To Understand the Resentment Some Feel Towards Refugees ?

[wantaholiday]

I've name changed for this because I'm a regular poster and don't really want it known I've taken in a Ukrainian family.

We are a family with teenager school children and a Ukrainian mum and her six year old child are living in our house with us as in our spare bedroom as part of our family. We are very, very lucky because the family are lovely and a joy to have. It was a big gamble taking them as we didn't know them and just because you're escaping a war doesn't make you a nice, easy to live with person. Likewise for them, offering space doesn't mean we'll be easy.

They have been given a lot of help (this is great) such as, our oversubscribed and full village primary school made extra space to take child in. People in the village have been very welcoming, they've received loads of donated toys and clothes (that they needed). They've also gone out of their way to invite mum and kid to things and offer lifts (also needed) to the mum. Even the dentist, you can't get an NHS dentist for 50 miles in any direction from where I live, this was even on the news a while ago, my dentist has made an exception for them and taken them on as NHS patients.

All this is great, and I'm very happy about all of it and shows what a great place the world is. My issue is how we treat our own poor. So many people in the UK live in real long term grinding poverty with no end or hope in sight, they and their kids get none of this special treatment and are even blamed for their own circumstances. I can understand if they might feel resentful towards my guests. For what it's worth I think they're completely blaming the wrong people, it's not the fault of refugees that poor people in the UK live in such dire conditions, it's the fault of government. Absolutely no sympathy understanding or excuses given to people living comfortably lives who also resent refugees though.

I've turned off voting because I don't want any vote to be read as if we are right to be resentful of refugees .

“If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.”
—Lyndon B. Johnson (American President)

This is the attitude many Americans have towards refugees and immigrants, thanks to you-know-who. You know, the guy who claims to be a billionaire but continues to pick the pockets of his supporters for hundreds of millions of dollars.

The solution is to help those people more rather than to help Ukranians less. The money was there all along because the government was able to magic it up when the war started so why haven't people who were already here been helped properly?

This hits the nail on the head. We are still very much a wealthy developed country. No one should be relying on food banks to eat. We need to do more to help our own poor as well as continuing to support refugees.

The money was there in a second for unfit ppe that had to be thrown away, and Mr Dyson’s innovative new ventilators (that never actually appeared). Why isn’t it there for the people who need it the most?

HotPenguin · 06/07/2022 22:20
I think there are good reasons why people are more willing to help Ukrainians. The vast majority are women and children. I think far fewer people would take in a single male.

this ^^
Seeing young men getting away and just leaving their women, children and elderly in terrible circumstances is never going to make us feel like we do when it’s only the women and children (for the most part) coming from Ukraine while the men stay behind to fight.

Alternatively, you can see it as men making the dangerous journey in order to pave the way for women and children to be able to come by a safer route.

The thread title mentions refugees. Its clear the women and children from Ukraine are refugees from war. The origins of the people (mainly young men) who enter the UK by irregular means, (dinghies for example) from a European country not at war, are unknown. They appear to then be looked after better than some UK citizens, and that has bred resentment.

What makes our needy less deserving?

I find "our" response to Ukrainian refugees really uncomfortable.

We're falling over ourselves to support them in a way we don't support our own disadvantaged people and yes of course they should be supported after the horrors they are escaping, but this government, the whole Brexit, thing basically came about because the public was determined not to help people fleeing wars in other parts of the world.

Yes, I do understand why people who can't get housing or an NHS dentist would think we have enough people here already. I don't understand why Ukrainians are so welcome when others aren't.

I'd like to live in a country where we can and will help everyone, but I don't.

Our own government looks for “wedge” issues too to divide the population opinions. It works in their favour I’m sure.

There is a stark difference in how Ukrainian refugees are being treated compared to other asylum seekers. Others cannot claim asylum
unless they are on U.K. soil. Even if they have family here. Where are their safe routes?

Be angry and resentful towards this absolute shit show of a government. It is them. It is ALL them. They have the money and ability to help our poor but they don't. They push more and more of our most vulnerable into absolute poverty.

Off topic, but why did you name change just because you took in Ukrainian refugees?

It’s not just the poor of course. Over the past decade plus of Tory government, many reasonably well off Brits married to a non-EU partner have, in some cases, had to live apart from their spouse/young kids for years on end because they failed to meet some or other small bit of government legislation. The only small minority which the Tory government will consistently treat with any decency or consideration is the super rich. Have a couple million quid lying spare? Welcome! Here’s a golden visa. Oh you were some kind of Russian/Chinese gangster were you, who almost certainly faked your police forms? Shrug.

