To Be Disgusted & Shocked?

[TootsieSmith]

Okay, so we live in an apartment and there is a big communal garden out the front. And this morning it was covered in snow, and of course all of the kids in the area seemed to have gathered there. Snowball fights and snowmen etc, harmless fun.

Anyway, I was on my way out when I noticed a few of the young boys chucking snowballs up at the apartment windows. From where I was I couldn't tell which window they were hitting. I asked them to stop it in case the window broke (because of rocks, stones etc) and one of the little lads said 'The Polish live there! We're not chucking 'em at your window.'

I said I didn't know what difference this made, and that if they didn't stop it then I would tell his parents, I am aware of who his parents are and where they live, but never really spoken to them. And he said back to me, this 8 year old boy 'f* off, why are you sticking up for the polish? mind your own business you cow!'

The polish family who live in that apartment are absolutely lovely, and their children are adorable, and unfortunately since they have moved in they have had quite a lot of trouble from some locals, middle class people from nice homes who are well liked, respectable people.

Anyway, obviously then this little brat decided to attack my windows instead and it was only when DH went down and asked him to stop it that he finally went home.

So an hour ago this boys mum knocks on my door, and said that her little boy was upset because I'd said he was being racist. I told her what he had done, and she said to me these exact words.

'I find it very upsetting that you would upset a child for the sake of foreigners, do you know that my husband was made redundant last week? Who do you think it is taking all of our jobs? My little boy is not racist, but they simply have no right taking our houses and jobs. We cannot afford to have these people here, and I find it dissapointing that you have no loyalty to your community.'

She threw around a load of other brainless generalisations and then sauntered off. Somehow I don't think I will be invited to her coffee mornings anymore!

I am so disgusted, honestly. What is happening to the world, and why on earth do seemingly well educated people deem it ok to be hateful towards people of different backgrounds, just through bitterness about their own situations? I am pretty sure I am not being unreasonable to find how that boy was acting very disturbing!

Oh, ffs, can you put this through the racists' letter box in a Christmas card envelope?

First they threw stones at the Muslims, and I did not speak out?because I was not a Muslim

Then they threw stones at the Polish immigrants, and I did not speak out?because I was not a Polish immigrant;

Then they threw stones at the chavs, and I did not speak out?because I was not a chav;

Then they came to throw stones at me?and there was no one left to speak out for me.

The original is from Pastor Martin Niemöller:

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out?because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out?because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out?because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me?and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Thanks for all of your posts, it has been refreshing to read these after the blood boiling fury I felt after this woman visited me tonight. I am going to pop round tomorrow and tell the family that if they need me to ever speak to the police as a witness to the abuse they recieve, then I will. The thing is, they are the friendliest family in our building. WingedVictory, I am very tempted to post that through their door, makes the point very well.

That is horrible! So glad you took the stand.

I wish I were as brave - someone gave me an earful of vaguely racist rubbish in the queue at the post office the other day and, like a coward, I just went with, 'hmmm, I can't agree with you there' and turning my back.

I'll try and be more proactive about it next time.

this is becuase of political decisions - rather than the people themselves.

direct them to parliament

YANBU. My elderly mother regularly reminds racist people like that 'that without the Poles we would never have won against Hitler'.

CustyChristlemeth - can you explain that post? I don't get it.

Plenty of people are suffering because of bad government, but not all vent their feelings by being racist, do they?

Shocking. YANBU. And good for you sticking up for the family. Totally disgusted with this. What a lot of rubbish she is talking ~(and this comes from someone whos husband has also been made redundany!)

LRD - i think you agree with me.

we have immigrants becuase of uk/european policy.

without the decision makers, without the poicies. the immigrants wouldn't exist, have work entitlement, access to other benefits which might come from living in the uk.

Without the policy makers and their decisions, any knock on effect of a migrant workforce subsequently pricing the indiginous uk workforce out of jobs - wouldn't exist would it.

so - the people to blame are the decision makers. Not the immigrants.

But why shouldn't we have immigrants living here? They shouldn't have a problem with it full stop, they should just mind their own business and stop exaggerating the reasons behind their circumstances. There is always a scapegoat for financial difficulties, and unfortunately immigrants seem to be taking the brunt of it at the moment. The majority of the people who come to live in the UK are here in search of a better life, and who are we to deny that? Most polish people I know do jobs that the racist people complaining would deem below them, or have started their own businesses from scratch.

How long do you have to be "here" not to be an immigrant, anyway? What about people who move to London and take away jobs from honest Cockneys, eh? I suppose those bloody Romans started it, by coming over and opening up their own bathhouses and sewage systems because they couldn't stand the existing arrangements...

I blame them Vikings, bastards

I think custardo's point is that whether you are a normal well balanced person or a frothing racist nazi, it's POINTLESS directing your veiws at the PEOPLE who choose to come and live here. They are only taking the opportunities that are available to them. If you don't think those opportunities should be available to them, address parliament, not poor old Mrs Krawiec and her three children.

Some peoples brains just don't develop from the day they were born do they?

One of the good things about not seeing my ex BIL this Christmas is not having to listen to his bigotry and racism.

Good for you, YANBU.

Oh, I wasn't having a go at the advice to look for the root of this problem; I do agree that politics have a central role (also newspapers). However, that doesn't mean that people can't speak out against injustice when they see it, even if it is on the level of a child, as TootsieSmith did.

Interestingly, our town, despite being fairly monocultural, has absorbed it's new Polish population very well. We had a resident Polish population already, and it seems the younger people who are coming here are related to the people we have already resident, so are inclined to behave themselves whilst staying with Uncle Henri

And of course, when the resident british population meets them, they are not Generic Male Pole #45, it's Henri the Music Teacher's nephew. And so the politeness from both sides is expected.

Sadly people seem to forget that many british people are immigrants in many other countries and are welcomed and accepted, if it was not for people coming here from other countries we would probably have a huge gap in employment especially in proffessions that have been deemed by the british population as beneath us. These immigrant populations tend to be transient and actually very few have plans to stay here long term, remember the large number of irish immigrants who went back to ireland when things improved over there. The same thing is now happening with the polish, sadly OP it is short sighted people who have never found out the facts that hold these views and sadly pass them onto thier children too.

I am glad your neighbours have you as an example of how welcoming we can be in this country.

YANBU-I was disgusted and shocked, and profoundly depressed by your post.

OP, good for you. Custy has a point too.

I'd phone the police too, this is a racially motivated attack and the mother needs a good talking to in front of her child to nip it in the bud asap.

ninedragons

Please don't flame me but I am genuinely interested in how high rates of immigration to developed countries creates economic boom conditions?

Just to add, I do not know a single immigrant who is not a hard worker. I know a few, and they all work long hours and are very concientious.

I have no problem with immigrants at all.

YANBU. When we were in the Uk over the summer, a family member told me to avoid cars from out of the country (I thinks she was talking Balkans/Poland) because none have insurance.
I said I find it hard to belive, she assured me it was true because 'our Joyce had an accident with one and she run away'. point proven I'd say.

"I asked if he knew how to cook Chinese cuisine and if he would be prepared to work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week for minimum wage. He declined to answer."

Yes, English people are just so lazy. What is wrong with them that they won't allow themselves to be exploited by employers who are breaking the law?

I just love how many people on here being all righteous have no problem with assuming (based on nothing but prejudice) that the father of this child is a lazy good for nothing.

OP - YANBU. Well done for what you said to the child, and for sticking up for your neighbours. When the mother comes into the story I actually start to feel sorry for him - how could he know better if that is what he exposed to at home? At least you have set him a better example than he's used to.