AIBU to report racist comments made by a couple the GP waiting room?

[rhomb]

At the GP practice this morning. The practice has screens around the waiting areas which come up with name of patient, medical staff and room number when called up.

I was sitting behind a couple who did a running commentary between them. They used racist terms on the foreign sounding names. Then when a name came up such as John Pearson “ooh a proper name”.

I moved seats as I got fed up with the racism. They decided to move (unsure why) next to me. Then carried on. I was in two minds whether to report them. The couple would know it was me that reported them.

I am sick of racist people.

They can see you in the waiting room?!

Like all the people blaring their music on their phones get challenged? Sure thing. Challenging doesn’t happen. Not these days. Everyone is frightened of getting stabbed.

Even shoplifters don’t get challenged.

Of course it was

Thank-you for making me laugh 🤣

This!!!

I thought that silly pearl clutching insult was an unoriginal and unfunny way of describing someone prim and proper by people who want to sound cool. How does that fit with being offended by racism?

It fits because racist accusers are now ‘ disgruntled of Tunbridge Wells’. That’s how seriously they are taken.

Exactly

it doesn’t fit

the poster is diminishing and colluding with openly racist behaviour

that has been more common since brexit and reform

????

But it makes it even more unlikely they would be barred if a staff member heard what was said and didn’t think any action was needed.

The BMA have published advice for GP's about how to remove racist patients from their lists, so yes racists may end up without access to the NHS.

Being a racist asshole isn't a protected characteristic.

I don’t think people should be denied medical care for having the wrong opinions. Racism is clear cut, but society can declare anything wrong at any time. Think about countries and times in history where expressing values about equality has been criminal.

at best, the GP staff should tell them to keep their opinions to themselves in common areas or around staff.

OP is of course free to say something herself. It’s not wrong to challenge that kind of speech.

I just don’t want to live in a place where going against the accepted norm is illegal or comes with such dire consequences that it might as well be.

I knew someone would be along to quote this most illogical but I can experience racism as white skinned person in UK - I nearly said it in my post

Foreigners!!! 😂😂

how do you know where they are from

it doesn’t matter if “foreigners” make fun of how white skinned people look because it doesn’t have any impact what so ever on their opportunities for housing education employment and finances

it does the other way round - that’s how racism works

I agree that the OP should have called this couple out on their racism at the time, she can hardly report them now, as she presumably has no idea who they are.

She wasn't unreasonable to be very upset by their racism, obviously. Speaking as someone who has an obviously Eastern European maiden name (though a very traditional English married name now), it would have made me very uncomfortable to hear such talk in a GP surgery. Whether I would have spoken up, I honestly couldn't say, though I would very much want to.

Not where I live it doesn't.

Yes they need to not take their racist views into the public domain - that’s all that’s required

It's disgusting behaviour but I don't know who you can report it to. It's a shame uiu didn't confront them when it happened.

That’s what needed to happen to avoid 3 racist sitting in the Gp waiting room

Not sure why people think a screen with names on is an invasion of privacy - people can see you in the waiting room and in places where there are no screens the doctor comes out and shouts your name, which other people can hear. My previous surgery had the screens and I prefer the shouting so I don’t have to spend the whole time staring at the screen in case I miss my name.

I don’t think there would be much point in reporting the people. I don’t think the surgery can ask people to leave and refuse them medical care because they’re racist. The best they could do is put a message on the screen but it would probably be ignored

Havoring?

If you are white and/or felt safe to do so, you could have considered making clear their comments are unacceptable. But I don’t think there is anyone to report them to - it’s not illegal to say racist things, is it?

What a revealing post this is. Here's what you have told us you believe:

Foreigners are brown or black.
West is best
Foreigners don't speak English
Some white people cannot think for themselves. A bit racist, that.

Here's what I believe:

White westerners can be the victim of racism. It's obvious. I also know from personal experience as a white westerner visiting Hiroshima.
All ethnic groups have good and bad qualities
No cult is needed to persuade some of us that racism should be called out. In my case, it happened when I started work in London in 1982 and witnessed it

@coulditbeme2323 do you agree? Or would you say, ‘ we haven't actually determined that anything racist has happened’.

At my GP surgery the receptionists would hear such comments, and I dare say would ask them to stop. Could nobody official hear them at yours?