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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think my normally sane DH is in danger of looking like a racist prick?

385 replies

FlamingoCrimbo · 21/12/2009 13:40

DH just forwarded me an email that has been forwarded to him and to other people at his work by one of his colleagues.

I'm hoping he's not forwarded it to anyone except me - it doesn't look like he has.

It's one of those ones called 'border law'. Just found a US version here - swap the US references to UK ones.

DH is just misguided, IMO, sending this on - he ought to know I'd find it offensive. But it's made me wonder if IABU to find it offensive and to think it's probably been written by someone in the US equivalent of the BNP or at least widely distributed by BNP supporters.

So - AIBU and, if IANBU, how would you tackle it with him? He's very lovely, kind, and, sometimes, misguided so I don't want to upset him. I had to stop myself replying with 'you know this email makes you look like a racist prick, don't you' but that's not really very nice, or helpful!

OP posts:
Quattrocento · 21/12/2009 22:45

FOrwarding that email would be a disciplinary offence in my firm

And quite right too

flockwallpaper · 21/12/2009 22:48

You lot can type faster than me

I find it interesting that you are arguing over immigrants, when the original email was about illegal immigrants. I would expect that there are a lot of people that welcome legal migrants but are okay with the government clamping down on the illegal ones.

Kaloki · 21/12/2009 23:12

"I would expect that there are a lot of people that welcome legal migrants but are okay with the government clamping down on the illegal ones."

I think the problem is that certain groups of people don't see the difference between legal and illegal immigrants.

daftpunk · 21/12/2009 23:15

Pexp;

If you put as much effort into being nice as you put into being bitchy, you'd be alot more successful.

Life lesson for you.

thesecondcoming · 21/12/2009 23:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WidowWadman · 21/12/2009 23:23

Flamingocrimbo - the mail in question is not only very daft, but also very hurtful, and therefore inexplicable.

And I'm not only feeling that way because I'm a job stealing immigrant (with a driver's licence) myself.

If you find it forgivable you're no better than the one who forwarded it.

daftpunk · 21/12/2009 23:25

TSC;

Some of your posts to me have been XXX rated, you are hardly Mother Teresa.

thesecondcoming · 21/12/2009 23:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BitOfFunderthemistletoe · 21/12/2009 23:33

I think WidowWadman is over-reacting. But I am on the side of Peace. Love and Understanding. Except to thesecondcoming's MIL, of course

Ponders · 22/12/2009 00:48

I saw this one in a local free magazine, only with Australia instead of US

Whichever, it's stupid, racist, pathetic, irrelevant & just wrong.

OP, did your DH actually think it was funny? (Sorry if you've already said, too many posts to read them all at this time of night )

pooexplosionsonthedustyroad · 22/12/2009 01:42

I don't need life lessons from the national front thanks muchly

1.thats not "bitchy", and insulting you takes no effort at all, its too easy

  1. I'm very successful already, thanks anyway
  2. HUGE surprise, you have nothing to say when actually posed some questions. Mine, or TSC's. I'm guessing that you are confused and trying to cover up, thats okay, just admit its all a bit beyond you, we'll take pity on you.
peacocks · 22/12/2009 01:51

we seek them here, we seek them there, we seek those racists everywhere..

what mamazon and flock said

esselle · 22/12/2009 05:38

I have had a very similar UK version of this email sent by my MIL.

I have no idea why she sent it to me though as I am not British and don't live in the UK!

Don't think it was a dig at me spending 10yrs in the UK stealing jobs from the locals then marrying a good Englishman and dragging him back to my country.

I still don't see the point...

peacocks · 22/12/2009 06:19

This is what stops people talking about the problems specific to immigration into certain countries, the UK for example.

Countries that offer free healthcare, housing and living money are not ten a penny. Britain is one of the few. The idea was a sort of insurance plan for every person in Britain. The vast majority pay in, having done that they are assured of a safety net, and those who can't ever pay are saved from destitution.

