Is anyone else getting quite tired of being called a racist?

[Peppatina]

I know it can't just be me.

It doesn't matter what carefully thought out reasons a brexiter has for wanting to leave (I've seen some very articulate and reasoned ones on mn itself) we are still all getting lumped into a stereotypical group of closet racist idiots.

And Lord forbid any of those reasons might just involve any concern over levels of eu migration!

I've been told that I'm essentially imagining the three week waiting list for my GP or that this is nothing to do with eu migration. If I say I know it is because of the names being called out I become the equivalent of Enoch Powell.

The same goes for a certain local estate very much being a no go area, especially for young girls. After braving this street once with my children and being spat on and shouted at by a group of very hostile Romanian men/boys I've been told I imagined it.

When I had my son a few week ago my I was the only English speaking person in my ward. A polish man was shouting and being very aggressive to staff as they were struggling to find an interpreter.

I absolutely know that not every migrant is aggressive and that they should build more schools and go surgeries but I believe I'm right to be concerned about a high number of migrants who are not intergrating with their local community and the unsustainable strain on services.

I'm sick of being told that my experiences don't matter. That to even mention that this is what life is like in our town means I am a racist or little englander.

Actually my local shop is run by a Turkish family.

I don't see how that's remotely patronising. Please elaborate.

The rose-tinted spectacles around here are remarkable.

I went to school in inner London in the 80s and 90s. There wasn't one single girl in my class who had two British parents.

I was a very regular user of the NHS back then too - including having to wait almost a year for an operation to ease the pain I was in. That was absolutely normal then. The NHS got demonstrably better on pretty much every measure in the first decade of this century. But the recession - and austerity, which I don't believe was entirely essential - have meant cuts and longer waiting times.

Immigrants aren't the cause of waits for doctors - government policy is. And sending the economy into a nosedive is pretty much guaranteed to make it worse.

It just tickled me.

This love the fact you can now get decent pierogi from the polish delis was even funnier.

Plopped in among all the people saying how hard their lives had become, trying to explain the fact that there might be downsides to immigration to posters determined to prove that only racist thickies think that.

Reminded me of the Catherine Tait character. Sorry for the derailment, and I'm sure it wasn't meant to sound like patronising middle class bollocks, but it did make me chuckle on a crowded train. Thanks!

I posted a lot of heartfelt stuff earlier in the discussion if you look. Stuff about witnessing my father racially abused as a young girl.

If you think it's middle class bollocks that's fine by me. I was just trying to articulate the things I love about the city I live in. I have said numerous times I grew up in a deprived area and still live in one now.

And if by people talking about how hard their lives are you mean the following heart wrenching tragedies:

1. having to wait longer to see a GP
2. not getting your desired school place
3. ultimate tragedy of being forced to listen to people speak different languages

Then I don't think I'm the one who needs a reality check b

Funny that you chose not to comment on the other, possibly more substantial things that post said, Mooing, like 'I love the fact I grew up amongst a million cultures. At no point whatsoever did I feel bothered I was a "minority" in my school, nor am I so insecure I feel intimidated when I hear someone speaking another language in the queue at the post office. Neither of these things threaten my identity as a British person in any way.'

These, as well as sometimes spurious economic arguments, are being put forward by some posters as genuine reasons to be concerned about immigrants. Perhaps we'd do better talking about those than sneering at one throwaway comment among many other comments.

"People are harking back to an age that never was."

I think this is probably the most significant sentence on the whole thread.

Has anyone asked you to stop calling racist people racist

Over and over again people are not listened to sure some people are racist but some people struggle with the very quick changes that have happened around them, in many of these places social issues are already there mainly poverty, it's their services that get stretched even further

For immigration to really work at its best all areas of society should share the good and the difficult issues that can come along with immigration, that would include jobs, schooling, where people live but that does that happen. Many people coming here are coming for a better life so there start somewhere that is cheap to live

It's no surprise where UKIP are getting their support what is more disappointing is that labour have turned their back on many people because the issue of immigration can only be spoken about in a positive way or you are racist, bigot and so on

I didn't feel the need to comment as I too grew up as a minority, just not in this inclusive, tolerant and welcoming country.

I was amused, I think laughing is still ok?

You were just being patronising and flippant tbh.

I never dismissed your experience. Don't dismiss mine.

I confess I'm trying hard not to secretly wonder if everyone voting leave is a closet racist...... unfortunately some of the comments on this thread have reinforced this view!

Pat yourself on the back CallWaiting well done

not read the thread however I do think people who call rascist at every turn, need to ask themselves whether they really think it is a rascit comment.

Using the word so freely devalues it, and wears down emotions on what it actually means.

Its a very serious accusation and I feel it gets thrown round too freely on here.
Also we kinda know it was something pumped out by the Blair government to stop us from mentioning the tidal wave of immigration that suddenly hit us. To shut down debate, as there was non, it was all out of our hands

I was talking about this thread

The main thrust of immigration debate today is about numbers and volume, not race.

I don't object to immigration

I object to being able to talk about it and I object to people being silenced. it's been good for Farage as much as I despise him he has listened not told people how they should feel and that is very powerful as we saw in the last election

enthusiasm, yes, good point, politicians normally don't listen.

I think that worked for the SNP as well

A lot of people feel they aren't listened to and are labeled "racist" unjustly.

Being silenced about immigration?

The entire world is talking incessantly about it. All the papers, TV, radio stations. I don't see any silencing going on at all.

Yes he has listened that is why he is popular

It might not be the truth he talks about and well is politics about truth sadly it's not always Corbyn is supporting remain after all

But coming back to reports and stats they can so easily be manipulated and people know that they have lost trust in politicians, for many life isn't getting better for them yet we are constantly told how we are the fifth wealthiest country in the world where is all this wealth

If someone says well that Romanian family who live up the road have jumped the waiting list what is wrong with actually at times listening to what they are saying and discussing their concerns rather than putting them right and usually once again the people that are likely to be saying something like this are too often the people who feel politicians are not on their side their lives are not improving