Are we all white racists?

WODDMOUSE49

I didn’t realize we must all be unerringly polite as we were disgusted by a mans death

My mistake

I do love nothing more than a good tone policing.

Almost as much as when people’s experiences are put down as just being whiners. After all, there is no racism in the U.K. Meghan was just being a cry baby looking for attention. Don’t you know she was welcomed with open arms? Then she had that falling out with her (white) father and everyone lost their minds. But still not racism. Nope.

Health trusts need to admit there is racial bias. There needs to be better training so people can say 'am I responding to this person differently and why is that?'

That perfectly sums up the point about unconscious racial bias that we all have. Assumptions we will make, unconsciously. If we are aware of that we can address it.

Recently Patrick Hutchinson was a hero saving a white far right protestor from danger! Who can admit that if they had seen a picture of Patrick Hutchinson in a different context, what assumptions might they have made about him, a very tall muscular black man dressed in black. If you can admit to assumptions honestly you are opening up to those assumptions we are all at risk of making because of absorbed messages over many years. This doesnt make us bad people. It doesnt make us racists on an individual level.. It makes us honest and opens us up to exploring and addressing the problem.

I was watching the channel 4 programme about a school that decided to tackle racism using techniques developed by an American researcher. It was very interesting but seemed to focus on children of African ethnicity. There were children of Asian, Middle Eastern and Chinese ethnicities too but somehow they were overlooked.
These channel 4 school documentaries are very good. They often pick out particular children. There was a dear little bespectacled red headed boy who became very distressed on his friends account. Also a beautiful, bright little girl of mixed ethnicity who will obviously go far.
One question that one of the children asked was 'Do you have to be white to be racist?' which was unfortunately not answered. I'd love to have heard what they said.

Lots of people can experience prejudice - black people, white people, Asian people, Chinese people, gypsies, people with tattoos, people on benefit, northerners, southerners, etc, etc, etc,. What is different about racism is that if you are black, when the majority of people in the country in which you live are white, and they occupy the most senior positions in the commercial and public sectors, their prejudice can materially affect your life.

So, if you're black and you don't like white people that is prejudice, and it is unkind, unpleasant and hurtful. However, if you're white and you don't like black people, you are more likely to be in a position where you have the power and influence to determine whether a black person is: called for interview for a job vacancy, considered for promotion, paid the same money as other employees, accepted at a prestigious university, etc etc. So that prejudice has a different dimension because it doesn't just hurt feelings (though that's bad enough and affect a person's self esteem) but it impacts on every area of a person's life.

Eleothan that is an excellent summary explanation and spot on

I know I have mentioned it before but in case anyone missed it , if you are interested in learning and understanding more the wider issues of racism as opposed to individual prejudice, then "White Fragility" is an excellent book to read and not too "heavy" to easily understand.

Black people here are constantly subjected to regular treatment from white people that pecks away at their wellbeing and peace of mind, everything from police finding it hard to believe that the car they are driving is theirs, from it being assumed that they are the cleaner rather than the professional working there, young lads on their way to school being stopped for no reason ,to where are you really from, having their hair touched, Lack of make up for dark skins, as I discovered when trying to find a present for a black friend, very little and very dear, cards, the problem you have finding a card with a darker skinned baby on, and this in a town with a large number of black and S Asian people, plus much worse and what about medical info - the NHS has how to see a meningitis rash on black skin, but meningitis now doesn't, or St John's ambulance, it doesn't present as a red rash in dark skin. ok ,rash is a late sign and you should seek help before then, but that's not the point is it. Horrible racism on facebook groups which include black and Asian residents of the town, all this whataboutery that seems popular, why is no one complaining about the Asian grooming gangs [ but at other times do not seem to care about children being abused by white men. I'm not racist, I have black friends - well lots of misogynists have women friends but they still are horribly sexist Many things like that on a regular basis

When Jimmy Savile's crimes came out NOBODY objected to the statue of him being taken down, or the road being renamed, or the hall named after him being renamed at great expense. Nobody said we have to leave them because it's history, and people need to learn about it, it was rightly thought that we shouldn't glorify a man who had committed such vile deeds, even though he had raised lots of money for good causes, as it would be distressing to his victims and others who had been abused by others, you don't glorify people like that. The Colston statue was put up nearly 200 years after he died, and his slavery links were forgotten, and all that was remembered was that he'd left Bristol a lot of money, it was put up because people had forgotten about history. No one thought at all about how it felt for people who had ancestors or fellow countrymen who had suffered at his hands to see how Bristol was glorifying him
Around a year ago someone I knew at an event made a horrible remark about 'the Irish' I was too gobsmacked to say anything. I wish I had. Although I'm English my family is from Ireland and it still upsets me and that is a one-off thing, can't imagine how I'd feel if I had to deal with that sort of thing every day

Oodles...Yup!!

