I couldn't believe my ears .....

It doesn't matter one bit to me that my best friend and I have different views on the forth coming referendum, I can't understand why she thinks as she does, but it's her choice. My lovely dad and I supported different Policical parties all his life, we used to discuss politics a lot, we never once had a cross word about it, he thought the way he did due to the environment he grew up in and I respected that, again, he and my mother supported different polically parties too, I stood her way. It really is not worth falling out with your sister about it, her views might be coloured by something you know nothing about. If we all thought the same it would be a funny old world. I would ring her up and ask how she is and try and put it behind you.

Why was it a problem if it had been a mosque?

In one Catholic European country I lived in it took a long time to get permission to built a C of E church and when it was it had to be very discreet so as not to upset the Catholics. And we are all Christians.

I meant about commenting on what people read - we are allowed to read what we like and should not be judged as a big group of people with no opinions that are worthwhile just because we read certain newspapers. Also the news programme. I have never heard of Fox news - no idea what it is but would never condemn anyone for watching it.
People have different opinions on all sorts of things - we are a democratic country so everyone has a chance to air their views and vote as they choose. I do not agree with racism - I have to observe equality and diversity because of my work but I can see why a lot of people are upset about immigration. Where I live it is not a huge problem and people from other countries bring a huge benefit to our local economy however I have observed other areas where there are problems and would never discount anyone's concerns.

Fox News has aired some extremely racist views, about Obama and Muslims, etc. And so often reports lies, whipped up into a frenzy and totally untrue.

Here is a clip of Birmingham (UK) to illustrate this point:

youtu.be/-_zF7nbEvwY

So yes, I'm afraid those who do watch it and only it, like my cousins- and say any other channel in the USA or the world, including the BBC, is biased and untrue- do deserve to be judged for this- even though, in a democracy, they are legally allowed to hold such views (unless they do incite racism and hatred)...

And is of course in the ownership of Murdoch- who owns the Sun- and also 70% of Australian newspapers. News are rarely independent and their owners often have very ulterior and not very clean motives either.

It is so difficult when it is a close relative spouting racist nonsense. My late Mother would come out with quite offensive language (which was probably ok in her youth). In fact living in rural East Anglia she had hardly met any non white people. So I guess it was ignorance rather than unkindness.

When we had a Sky package we used to watch the Glenn Beck show, until he left:
www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/30/glenn-beck-fox-news-last-show_n_888155.html
It was entertainment as much as anything, and we certainly don't share his political views. A bit like Trump in some ways.
It's interesting to see all the different opinions on race, religion politics etc.
Maybe with a close relative it's more upsetting, reflects lack of experience and knowledge of other cultures.

My husband is an immigrant (from Greece) My two sisters-in-law are immigrants from Greece to Germany. My daughter is an immigrant to the US. My step-daughter is an immigrant from Norway to Sweden and my son-in-law is an immigrant of sorts as he was adopted from Sri Lanka to Denmark!All have or had good jobs and contribute or have contributed to the society they live in.I should think most families have relatives who are immigrants! My view is that people should not come here unless they are prepared to work hard and have a job to come to. Nobody should be allowed in if they intend to claim benefits or beg on the streets. We need to be a lot more careful with our borders and make sure all immigrants are going to be productive members of society and not be a drain on society by claiming benefits or begging. Obviously, there must be exceptions, such as the Syrians, who are fleeing from death and destruction, but economic illegal immigrants should be sent straight back.

Many of the illegal immigrants are well qualified and prepared to work our socks off and many come from countries wracked by internal strife caused by the interference by outside powers like Britain, USA, Russia and others. They are the unwelcome results of our own past actions.

I am half-Irish. My ancestors had to leave their home country and migrate to England or the USA because of the famine and starvation resulting from generations of rack-renting and oppressive government by absentee landlords and a foreign power.

Many of the immigrants that have come here over the years have not necessarily had fantastic qualifications; nevertheless they have been - and continue to be - instrumental in the smooth running of our transport systems, our hospitals, etc. etc.

