Does the UK have a racism problem?

[JolllyBee]

In just the last 24 hours alone we've had in the news:

Prince William’s godmother quits palace over comments to black charity boss

Meghan Markle had several 'disgusting' and credible threats to her life, Met cop reveals

Various people's census rants going viral and getting a scary amount of support

James McAvoy shocked by hometown racism in Glasgow after castmates abused on street

and a few days prior:

London Fire Brigade houses a toxic culture of bullying, racism and misogyny, inquiry finds

Some people have said the conversation must have been recorded to have produced a 'transcript', but there were witnesses (possible friends?), so I am assuming the conversation was as near enough to the transcript that has been produced, as to make little difference.
In some media outlets it has been suggested that maybe Lady SH was a bit deaf? It has also been suggested that it was more of a class issue rather than racist?
My own view, that it was probably OK to ask the first 'where are you from question', but it would definitely seem that it was the persistence that made the conversation racist.
Of course, without a recording we do not get the 'tone' of the conversation, but I am presuming that if the question had been something on the lines of ' you have such an interesting name, where does it come from,' or similar, maybe that would be OK?
I would actually like to know the answer.

We have an "adjustment to multiculturalism" problem.

Many people really aren't adjusting very much.

This, totally this. Add in the sh*t stirring conspiracy theories and its a recipe for misery.

@Popgoestheweaselagain whilst there is an overlap in Hate Crime and Racist crime, they are not the same thing. Also, not all racism is criminal. For example Lady SH was racist to NF. A fact backed up by witnesses and an investigation. Lady SH was racist but did not commit a crime.

The people who deny that NF was subject to racism, despite the evidence are also being racist. Even though they are not committing a crime.

I'm not racist. I just hate people who look like you. That's not racism - that's just hate. Oh, that's alright then. Glad we cleared that up!

If you have lived in other countries you will realise that other country are also racist.

It's racist, but it's not a crime.

Do you mean it's ok because it exists elsewhere? 😶

I agree.

I remember a well documented survey where more than half of Muslims interviewed stated their belief that homosexuality should be an imprisonable crime and and 40% stated that a woman should always obey her husband.

That's defo not a good indication of adjusting well to our culturally mixed society.

Given they’ve had seventy years to adjust… I’d say that’s their problem!

Crime or not, by what right or mechanism do some people get to tell others how to think?

People of colour/global majority (or whatever this week's preferred term is) don't get to dictate how everyone else should think or behave.

I also think that the more force is brought to bear (eg "cancelling" people etc) the more barriers that erects.

For many years, I wasn't bothered about colour etc. I like to think I took people as I found them. But as the agenda started to get rammed down my throat more and more, eventually you shy away from minorities in general in case it creates complications in your life that you don't need.

Yes from every colour skin not just one colour to all the others.All colour people suffer racism .black white or anyone who has their own preferred description of themselves,all suffer from abuse from another colour.

KarmaStar · Today 21:32
Yes from every colour skin not just one colour to all the others.All colour people suffer racism .black white or anyone who has their own preferred description of themselves,all suffer from abuse from another colour.“

Interesting comment. Many years ago, I (a white, British woman ) worked for a high profile black, British woman and was subject to racist comments regularly from black people who felt she was wrong for employing a white person when they felt she ought to have employed a black person as a matter of principle. Her argument was very clear, she employed the person most suitably qualified 🤷‍♀️

They were rude to you, prejudiced even, but no, they didn't subject you, a white Brit (unless you're from an ethnic minority group), to racism.

Even though the colour of my skin was very pointedly raised?

I think you need to refresh yourself on the definition of racism.

....the real definition not the made up mumsnet/identity politics one.

If this thread - and others recently of the same genre - has taught me anything, it's that there really is no point arguing with stupid. And racists.

In shooting down other 'people's' experiences of what they perceive as racism. what would you define as the key difference between racism and xenophobia

@Popgoestheweaselagain everything you have said I agree with, people cannot move outside themselves for a moment to think well, maybe it could be this way, not what has been the way I have had to live. @AnElegantChaos no point in arguing with preconceived ideology.

I don’t think there is agenda. I think people are finally speaking out about their experiences more so when it comes to microagressions something that I notice people seem to struggle with acknowledging is as much of an issue as racial slurs or telling people to “go back to their country”.

I’ve had a lot of things said to me in a casual even polite tone with a smile that have been offensive that I know for a fact that if I said the same thing back to them, reducing them to stereotypes, they’d be upset but too many (of all races and backgrounds) don’t think about the words that come out of their mouth when it comes to speaking to people they perceive as “different” from them.

This 👏

The UK is multicultural and the majority of people who live here are accepting and respectful of people from other heritage backgrounds and skin colours.

Other countries are much worse in terms of racism. And the racism can go both ways. When I was on holiday to Dominican Republic with DH, staff at the resort would talk to each other in front of tourists assuming they couldn’t understand Spanish. DH can understand Spanish and they were saying horrible things about the white tourists and calling them ‘tampons’ … It was a shitty thing to say and I will never go back there.

The culture in the UK is very accepting of people from all kinds of backgrounds/ skin colour/ heritage. I have never seen racism personally in the UK, and I think it’s actually rare in this country. Especially the younger generations who have been raised in multicultural society. (Older generations might still have racist tendencies though)

On another note all these threads on racism are getting boring 🥱

Seriously 🙄

It's interesting how you claim the majority of people here are accepting. How do you know this exactly? Have you personally been round England to canvas opinions?

I don't know and wouldn't presume to know as everyone's experience is different. I'll be honest and say that I don't experience much nowadays. Occasional verbal abuse from kids and men in white vans but I couldn't vouch for the rest of the country. I'm certainly not going to ignore the rise in east Asians getting beaten up since covid. Sorry it's so boring for you. It's definitely not boring for me, wondering if a walk outside might result in a good kicking. Other races/ethnicities invariably have their own issues to contend with.

The trouble with your post is that your experience isn't exactly comparable is it? An otherwise secret instance on holiday isn't quite the same as being racially abused at work, being pulled over, attacked, not given a job interview because of your name, being treated differently in shops/restaurants etc. DAILY.

Your privilege and ignorance is oozing from your post.

You forget that the UK prides itself on its morals and tolerance. Other countries having it worse is therefore irrelevant. You might've swallowed this whole and whilst I've not had it bad, know a great many have it far, far worse.

No one is telling anyone what to think. When someone's racism comes out of their head and into their role, it should be called out because it is detrimental to our country.

Lady SH wasn't cancelled, she resigned her position, not because she was racist to NF, but because she fucked shit up for the Royal family with her disgraceful, racist behaviour.

I just don’t think it’s fair to tar everyone with the same brush, I’m sorry but the majority of people in the UK are NOT racist. A small few are, but it’s a tiny amount compared to the whole of the UK, and yes those people are assholes. But this isn’t the UK as a whole 🙄.

Look who is PM of the country right now… is he of white British heritage???
In the UK you can literally get the highest most important job in the country whatever your skin colour or heritage is. That’s because we are an accepting and multicultural society. That should be celebrated. That’s a really good thing.

In day to day life. About 50% of my workplace is made up of employees who have different heritage and are not white. Everyone is treated with the same respect. I enjoy working with these people and some of them I would actually consider friends.

Im just sick to the back teeth of all these threads accusing everyone in the UK of being racist. It’s just not true!

They're not accusing everyone. Most of the non racists on the threads are from the UK.