The Lady Hussey racism thing

[Tiiiiiiiiiiired]

I am really conflicted about this.

If went to live in Japan (I did live there for 3 years several years ago) I would be expected to be asked about where I'm from because I don't look Japanese (and in fact I was asked many times! I didn't mind at all, it was my choice to be in Japan and I knew I didn't look japanese). If I chose to stay in that country and have children, I'd expect my children would be asked the same, and their children and that although they would be Japanese by birth, I would hope they would be happy to talk about their heritage and where they are from and not mind being asked why they don't look Japanese and what the history is. I wouldnt think it racist and wouldn't want such questions to be stopped because we only learn from others, and about others, by talking and feeling safe to ask questions.

So why in the UK does everyone have to be sooo careful with what they say? This woman has a non English name, was wearing some non western clothing, as was asked about her heritage. Why is this abuse?

We need to stop being so sensitive and allow dialogue.

Even if it wasn't racist (and it was) it was point blank rude. If someone obviously isn't responding to your questions in polite chit chat you move on or change the subject.

If you were BORN in Japan though, you would be Japanese, and would probably identify as such? If someone kept asking and asking, despite you telling them you were born there over and over, wouldn't you be annoyed?

It's very personal. Take DH and BIL:

Born in England of Irish born parents. One considers himself to be Irish, the other British/English.

Take my DDs: born in England of an Irish father and Welsh mother. When asked about "where they are from" one will say "I'm half Irish and half Welsh". The other would say she was English, born in England.

Other BIL's grandfather was Scottish. His father and he were both born in England. BIL describes himself as Scottish even though he never visited Scotland until adulthood.

i think the crux of it is whether you have suffered day to day racism and discrimination based on what you look like.

I haven't so I would not be offended at those types of questions. White privilege.

She was wearing a sparkly animal print pinafore frock over a long sleeved tee, FFS. What exactly about that 'celebrates African heritage'? Is it the animal print? Or her hair, perhaps?

I hope CCTV footage is released of the exchange.

Obviously won’t be able to hear anything

but the idea this went on for 15 mins and Lady H didn’t say anything (she said she was too shocked and just let the inquisition continue for 15 mins) I suspect will be proven to be hugely somewhat exaggerated

Or she could have asked her about her charity, which was the whole point of the event. It was not get to know you speed dating , it was to highlight organisations and individuals who are working to support women. If there had been any form of briefing for the assistant hosts or whatever they are called surely this would have been emphasised as the purpose and focus of the conference.

She’s 83. Someone of her age and social class probably left her private school when she was sixteen, to be ‘educated’ into being a good subservient wife and mother. I doubt she has ever done a days paid work or stood in a bus queue in her life.

She shouldn’t have been at that reception in the first place. She was probably baffled by the whole thing, so was doing what she has done at the annual garden fete, asking boring questions which neither she or her interlocutor cared about.

What this really shows is not that eighty three year old upper class white women don’t have much of a clue about the intricacies of modern intersectional theory, but that the current ( yet to be crowned ) monarchs are too old and too out of touch to be suitable.

Oh come on, it's massively patronising to suggest older people are stupid and out of touch and therefore can't possibly be racist.

I know / am related to many people in their 80s. Some are racist, some aren't.

In any case, we're not talking about some isolated, tech-phobic grandma living in the same village she's been in her whole life and never met anyone outside her own race.

Lady Hussey is a woman whose entire life revolves around social events and meeting new people. If she can't manage simple small talk without launching straight into a racist interrogation it's quite right that she's resigned - she's obviously shite at her ridiculous job, apart from anything else.

Yes, this. The 'Lady' was extremely rude.
And even then, it is potentially rude to ask someone where they are from. I have never felt the need to interrogate someone about this.
I've got friends from various backgrounds, some born in the UK, some not. Talking in detail about their culture and heritage tends to happen over the course of the friendship.

She was wearing a dress with a bolero as a cardigan.

Stop looking for excuses to other and blame her.

@Tiiiiiiiiiiired I just think we can be so so easily offended these days.

You’re clearly not listening to what black people are telling you about their experiences. The fact you dismiss those speaking as being “easily offended” speaks volumes about you.

She wasn't asked about her heritage. She was asked where she herself was from. A public figure who is linked to the royal family, and who deigns to make a career out of making public appearances with members of the wider community should have "not pushing this sort of line of questioning" as a basic 101 skill.

This.

It's a race combined with class issue. She was able to be racist because she felt Ngozi Fulani was beneath her. She would not have treated an ambassador or dignitary like that. From the moment she touched Ngozi's hair she showed disrespect and continued to when Ngozi made it clear that she didn't want to get into her heritage and wanted to be accepted as the British she is. It was unbelievably and deliberately rude of Susan Hussey and as an educated woman who has been in many diplomatic situations for years and years, I don't think we can give her the 'benefit of the doubt' that it wasn't intentional.

This is not at all comparable.

Names are things that often have a national origin. Being asked about the origins of your name is not racist or offensive.

Similarly, if this lady had been asked about the origins of her name or, say, her clothing that would also not necessarily have been offensive.

If on the other hand someone told you you couldn’t possibly be from Britain because of your Latvian-origin name, that would be offensive.

Interview on the radio today said it went on for five minutes

Are you black though
if not, why do you think this is the same?

fuckin hell! i ve read it all now! "lost in translation"

Hussey is a nosy racist, i'd no sooner ask where someone was from than jump over the moon, height of bad manners, Hussey also isn't just any 83 yo, she is part of the Royal circle who we pay for.

Oh and by the way, Ngozi wasn't in a different country, she was in her own country.

No wonder Harry & M. Markle moved away from it all.

Asking people where they are from is not really on,

Oh, come on. My husband is French and he often gets asked where he is from (I would say constantly, except 90% of the time people tell straight away from his accent and just tell him straight up, "oh, you're French". I had exactly the same when I've lived abroad (in various countries in Western Europe), "where are you from?" "Are you from Australia/Russia/Romania/England?" Most people are just interested in other people, often they want to share experiences (people often want to practice the 3 words of French they know with my husband, or tell me about the time they visited England as a child).

Obviously the issue here is the lady didn't seem to accept or believe that a black person could be British. But in general, asking someone where they are from is not unacceptable, it's quite normal and usually friendly.

So, she really isn't from Sussex. 🤔

I'm really not from England but have lived here for decades. people ask where I am from all the time it would be ridiculous for me to say England! I am not originally from there

That's not the same as being English, and being asked where you're really from because your skin isn't white!

OFOD. Stop trying to speak for people!!

I think she was just being nosy.
I remember bumping into someone socially years ago and she started interrogating me about something and wouldn't let it drop. I was uncomfortable with it, but Nosy kept on questioning me.
When I told my family they said that Nosy was just showing an interest and making conversation, and I should have handled it better.

I can appreciate that NF would have felt massively uncomfortable, but she could handled it better.

She’s changed her story then.

yesterday Sheila fogarty LBC

she said 15 minutes and Sheila was very surprised

Well, dear OP, as the person whose ancestors were the colonisers you have the luxury to feel A-OK about all that hypothetical questioning of your privileged white heritage.

However, if you ancestors and their communities had been slaves and you had lived in the UK partly due to your ancestors country having been colonised by English people so you are one with the Commonwealth you belong here in the UK and a simple, I'm from Hackney / London / Manchester should suffice.

But sadly I doubt you will understand.

No, she didn’t say 15 minutes.