I feel very uncomfortable with the notion that only someone with specific skills or education can be considered to be a "good" immigrant who will contribute to this country. Many people doing unskilled or semi-skilled jobs are every bit as committed to their jobs and still play an important part in keeping this country running.

There are people I care about in lots of ways who I admit to liking less when the subject gets onto politics.

I tend to avoid the subject at work and with family. It's too divisive.

Similarly with the dreaded facebook, there are people who I like in real life but their political posts make me like them less - I hide facebook posts from anyone with conflicting political views to my own so that we can continue to get along fine in real life

In an ideal world we'ld be able to have discussions with people from other political points of views, but some of the Brexit stuff is just so far off the wall and almost inciting hatred and violence that I don't think it's possible at the moment.

I think that we have to weather the storm and just keep politics out of relationships until after the referendum. I felt the same coming up to the last general election. People did go back to "normal" once voting was over and the results were out.

I have no idea where I come from, in terms of ethnicity.
I don't care where anyone else comes from.
I detest racism in any form, and think that if people need our help and we can give it, we should.
I think extreme nationalism and religious fervour can cause harm.
I read the Guardian and sometimes the Times, but am also very capable of forming my own views.
I'm probably a champagne socialist.

We are a small country. The EU allows open borders where any member of the EU has the freedom to live in another EU country. If people are of the opinion that there are too many people coming to settle in the UK, does that mean they are racist?
They may be concerned about overcrowding, shortage of accommodation, shortage of jobs, pressure on the NHS, the benefit system and schools etc. does that mean they are racist?
More people have come to the UK than those who have left - that is a fact. We also have people coming here from the Commonwealth. If Turkey and Albania enter the EU there will be a greater number wanting to come here, and we have no say in it. We cannot control our own borders. But it's about numbers, not racism.

OP: "I wish I hadn't heard my sister's strong opinions on Brexit"
Posters: "here are my strong opinions on Brexit"

There are specific Brexit chat threads you know, might be more helpful on this thread to keep it to the topic of how to maintain/manage relationships with people who have opposing strong views, rather than debating the views themselves?

I was commenting on the use of the word racist as it seems that people who think there are too many people coming into the country are labelled racist when I don't think they are racist. I'm not arguing pro brexit here.

Good-natured AND racist???? No.

MrsMopp, well said.

I think people can appear Good Natured and be Racist.

I know people that appear Good Natured until race rears it's head, Jekyll & Hyde.

What does "racist" mean? It's a word that's bandied about so much now, it has almost lost all meaning.
Openly criticising other races? many don't do this but still have the dislike in their hearts. So is it just verbalising those feelings?

I would say that racism is assuming that every member of a given race has the worst qualities that any member has ever displayed, plus a lot of bad characteristics that have been attributed to them falsely - and using that assumption as an excuse to abuse or attack people for belonging to that race.

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

That is what I mean by racism, Gononsuch. Have you met every single Welshman/woman and found out that there is not a single one you could like?

If your son/daughter married one, would you get to know your SiL or DiL, welcome them into your family and discover that they were real people with good and bad points just like you, or would you hate them on sight, be nasty to them and end up alienated from that part of your family? There are people on Gransnet who followed the latter course and are now very unhappy about the estrangeent (though not with Welsh inlaws)

I have a non-racist lap top, every time try to post it crashes.

GandTea -
There are 2 races/nations that I used to dislike or mistrust.
One was the Germans (because of the war.) But my family persuaded me this was unreasonable, and I've been doing a lot of reading about prewar and wartime Germany and it has changed my views. Having said that, I don't think I've ever met a german person.

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I can't believe you have said that Tricia and hope that your own experience has led you to rethink the second hand prejudices you have been exposed to.
The Second World War started Seventy seven years ago., how on earth can an entire population be judged based on the actions of extremist politicians nearly 100 years ago.
gononsuch repeatedly insults the Welsh - adding a doesn't detract from the unacceptable ignorance he/she is displaying. And no, I am not Welsh, but believe in respecting individuals whatever their nationality or colour.
I am thinking this is becoming an unpleasant thread and an excuse to air some shameful prejudices.