Very heartfelt oodles and I think you made some really important points re different presentations of illnesses, sexism, Savile, etc.

Do some ethnic groups meet more racism than others or different firms of racism. I'm thinking that black African people seem to attract more negative stereotypes than eg Asian, Muslim/Middle Eastern or Chinese people. This is serious question. I'm interested in the different perceptions.

Different forms of racism not firms!

I think it often depends what race you are talking about! My dil is not white and feels we are racist here but I think it's just because she is different and works in quite deprived part of town where I would not go myself.

There are some good posts on here I think.

It's probably something about where I live (a university town) but we have lots of Indian doctors and Chinese scientists and generally highly skilled people like that who are much appreciated. When my children were at school it was Asian and Chinese children who were the top students and I remember a lovely Chinese girl who was a wonderful musician, a highlight of school concerts. I do know I'm being anecdotal but I want to know more about why some communities seem to fit in or rather blend in together in more harmony.
The police certainly wouldn't be stopping these people's cars etc. There's obviously something about poverty, unemployment etc contributing to the situation. A two way thing?

I watched the 2nd part of The School that tried to end Racism on Ch 4 last night. Brilliant programme but watching the 12 year old black boy trying to explain his experience in a shop, being stopped and having his bag searched by a police officer, was heartbreaking. He asked the officer why he was the only one searched and the answer was basically that black boys had done it before. His sadness, hurt and anger at the unfairness were palpable, even more so when his mum was excusing the police officer to him. If you didnt watch this 2 part programme and are interested, it is well worth a watch.

Anyone been reading about Starkey and his “damned blacks” comment?

Dear oh dear.

Deliberately provocative and very obnoxious as always!!

Sticking my neck out here but George Floyd was hardly a good living role model for ANYONE. If he hadn't been a career criminal, would he still be alive?

Maybe because they're allowed to fit in in ways the black community aren't.Some people look at a black face and see an inferior being ,that is simply a fact .It is fact because its been happening for centuries and we haven't actually managed to change it .I posted on here about the reaction of a "friend" because I'd brought pakistani children to play with my daughter .I was admonished by HQ for using the term my so called friend had used.If we cant accept that people think like that we'll never get to the root of the problem.
Yes to your question Jane10 all minority communities are subjected to abuse.Even now and in my part of Scotland ,in george Square just 2 weeks ago a young Chinese man was verbally abused and threatened with violence from the "save our statues" brigade ..in other words right wing ,imperialist morons.If there hadn't been police nearby he would have been beaten as other were .Very few arrests made though .I do wonder why .

Boodymum67.
Probably not, I don't think the treatment was based on previous actions by George. Even if they were, to ignore a man who is having difficulty and telling the police that he could not breathe is just beyond comprehension.

boodymum67

Sticking my neck out here but George Floyd was hardly a good living role model for ANYONE. If he hadn't been a career criminal, would he still be alive?

He'd not been in trouble for a decade

He was killed in a hideous way by someone who was supposed to protect life

“Again, are black pregnant women neglected by the NHS ?“

My OH has just retired after 30+ years as a midwife and was furious to hear that, everyone is treated exactly the same. Wether they take the advice given is another matter and if they don’t turn up for Ante Natal, not a lot you can do
They had several Afro-Carribean and Asian midwives in the Maternity Unit everyone was treated the same

“He'd not been in trouble for a decade”

He was in trouble that day. He was being arrested for attempting to drive a car when obviously high on drugs.
He was a big guy 6ft 5 tall and probably 20 stone high on Meth so felt no pain. It took 4 officers to subdue him during which he had a heart attack, what were the police supposed to do let him drive away.
If it had been a white man high on drugs in the same situation the police would have done exactly the same, subdued him and handcuffed him.

I sincerely hope we are not, as a nation, racist. I am becoming tired, though of the constant press about it now. I have a good friend who is not white - I couldn't care less - she and i have a lot in common. I do notice, though, that she is very quick to say a certain thing happened because she is not white. It is easy to take offence where none is intended if people concentrate too much on things being supposedly against them.

Sticking my neck out here but George Floyd was hardly a good living role model for ANYONE. If he hadn't been a career criminal, would he still be alive?

The point is , is kneeling on someones neck for 9 minutes an ok method of police restraint!!!! No it isn't!

i guess i shouldn't be surprised by some of the attitudes on here, but i still am.