel in the 80s.

It's not complicated to understand.

Well done for improving your lot. But I stand by the fact that things that happened 200 years ago should not be held to blame for adversity you perceive today. Nor should reparations be applicable. After all the original slave owners are long dead. Who do you think owes you/the black commnity reparations? Who alive today has actually done you harm?

Nobody is saying it was acceptable to enslave anyone. Not just Africans. However most people including many Black British accept that todays generation is not responsible. Your the one saying White Britons as a race are prejudicing against you , which from the people I know is not the case.