Other kind of racism

I have lived in Denmark since I was sixteen and still meet people who tell me they can hear I have a British accent.

An accent is nothing to be ashamed of, but the real issue is anyone being told to "Go home where you came from".

I would not ignore such a remark, but tell the person who made it, that I cannot go home where I came from, as it is no longer home, that I am married to a citizen of the country I am living in and paying taxes, and that their remark is rude and hurtful.

I realise that answering in this way may well lead to a mouthful of abuse, but I personally am willing to take that risk in order to show people how rude they are being.

Peardrop wrote;
"I can only suggest that racism stems from ignorance and fear of the unknown."
That's my view too, and it can only be changed by learning more about other ethnic groups. A part of human nature is attraction to those similar to ourselves, so mistrust of those who are different. So as a result everyone has the potential to be prejudiced about others.

henetha, thanks for reminding us that it's possible for progress to be made. Your post shows that bigotry and prejudice are directed at children as well as adults. I live in hope that the dreadful racism we live with will continue to be challenged and eventually be much less part of how we live.

It's worth remembering that one of the men given a job by Dominic Cummings is Andrew Sabisky. He claimed black Americans have lower than average IQ than white people. This was earlier in 2020, not in the 1950's.

There are many kinds of prejudice. I was illegitimate and although it means nothing these days it certainly did when I was young. I had the B word shouted at me long before I even knew what it meant, or knew that I was.

Ellan Vannin is right it depends on who you associate with. As a school child I was never subjected to racism by any teachers, peers, or other adults and so as an adult I regard racists as abnormal, ignorant and fearful persons.

Notjustaprettyface, I'm sorry I didn't answer your post. You asked how others deal with it. I can only suggest that racism stems from ignorance and fear of the unknown. We all need to get to know each other better, we all need to be more open so that others can see who we are. We are not English, Polish, South African, Indian, etc., we are human beings with diverse and interesting differences that we should teach each other and respect of each other. My son and daughter-in-law in Australia dealt with the horrible problem their daughter experienced by going in to the school in lesson time and each teaching the class about some of their history and culture. My son talked about the folklore of Wales, the Mabinogion and the story of Beddgelert. My daughter-in-law cooked an Indian meal and talked about customs in her mother's family. Apparently the class were fascinated with both and the school has asked them to return.
I suppose what I am saying is be proactive and not passive, not just you but all of us.

My dil gets annoyed when people presume she is a cleaner.

Sparklefizz and Iam64, thank you. It is a nasty cruel world indeed and we close our hearts and minds at our peril.

I was at school in the 60’s and I wish both school and society really had been abuse-free. I remember to this day when another girl and I tied in a vote to be class captain. The teacher told me the other girl would be chosen because her father had his own business (he was a barber) and was therefore more prestigious than my father. I think I was eight or maybe nine years old.

I recall the boys in particular being caned at school, other children being hit regularly. I was friends with a couple of girls who were in a children’s home and they told stories of being beaten with hair brushes. A little 7yo friend died hideously as an indirect result of domestic violence while other children suffered neglect.

All this sounds as though I went to school in some terrible area but no, it was a fairly standard town, not particulate rich, or poor.

Maybe read Alan Johnson’s book, This Boy to read about what some society was like the 50’s/60’s. It’s not pretty.

Peardrop, thanks for your post.

EllenVannin- have a biscuit for what must be one of the rudest and most ill-informed posts on this thread.

I cried when I read your post Peardrop. I am so sorry for the horrible abuse your lovely daughter-in-law and granddaughter have suffered.

What a cruel world.

Notjustaprettyface, I think you might have been meeting the wrong sort of people.

There is nothing you can do or say that will make ignorant people wiser. I know there are people like you describe and, lucky for me ,I have never had to live beside them.

EllanVannin

I obviously lived in a different part of the country---that's evident ! Politics never came into schools then and it WAS a friendly abuse-free society, " banner"-free too !!

FGS, Eloethan, wind your neck in.
I didn't see nor hear any of those obscenities when I was growing up.
Speaking as you do is the very reason why we have so much hatred and hostility in the world.

How arrogant.

Just because you didn’t see something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

Urmstongran, very good.

I'm ashamed that I didn't post this earlier as I didn't want to be identified. Doesn't matter, this is too important.

One of my daughters-in-law is of Asian descent, her parents are from India, she was born and brought up in France, her parents sacrificed a lot to give her and her siblings a good education. She came to university in the UK to study English where she met my son. She has the most beautiful French accent when speaking English, she is such a gentle soul, intelligent and wise. She became a teacher in an English city where she used public transport daily to travel to and from school, she was subjected daily to the most vile racial abuse from mainly young white males. She told me that she had suffered the same in her home town of Valence in France.
They emigrated to Australia to escape this disgusting abuse and now their daughter, my sweet, kind and lovely thirteen year old granddaughter is suffering the same ignorant, cruel and nasty abuse and wanted to commit suicide recently when she was pushed to the ground and had dirt rubbed in her face while being told to go back to where she came from.
World over we must stamp this out. Education, education, education.

I think saying education in the 50s was better just shows an astounding lack of awareness. Not just in terms of racism.

I grew up on a council estate. When we moved to a bigger house our old house was given to a black family. When my mother went back to collect the post she was shouted at by he neighbours for "Letting them people in our street". It was nothing to do with my mum of course and the family had recently had a child who had died, but the neighbours didn't care That was in 1953. There was racism.

I wish. x

I grew up in Woolwich and Greenwich until 1968. We lived with black/Asian/Irish neighbours. I never ever saw one of those signs.
The only rascim I ever encountered was when my friend took me to a Ska club and they wouldn't let me in because I was white ?

I had similar experiences when I moved to North Yorkshire from Surrey Sussexborn. I was called a snob because of my accent.

I thought the same as another poster Notjustaprettyface when I read your OP; I bet you speak English far better than some born and bred here.

It isn't easy to ignore it but do try. People who say such things are to be pitied.

Like EllanVannin I wasn't aware of racism in the community I grew up in. This was probably because most people were white British.

I feel the poorer for this as had no opportunity to meet anyone different

Both my daughters have best friends in what is now known as the BAME community. They accept each other as they are and it is a pity we can't all do that.

Flaming left-wing trouble-makers !!

I obviously lived in a different part of the country---that's evident ! Politics never came into schools then and it WAS a friendly abuse-free society, " banner"-free too !!

FGS, Eloethan, wind your neck in.
I didn't see nor hear any of those obscenities when I was growing up.
Speaking as you do is the very reason why we have so much hatred and hostility in the world.

Certainly in the late 60s when living in London there were often signs in the windows of houses advertising rooms to let saying No Irish, No Blacks No dogs. It was shocking.