It can't be a safety net for the whole world though, and that is what troubles people. But yelling racist every time someone wants to discuss it is pathetic in itself.

seeker · 22/12/2009 06:27

Happy to have a debate about immigration - the problem is that there are posters on here who see no difference between illegal immigrants, legal immigrants and asylum seekers and completely refuse to have the difference explained to them. And who believe the lies peddled by the Right about what any of these groups are wntitled to in this country.

It is impossible to have any sort of sensible discussion when there is no agreement on the facts of the situation.

nooka · 22/12/2009 06:45

Well it's just a pile of crap isn't it. We lived in the USA for a while, as legal immigrants, and got absolutely nothing. No, I tell a lie our children got to go to school, this is a right for all children in the States regardless of their status. Then when dh lost his job we basically go thrown out. Some of the suggestions are just plain stupid. Credit cards in particular are incredibly hard to get. That makes me suspect that the rest of the email is rubbish too, although I wouldn't be surprised by some of it, given the nature of the countries mentioned. Of course the US does have a problem with illegal immigration, possibly because legal immigration is so bloody difficult, even though many companies want cheap labour (which is what immigrant generally provide) but also because it is right next door to a very poor and unstable country, with a huge border. American immigration systems are known to not work at all well, and many suggestions at reform have been made, but are difficult to pass because there are too many right wing bigots who cannot engage in any sort of sensible debate.

Much like some people here (these threads always make me wish that Mumsnet had an ignore option, if just to stop discussions that could be interesting and worthwhile being hijacked by permanent attention seekers).

I don't think that the words in the email are racist, but the intent behind it almost certainly is, as people very very rarely object to white "people like us" arriving (Australians, Canadians etc). I'm an immigrant myself, and notice how many people claim they are moving from the UK to places like Canada (when I am now) or Australia because England is "too full of immigrants", making them both stupid and bigoted. I can't see how an email like this could be considered funny because it's just crap. Nothing "cutting edge" about it.

daftpunk · 22/12/2009 08:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

FanjoForTheMankySocks · 22/12/2009 08:58

Because they are in danger of being killed if they stay there and we have compassion?

daftpunk · 22/12/2009 09:04

God knows my geography is brilliant, but even I know the UK isn't the first safe country a Somalian would get to.

FanjoForTheMankySocks · 22/12/2009 09:05

ah...NIMBY?

noddyholder · 22/12/2009 09:14

NG will never sit in parliament in this country it will never happen.hilariously when he was interviwed re this on the radio before the QT fiasco he did admit that a lot of the people he appealed to had never been near a polling station in their lives and implied himself that the intelligence of his current supporters left a lot to be desired.A bit sad when you are calling the people you are trying to engage thick!

daftpunk · 22/12/2009 09:18

I think NIMBY applies to the majority of posters on here, because I doubt many of them live in places like Burnley. It's easy to be Liberal from the comfort of your Notting Hill town house.

noddyholder · 22/12/2009 09:18

The thing is that when you are fleeing for your life from a dangerous regime you are not thinking about what you can contribute to where you seek asylum you are concentrating on staying alive and protecting your family.It is not as simple as DP and her ilk think She is somehow under the impression that they are coming here with a view to an easy life rather than leaving the horror behind.Even those who do manage to find employment are the tarred with 'taking our jobs!'You will never make any inroads with some people as they are ignorant to start with and although they reject the facts in tri=uth they are not smart enough to understand them otherwise these threads would get somewhere!

daftpunk · 22/12/2009 09:29

noddyholder;

I have been chatting/arguing with you for months, and with the greatest respect I have never read a single post of yours that makes any sense.

Alot of them are coming here for an easy life, I'm afraid that is a fact, because when you are genuinely fleeing for your life, you will stay in the first safe country you get to.

You are unable to answer why they don't stay in other European countries they pass through.

Why do they make their way to the UK..?

noddyholder · 22/12/2009 09:30

you are too stupid to understand them