AIBU to wonder whether racism differs much between Australia and the UK

[The90sIsThatWay]

I'm Australian and was reading this discussion about Mumsnet which diverged into the UK in general. It was interesting seeing how this place comes across from the outside, but also a bit uncomfortable because Australia obviously has its own - arguably worse - version of the same thing.

https://www.everybump.com.au/community/forums/topic/16635-mumsnet-is-interesting/

Here it often seems more casual and "just saying what everyone thinks", especially around First Nations people, African communities, Asians, immigration and crime. From the outside, the UK version looks more class-coded and blunt around immigration, Muslims, Travellers etc.

I only see the online slice of it for the UK, not the reality on the ground, but are we actually that different? I'd be especially interested in what people who have lived in both places have experienced.

There are stupid fucks everywhere

Well said

_/endthread

Pretty much. This quote has always summed it up perfectly for me, “If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pockets."

It stems from a place ofa inferiority, real or imagined. People who have nothing else to offer cling to their racism, as their believed racial superiority is all that they have. And they'll be willingly exploited by anyone who confirms this superiority for them. Purportedly, the largest block of Reform's support comes from the 'underclass' in the UK, Reform's manifesto offers these people nothing other than to not feel that they're at the bottom of the heap, so despite Reform's policies being in wild contradiction with their own class interests they lap them up.

It is different in Australia. I found people a lot more blunt there and likely to make mildly offensive comments. It felt a little bit how I imagine the UK in the 60s was. However I did also find that racism in hospitals was very very strongly dealt with. Racist patients essentially pushed to the exit and told to never return.

The UK has more subtle racism, less in your face, but still there.

As a Kiwi, I've found that people in the UK think they're being subtle with their racism (and islamophobia), but they're really, really, not. The things people are quite happy to say to other people that they don't know at all well, presumably on the basis that they're white and English speaking and therefore must share their views, is quite mind boggling. And horrible.

Its definitely different between the 2 places.

I think I probably agree with the comment that Aus is more blatant, and UK is more subtle (and possibly ingrained).

I found Australian racism almost naive in it's transparency. It's like the last 30 odd years never happened.

Around 2006 I was working on a farm in Perth and an Aussie casual labourer said to me and another Brit; 'Willie really makes you think twice about Aboriginal peoples, doesn't he?' of one of the senior farm hands. That is not an exact quote you can work out for yourselves what I changed.
I thought that was bad until I got to South Australia.

Not racism but I think on that lifeguard reality show, the thinking seems more old fashioned about women. Not sexism but like they need to be looked after.

Yes

There is a case in the news right now here in Sydney about 11 years Jewish kids playing netball being told they should have been eradicated. The alleged offender (a mum from the opposing team) has been charged. She clearly thought no one would challenge her.

It’s a long time since I went to Australia but the racism is one reason I would never go back.

the UK is getting bad as reform and immigration issues are giving idiots the confidence to open their mouths, but on the whole people know racism is wrong.

australia it seemed normal to say these things, nobody challenged or indicated it was unacceptable. It was just a given that indigenous people did this or that and wasn’t it funny/they’re so unreliable/always on the grog…

I’ve known two (white) couples who moved to Australia with the expectation of making it permanent and moved back largely because of the racist and misogynist attitudes. In the U.K. I don’t think you’ll find any overt racism amongst most educated people under 70 (they may think otherwise but wouldn’t even hint at it) but it seems fairly common in the social circles of my Australian relatives.

I'm from (what an accolade) one of the most racist parts of the UK, apparently, and still it's not as overtly racist as what I experienced living in Australia for 2 years. That was about 20 years ago and it's still not the same level.