To think MN has a race problem and it’s getting worse

[MovingOutofZone2]

Posters say incredibly offensive, often outright racist things and MN lets them stand as it’s a ‘difference of opinion’ and that’s fine. Other posters complain about this and MN deletes said complaints as they are ‘personal attacks’ and that isn’t fine.

Then we have mods wandering in and going ‘let’s have peace and love’, as though ‘both sides’ need to calm down. No, we need to stop placating racists.

I’m not going to give examples as this will get taken down as a TAAT, but I cannot be the only person to be fed up with all this. MN needs to do something about the racism, race baiting and general cultural ignorance. Unless the site is ONLY meant to cater to white people and, even then, I firmly believe that most posters of any race don’t want to see all that ugliness.

It’s getting to the stage where, as a Black person, I’m steeling myself before I log on. And knowing that half the time I report a comment, I won’t even get a token acknowledgement. This isn’t right. It wasn’t always like this.

BewareTheLibrarians
Was it a bit weird that the admin staff didn’t know her after 3 months?

Ngozi seems very dismissive of "admin" - not even giving them a proper identity. And perhaps she was working part-time?

@MovingOutofZone2 - your post listed a few examples of attempts at excusing/explaining the behaviour (and a few conspiracy theories 👀) but most posts are not on pro-racist lines.

Most posters presenting points of view/questions are helping the rest of us get a clearer grip a number of important matters.

(I am still researching a regional/national costume that includes the cardigan... all findings so far 🤔suggest that the original home of the cardi could be much nearer than Africa. )

Just a heads up @Clavinova used to post on the Brexit forum I was a lurker on and she’s a hardcore Tory/Brexit wind up merchant. Same MO here as there.

Sorry @Clavinova i don’t quite follow - how was she dismissive in not giving them an ‘identity’ in her personal anecdote?

Are we trying to saying that if someone’s behaviour is not exemplary at all times to all around them and/or they work part time, that they deserve any racism directed at them in the future?

Wow, an eye watering number of (habitual) racism apologists on this thread. Some of you seem to take quite a lot of time out your day to sit on MN telling victims of racism why they're wrong about racism.Because obviously you know better having never experienced it.

It's almost as if.....MN has a race problem and it's getting worse

This.

BewareTheLibrarians
Sorry @ Clavinova i don’t quite follow - how was she dismissive in not giving them an ‘identity’ in her personal anecdote?

I was the one who added "admin staff member" - "admin" on its own seems quite dismissive to me;

I worked in a school and when I’d been there for three months and still after that time admin who didn’t know me or hadn’t seen me would approach me at the entrance of the building. “Can I help you?”

Makes sense - I was about to say I am not engaging with the disingenuous responses from this poster anymore. They have obviously decided to ignore several different posters illustrating their experiences and how this could be similar to NF interaction with LH.

I haven’t seen all these racist comments, just endless accusations of racism about the slightest thing. It’s getting to the point you don’t know what you can say without being berated.

How is this dismissive? And does it means she deserves racist comments?

Not at all. On the one example she gave about the admin staff, the admin staff was correct in questioning an unknown adult in a school. The safeguarding of children must come before the feelings of adults.

Agreed. Many of the comments prove OPs point.

You can practically set your watch to the "don't know what you can say anymore" crowd

BewareTheLibrarians
How is this dismissive?

That's my opinion, which is why I added 'staff member' - you are free to disagree.

And does it means she deserves racist comments?

Since when did, “Can I help you?” become a racist comment?

@GrinAndVomit Where did I say the admin staff wasn’t correct to ask her? Did I say Ms Fulani dealt with it perfectly, or even correctly? Nope. But I did say that her reaction in the context of her entire life was understandable.

Im glad you agree that it’s not acceptable to use this example to wish racism on her or excuses racism directed at her.

Sorry for the racist abuse your son is getting.

And that’s so true about prior negative experiences.

When someone asks me where I’m from (and I get it A LOT), I always have a low level anxiety about their reaction, because I get a range of reactions, from surprise to disbelief to interest to them recoiling. It’s stressful not knowing the reaction I’m going to get.

And it was safeguarding to assume a black doctor was not a doctor and a defence lawyer was a criminal defendant etc ad nauseam? All in the same vein.

Exactly the issue was not that she was stopped but that she was assumed not to be a parent rather than a teacher.

Women on MN who say they have been mistaken for the 'secretary' or the receptionist instead of the lawyer, the CEO, director etc don't usually get the responses on here when they post their experiences compared to what's happening at the moment.

For some reason.

This was our exchange (I note you chose not to quote).

You: I haven't seen anyone supporting Lady SH’s behaviour. (This is a change from a generation ago when questions like hers were a regular experience.)

Me: People are supporting her behaviour on this very thread. There are multiple threads on MN right now, with people arguing her case. If you’ve missed all of this, then you’re not paying attention.

You: I've not seen 'mulitiple' posts like this!

Me: provides multiple examples from a single thread and points out that there were many more on the thread and many more threads of this ilk.

If you’re still refusing to acknowledge that there are multiple people supporting this nonsense when you are presented with screenshots, then there’s no point pretending you’re attempting to get a ‘clearer grip’ on anything.

You can practically set your watch to the "don't know what you can say anymore" crowd

Well, just to give an example of why people might think this way......I have cited on this thread a fairly typical meme where the question "where are you from?" Is cited as a racist microaggression.

Others on this thread have said that actually, it is not racist to ask this question, but it is racist, to repeatedly and persistently ask "no, really?" in the way that Lady Hussey did.

But you can see where the confusion might arise.

Now, you might think who cares, if people feel like they don't know what to say anymore.

But the danger is that people just disengage altogether from the entire discussion because they are going to be told that even well meaning remarks are micro-aggressions, and this does not result in a cohesive and harmonious society.

Only just the other day I was reading of a doctor who was denied entrance to a medical conference because it was “only for doctors”.

Did he/she forget their pass/ticket? Surely, anyone attending a conference just flashes their pass as they go in?

It’s very easy: don’t say racist things.

@Clavinova
“Since when did, “Can I help you?” become a racist comment?”

Shall I rephrase?

Do you, or anyone else reading, believe that the racist comments that are being directed at her now can or should be excused or minimised due to this conversation from the past?

Apologies as always for a disgraceful lack of clarity.