Diane Abbott....racist comment or not?

[festi]

I think If you look and consider what she said in the context of the discussuion she was having. I believe she has a very valid point, she did make a generalised remark and by definition that was racist, but, it was in my opinion acceptable for her to generate discussion and break down the barriers that exist (the fear of counter accusations of racism) in discussuing the exposure openly.

Yes - because I don't think that a clumsy TWEET is racist, I am in fact Dianne Abbot.

I tweet, I FB, I have a Google Reader and I read the papers. I haven't seen ANYTHING on this scale of news reporting/MPs getting in a lather/online messageboards exploding when the story is racism directed at black people. The sentencing of the killers of Stephen Lawrence has been knocked off the top of the news agenda ALL DAY. It's ridiculous.

Why are you so invested in saying this isn't true? It is true! I wish it wasn't - I'd love to live in a society where the slave-trade in the UK today caused sustained outrage across all sectors of society until it was headline news on all news channels and MPs were kicking off about it. But that HAS NOT HAPPENED.

Oh grief...Darcus Howe...another public figure who has me shouting at the screen/ newspaper...

Though I seem to recall that he actually said something sensible during the riots last year...not everything he said was sensible, but not all of it was wittering nonsense. Can't recall what it was, though!

I do not understand people who are saying "well, the police are institutionally racist, so it's hardly a big deal if Diane Abbott says something like this".

What the actual hell? It's not a racism contest, you know. People were pretty pissed off about the Stephen Lawrence murder, it's been in all the papers for weeks during the trial and in the years before that, it wasn't ignored.

She should resign. There is no excuse for racism.

vesela, at first I didn't think it was offensive because we are used to hearing similar things. It is almost accepted to say "posh white boys" where both posh and white are used in a derogative sense. Greg Dyke made his comment about the BBC being "hideously white".

But I can understand why this has offended people and why Miliband stepped in and Umanna said the comments were "unacceptable". I think it is because people expect to be treated fairly and not on the basis of their colour. Anyone who represents the public should do so without having fixed views about people based on their colour.

All white people are not part oif divide and rule and were not in the past either.

Because the institutional racism of the police is something that never really seems to get sorted, and yet has a massive impact on society and its criminal justice system, and yet a media storm doesn't happen? And Dianne Abbot's tweet isn't going to send any white people to prison, isn't going to get any white people stopped and searched, isn't in fact going to make anything bad happen to a white person and yet the world has exploded...

Diane Abbot is a career politician and TV presenter who has had a very lucrative career. I find it unbelievable that someone with her experience did not realize the impact that her racist tweet would have.
Consider the outrage if a white male MP has said the same thing about black people.

You're giving DA carte blanche to spout racist views with that viewpoint VG.
What she has done is stereotyped white people again,this isn't the first time.
It's obvious she's got an agenda.

You are Dianne Abbot?

Not Diane Abbot?

Anyway...

you can't be enraged about something you don't know about, or have little direct control over.

Tell me how, right now, any one of us personally could take steps to stopping UK slavery?

I would love to be able to make a difference, I really would.

What well publicised sources will enable me to do do?

You can try to turn this argument on it's head all you like Victor.

Much of what you mention are worthy causes, but her comments are bollocks and wrong and you know it.

The world has not exploded Victor it's a mumsnet discussion

And what will happen if we give all the black people in positions of power 'carte blanche' to spout racist views? Um, not very much, probably, given that (nicked from MMMarmite):

"It is not the same context as a white person saying this about a black person. We live in a context where, after horrific abuses in the past, white people still have disproportionate power, disproportionate media control, disproportionate control of the police and where black people are still murdered in racially motivated attacks. As whites have more power, 'racist' comments against us effect us less badly than racist comments against black people effect them. In addition, her comment is based on a reasonable criticism of white people's racist colonialist tactics."

Whingingninja - I understand what you mean, but it feels as if the racists are being given into more and more.

why are people bleeting on about Dobbs/Norris no longer being the headline. The sentenc they received was the MINIMUM to be served. It was also the maximum that could be imposed in accordance with British law. It wasn't a lenient sentence. Would i hope that when those 15 years are up the parole board refuse any application they make? yes of course i would. But yelling that the law is unjust because it doesn't give you the decision you want on one particular case is ridiculous.
~Also the sentencing was yesterdays news. why shouldn't it be relegated to a lower billing given the fact that there are new news items?

Well, given that you're going to ignore everything I've written Bamboo, there's little point replying really.

Of course she's got an agenda, and good for her for having one. A politician with an agenda - whatever next.

'And what will happen if we give all the black people in positions of power 'carte blanche' to spout racist views?'

But surely we don't want to do that? People would be rightly offended by that and would find it unacceptable.

Yes, Victor but racist comments CAN and still DO affect white people.

Are you actually saying this is not a big deal?

The more you post, the more you convince me of her wrongdoing!

So if a racist comment effects you just a little bit, that's ok?

It's not like a big blatant "nigger" comment?

(DISCLAIMER: hate that word, and in the context of this post it is being used as an example of a horrible racist insult which I absolutely do not agree with)

Nobody is ignoring you VG it's just you're not making any sense.
All i've seen is you constantly talk about the past and how our past (White peoples past that is) have impacted on the attitude of a modern day rich entitled politician who on the outside looks like she doesn't like white people very much.
Modern day slavery in the UK is mainly of the East European variety namely trafficking girls for prostitution and it should be stamped out but it has no bearing on black history whatsoever.

Are you kidding me Victor? Are you living in a parallell universe where there WASN'T a shitstorm when the Stephen Lawrence investigation started and the massive racism in the police was uncovered?

I agree that the racism faced by ethnic minorities in this country is bloody appalling and shameful and of course it's far worse than any racism that white people face. I don't think anyone on this thread is arguing against that.

That doesn't mean that Diane Abbott can go around saying whatever shit she wants.

Taken from an alternative forum.

"i duno why she hates us so much. she is now well rich and has got a good job and a good education. she sends her kids to private schools and wipes her fat are on fivers.
And all because my great grandaddy bought her ancestors for a handful of beans. She should be fucking gratefull"

And so it starts!

I am hoping that the comment was merely being sarcastic

Racism does not cut both ways equally, because we do not have an equal society. The fact that the 'n' word has a deeper, more offensive, more loaded and explicitly racist heritage than the equivalent racial insult to those of white skin should not need explaining. Is there even an equivalent?

Hundreds of thousands of people died because their society considered them to be nothing but n***'s who were worthless. The wealth of our society and the relative privilege of white people and Western nations are DIRECTLY attributable to those beliefs and those actions.

It's not a contest, and I said right at the beginning that her comments should be examined but really, how do racist comments affect white people, aside from hurting their feelings? 'Cos I am a white person and I'm not going to suffer in ANY WAY in my life for being white.

If the person (Animal) who wrote that is in a position of power then he/she should be sacked immediately WhingingNinja.
But I suspect they are not.