Buckingham Palace Aide resigns

No she wasn't.

This is like trying to explain calculus to a labrador.

(Not mine. I borrowed that from someone. Can't remember who.)

MerylStreep

Pascal
You say that nothing much has changed 20 years on.
20 years ago we wouldn’t have been having this conversation.
And a lady of the royal household wouldn’t have been asked to leave a convention at the palace due to her comments to a black woman.

Hi MS yes I agree about this country, I was referring to South Africa and the Exhibition...

She wasn’t asked her heritage she was asked her nationality and where she was really from - not where her ancestors several generations ago came from. You can be of British nationality and have many diverse origins.How many white people get asked their origins on first meeting?

Volver, my 2 year old lab can be a bit dim despite allegedly being a Clever Boy. I’ve no doubt he’d understand racism, if not calculus

Has he got a login to Gransnet Iam64? We need him!

volver

No she wasn't.

This is like trying to explain calculus to a labrador.

(Not mine. I borrowed that from someone. Can't remember who.)

You can always rely on volver to get nastier than anyone else on these boards. It must require real skill because it happens on every thread.

No I’ve not allowed him internet access, I fear he may stumble across scary things on you tube.

Iam64

DaisyAnne

GrannyGravy13

Privilege comes in many guises.

The cleverest going to Universities

The sportiest winning Olympic Medals

The prettiest being more popular

I was trying to think where, in the world, that is any different. I'd love to look at how they make it work.

Privilege tends to favour the already privileged

That's certainly true. Some countries do better than others, of course. Then, at the other extreme some countries start to make progress and then force is used to reverse it. Overall, I don't think we do so badly.

It seems to me that there are quite a few people "being nasty" on this thread. And quite a few people ignoring valid and reasoned statements being made in an attempt to have a reasoned discussion, whether agreeing with each other or not!

At the same time there are some fairly astounding statements being made that are sort of proving a point about a problem.

In the end if different people with different views can't listen to each other, explain viewpoints and discuss with reasoned argument then I suppose the status quo will continue both on Gransnet and in wider society really!

Chestnut

volver

No she wasn't.

This is like trying to explain calculus to a labrador.

(Not mine. I borrowed that from someone. Can't remember who.)

You can always rely on volver to get nastier than anyone else on these boards. It must require real skill because it happens on every thread.

My last comment was in response to this. Sorry forgot to quote so that would be clear.

She wasn’t asked about her heritage, she was asked where she was really from

Siope

I’ve tried to stay out of this, but before the thread is full, I have to say something.

It’s absolutely irrelevant how nice/old/deaf etc etc etc anyone is, asking a black person who has told you they are from somewhere in Britain where they are really from is racist.

And this, by writer Alex Andreou, sums up the institutionalised racism that underpins the sort of justifications this thread is full of:

“The arguments advanced in defence of “poor, old, deaf” Hussey and “wicked, manipulative” Fulani precisely confirm the underlying complaint: there is a constant and entirely unwarranted assumption of benign motives for white people and suspicion of malice by anyone “other”.”

Very well said Siope.

Thank you, choughdancer

And while I’m on a roll: learning about white privilege

youtu.be/1I3wJ7pJUjg

I didn't understand white privilege at first. My eyes were opened one day while walking put of Walmart.

All of the black people were stopped and asked for a receipt. The white people were waved through.

I just realized my first experience with white privilege.

So no, it isn't about where you grew up or how much money you have. It is about how you are treated in public.

Siope I have seen that film many times. It is very powerful! Thanks for posting

I was going to suggest she be hung, drawn and quartered to teach her a lesson!

Definitely.
Let’s bully and trash an elderly woman and pull her to shreds because it suits certain people’s bias and prejudices.

If you have to post a second inflammatory message a quarter of an hour the first one, and people still aren't rising to the bait, you've probably misjudged the atmosphere.

Excellent film Siope. Thank you.

40 pages and still going

I think that (based on the reports I've read) that the incident was racist, but that doesn't mean that Susan Hussey is necessarily a racist. She may be, but that's big accusation and I don't think we can know from what is in the media.

There have been a lot of accusations of racism on this thread, and a lot of denial of what quite clearly was a racist incident, IMO, but I think they are both simplistic perspectives.

When we think of racists we think of skinhead thugs or red-faced shouty people like Alf Garnett. They are not like us. They are bad people (violent, ignorant or both) and we aren't like that, so by definition we can't be racist. We start from that assumption, so any suggestion that we might have said, done or thought something that could be a slight to a person of colour has to be defended, as if we are guilty of doing something racist then we too would be a bad person, which we know we aren't.

If someone picks up on something we say and deal with it by saying 'you are a racist', the important thing can become getting that cleared up, as it is a direct insult to how we see ourselves. It's human nature. If there were fewer insults flying about maybe people would be better able to think about whatever it is without feeling 'got at'. Nobody likes being talked down to, or told that they are 'bad', even indirectly.

I don't think that the majority of people are racist. I do, however, think that a lot of us (including those who would deny it to the death ) accidentally and subconsciously do racist things sometimes, so I do understand those on the receiving end losing patience with it and reacting strongly. I would probably do the same.

I don't think that age is an excuse for saying racist things, or that people should be allowed to 'get away with it' just because they are old; but neither do I think that shouting at people (literally or metaphorically) is the best approach for the reasons above. I think that in this case, assuming that this was a first offence) the best thing would have been for Susan Hussey to apologise and to be sent on a diversity awareness course, and it should be a requirement for all palace employees to have taken such a course and to have it updated regularly. That way, people couldn't claim that they didn't know they were being offensive, and incidents would be less likely to happen.

lemsip

40 pages and still going

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