Calling Someond A Racist

Thank you Doodledog and Oreo. I really appreciate your kind comments.
I wish more people online would think like you.

Being falsely accused of anything is horrible but when I was teaching it wasn't uncommon. I was once accused of being racist when I put a student's name on the board on a list with others who were in danger of being given a detention. The student was Asian, but the list included students of all colours. Most times it wasn't worth arguing with students about such things as you rarely win such an argument. However in one school I was falsely accused of something completely laughable, so my response was to call the student mendacious. When asked what that meant I told him to look it up. A few minutes later he said "Miss you just called me a liar!" I just said "Yes I did, didn't I." It proved to be more effective than simply denying the ridiculous accusation. But most times false accusations are best simply ignored. If I'd actually called him a liar there would have been a riot!

No matter if you agree or disagree with mr fox we live in a free speech society. And before lockdown we never heard the word racist as much has we do now. Race can come from all skin colours it’s not one sided. I used to work in a cash and carry the amount of abuse myself and work colleagues got just because we were women and our skin colour came into a lot of the abuse when bosses spoke to them they said that they were joking. I didn’t find it funny. Or stick at the job. I’m white not black

I dont know Laurence Fox ,so any slur of racism is hearsay to me. I don’t react to hearsay or rumour! I know he’s a good actor …and will continue to watch anything he’s in. One person should never be allowed to say vile things about another person. It’s wrong on every level.

Hes a terrible actor in my opinion.
As I have just demonstrated I am afraid there is no law saying we cant say unpleasant things about people as long as it isnt slander.

For the millionth time, it was Fox who called the woman racist - for saying that he is a privileged white man.

People seem determined to cast him as the victim in this, and he's not. Someone in the audience said that Meghan Markle had been treated badly and there was a racist element to that treatment. Fox sneeringly said that this was rubbish, and that Britain was a wonderful place to live. The woman said that it may well be wonderful for a privileged white man, and Fox called her racist.

Anyone saying that the term is indiscriminately used should address their concerns to Fox, not blame the woman in the audience, who did not call him racist.

IME if you are a white middle class person there is an assumption by some white people, not everyone, that you will will agree with their racist comments. TBH I don't use the word "racist" as clearly most people have little idea of what it actually means but I do challenge them politely and ensure they understand that I don't agree with them. If you just let a comment pass by they think you agree with them. With regard to LF, he's a vile man and his comment demonstrates he's somewhat ignorant, pity he didn't just stick to acting.

TaraLee

There are 2 things that are truths:

1. Only white people are racist.

2. People of color can never be considered racist because all white people are racist and they started it.

Makes sense, right?

You are Oprah Winfrey and I claim my £5!

Laurencek Fox has some very strange and unhealthy views in my opinion, for example trying burn a gay pride flag and posting the video, promoting anti vaccination views, posting photos of himself in blackface, generally trying to be controversial and obnoxious

My stepmother is black and she says she receives most racism from other black people who appear to take offence to her being with my dad (who is white) . When out and about and holding hands, they have had black people rudely barge through them to break their hand holding. She was also told by her black hairdresser that she should be with a black man, not a white one. If a white person behaved in this way, they would be called racist. It seems that there is one rule for some and another rule for others 🤔.

In my experience, having been married to an Indian for 46 years and obviously knowing other members of his community well too, the idea that people from ethnic minorities are falling over themselves to label people as racists is quite untrue. It hurts to realise that someone despises or belittles you because of the colour of your skin. They will tend to blame themselves - "I must have done something to upset her" - even if everyone knows that the person in question discriminates against people of other races or has actually expressed racist opinions. The idea that someone hates what you are on the most basic level, what you were born with and cannot change, is an ugly thing to have to accept.

There is prejudice in all communities and I don't think many people from ethnic minorities would deny it. However, it makes a difference whether your particular race is the one with all the advantages and the power.

As for Fox, being called a racist didn't destroy his career. Constantly making idiotic remarks, such as his thoughts on Covid vaccinations, made him a laughing stock.

Yes, you don't have to be white to be a racist. Just look at the treatment of the Uyghurs in China, the Rohingha in Mynanmar, the Dalit in India, but if I wouldn't chose Laurence Fox as a victim of racism. Read Doodledog's post to see why.

The worst racism I remember was between West Indians and Asians. They just did not get along at all. West Indians thought Asians were stuck up and Asians thought West Indians were poorly educated.

They were either very rude to each other or completely blanked each other.

But the audience member didn't call him a racist, according to your own account. She said Britain was a racist country.

Primrose 53 I agree. I work with a man who comes from Pakistan. We get on really well. We have long chats about our different cultures ( I am white British) and religions. He is a Muslim and I am a practicing Christian). But I won't even repeat his views on people who are black. If I held the same opinions I would be out of the door with my P45 in minutes.

There's a lot of misunderstanding with regard to what is racism and what is prejudice and why in this country racism relates to the actions of "white" people but not those "of colour" I think the easiest way to understand the difference is to think of it as a power imbalance. Racism is linked to power and prejudice is not. Most of what has been described in this thread is prejudice and there's certainly lots of that about in all sections of society regardless of colour or ethnicity. Prejudice is unpleasant but it's not against the law, it only becomes contrary to the law when you combine that prejudice with power to discriminate ie treat people differently whether consciously or unconsciously so that they are disadvantaged in some way. This is a very simplistic way of looking at racism and it's far from perfect but hopefully explains why LF's comment was wrong. The UK is a lovely country but there is still lots of institutional racism embedded in our predominently white society and to pretend otherwise is somewhat naive.

That's what I was saying upthread. POC can, like any other group, be bigoted against people from other groups, but it is 'the system' which perpetuates racism.

I just wouldn’t repeat what some Singaporeans say about Chinese people living in Singapore. But they can’t be racist, of course.

nanna8

I just wouldn’t repeat what some Singaporeans say about Chinese people living in Singapore. But they can’t be racist, of course.

Why not?

Doodledog

The woman didn’t say it! She said that MM had been a victim of racism and LF reacted to that by turning it back on her and saying that it was racist to call him a privileged white man. Which, of course, he is.

This- what a horrid, racist man (and we have plenty of evidence to that effect).

TaraLee

There are 2 things that are truths:

1. Only white people are racist.

2. People of color can never be considered racist because all white people are racist and they started it.

Makes sense, right?

Nope!

I am not sure that us, as white people, can always tell what is really racist. My daughter in law and grandchildren are black and now the children are older they quite often point out things that they consider racist which I had not thought about. Looking back at my teenage years I can see now that I did refer to people in a racist way although at the time I had no intent to do so.

nanna8

I just wouldn’t repeat what some Singaporeans say about Chinese people living in Singapore. But they can’t be racist, of course.

Of course they can. Why ever not?

Laurence Fox is an awful actor, and to my mind, an awful person who seems to thrive on controversy, and I fail to see why his opinion is sought by journalists and commentators; it is no more relevant to the majority of the public than mine.

However, I do think that there is a lot of accusations of racism, sexism, nazism, narcissm etc., all of these are terrible things to experience and the constant use of these words as insults devalues the real hurt, offence and fear these actions cause to people.

I rather liked his character in "Lewis"