The irony of course is that Britain’s real response to the Ukrainian refugees crisis has been utter shite. In terms of refugees it’s taken about 15% the number of Germany and only twice as many as Ireland - a country with a population/resources 13x smaller. As usual, Brits really overestimate the generosity of their country.

Our Gov is who is voted in - seems not enough people want to give money to the poor rather than to their own so vote that way.
Blame the majority of the British Public.

Many of our poor are addicts or have other mental health problems - putting money there would help but it needs to be a lot of money. Hence why it's not done, I presume.

I think the poverty in the UK is unacceptable. We have the worst pensions in Western Europe. I’m in Scotland and more children are living in poverty now than a decade before. Elderly left for years waiting for operations for conditions they die with. CAHMS wait times are two years for all but the suicidal.

absolutely right to help refugees but the will isn’t there to help the many living in desperate conditions here. Why?

"Normal" i.e non Ukrainian refugees who are granted asylum in this country are given access to benefits, free education, given priority housing, can work etc. for example, I know quite a few refugees who've done masters degrees completely free of charge where their English counterparts had to pay £££.

Failed asylum seekers are not allowed to work or claim benefits. Their asylum claims have been refused. They have no legal basis to be in the UK hence they do not qualify. I think people often get these subsets confused. They do get access to housing and some money from the state but it's a different budget.

The Afghan interpreters will be treated just as well as the Ukrainians in terms of benefits and state help but they haven't had the same media sympathy and public donations so no free Xboxes etc.

Ukrainians have been treated very, very sympathetically though compared to everyone else and I totally understand that if you're already resident in the UK and on the bones of your arse, refused a place at your local school, can't get a dentist etc that must be galling.

I think the basis of the help given to Ukrainians was that they are expected to return to Ukraine once all this over but it will be interesting to see if many do leave or not particularly as they must think money grows on trees in the UK with all the freebies.

All I understand is that people have this resentment because they’re ignorant, unaware and/or racist.

This thread is just an excuse for some covert racism. I recognise some names here already.

I understand your point completely, but I'm afraid British voters shouldn't complain when the consequences of their votes come back to bite them. There seems to be something in the psyche of many British people that makes them vote not to benefit themselves (and everyone else) but to make sure other people have less. If we all stopped looking down on people who have it tougher than we do, accept that we should move away from our capitalist economic model and towards something more social democratic then we would all be better off and the divides wouldn't be so stark.

Brilliant 👍

Once an asylim
seeker is granted refugee status then they are treated as a U.K. citizen as they should be. U.K. citizens can access funding for postgrad courses too.

There seems to be something in the psyche of many British people that makes them vote not to benefit themselves (and everyone else) but to make sure other people have less. If we all stopped looking down on people who have it tougher than we do, accept that we should move away from our capitalist economic model and towards something more social democratic then we would all be better off and the divides wouldn't be so stark.

This! There's also a weird thing of not liking policies that you think one day may harm what you aspire to have. They don't realise that it then makes it harder for them to get.

I think we know why don't we.

I am so conflicted about this topic.

The outpour of support for Ukrainian refugees on my social media, news etc was constant, I have never seen anything like it. Which is exactly why I feel conflicted, why Ukrainians? why not Syrians? I just find it so glaringly obvious and it doesn't sit well at all with me.

People don't have to help everyone. It's not possible I know. But these people who have extra room, and space available to offer - why now?

But as you say, they wouldn't offer it to a family from here with a mould problem, or a domestic violence case. It's just odd to me that the situation in Ukraine has been handpicked as being the chosen one.

Also I agree with another poster, the only people I know who are very vocal with their "charity starts at home!!" mindset wouldn't give a penny to anyone. Usually bitter about the hand they've been dealt, and resentful of the benefit system. Everyone has it better than them so why should they help type of mindset!

Ah yes, the good old deserving, and undeserving refugee.

For the Middle-East there have been wars there for as long as anyone can remember, and there is no prospect of that changing, and no clear good guys and bad guys, it's just chaos. I can understand people being less than keen to house refugees from that situation.

However you try to dress it up, no one will ever convince me that the outpouring of love and empathy for Ukrainian refugees vs the way refugees from Syria or Afghanistan are treated in the UK is anything other than racism and islamaphobia. The fact that the political situation in the Middle East is more complex and people can't be bothered to attempt to understand it is no excuse. Our Government is asking the people to take Ukranian refugees into their homes and in the next breath defending their decision to forcibly deport 'other' refugees to Rwanda, they aren't even trying to hide their bigotry anymore.