Other kind of racism

eloethan it is the sort of racism that you described happened to your husband is experienced every day by folk.

It can never be right.

I think the answer is education. It should start at nursery and be part of the curriculum throughout the child’s education and indeed into adulthood.

Judging a whole nation for a percentage of bigots is wrong. It is not representative of how most people think. I suffered as a young girl in my first job by a group of women who when they found out where I lived made my life a misery, they probably felt it was such a victory when I left as I could deal with it as a young girl, just out if school, they were ignorant bullies.I never came across it again, moved on to a much better job which I loved. So be what you are and be proud.

Brexit definitely fuelled the ignorant racists to feel entitled to tell anyone remotely different to go home. Like the elderly man who shouted very loudly at an Asian shop worker “ I voted to get rid of people like you”. Makes you proud to be British eh?

And, thinking about it, racism can take many forms including moving to another country and treating the local disrespectfully. Or is that a sort of modern-day colonialism?

Could that extend to telling someone to shut up when trying to explain how it makes them feel?

paddyanne has as much right to post her views as anyone.

Put the soapbox away paddyanne!!
Not your thread.
Time and place and all that.

That would be me then SD ,Talking about white settlers aka ex pats who move here and expect the rules to change to the ones in the area they left.they want a big house for the cost oftheir London flat and they put no trespass signs up in our country that doesn't have trespass laws ..we have the right to roam .They complain about cockerels crowing and peoples accents being unintelligible .
I stand by those remarks...on the other hand there are thousands who come because they love Scotland and they want to be part of the communities and integrate well.My SIL for instance is a fervent Scot as are many of my English friends .I'm not anti English just anti rude ,arrogant ,entitled folk who think we should change our ways to suit theirs.There are many who feel the same on the costas where locals are often spoken to like idiots or slaves in loud voices and always in English .

Valerie How on earth would you know if, or how many times, a person has been told to "go back to their own country"?

It makes me so cross that people who have never experienced racism can blithely question whether it actually happens - and then suggest those who claim it are just, as the unpleasant saying goes, "playing the race card".

I recall quite clearly going to a hospital dance with my husband (he is of Asian origin but a British citizen) when a group of louts surrounded us and told him to "get back to your own country and stop taking our jobs". My husband was in those days a learning disabilities nurse - a job that the British government advertised across the then colonies because very few British people actually came forward to do it. We put on a brave face and answered them back - but it was frightening. Some people face these sorts of sentiments on a regular basis, maybe more subtly stated but nevertheless racist.

(I have mentioned this incident before on another thread relating to racism and the only comment that one poster could make was that I was being insulting calling these brave men who surrounded one man and his wife "louts". Not a word about the intimidation and insults that we had been subjected to.)

Ignorant people are just so boring. We live in a beautiful diverse world, it's not possible to know or see everything in it. It doesn't matter where people live, the happiness matters. Ignorant people are never happy. So just be happy and sod them.

On a lighter note I heard a story about two Asian women chatting away in their own language at Cardiff station. An older man turned on them and demanded that as they were in England they should speak that language - another travellers intervened and pointed out that in fact this was Wales and they were speaking in Welsh.

You get ignorant racists everywhere.

I too have been on the receiving end twice I have been verbally attacked because I have a tremor on the train. At work I have been called a fucking white bitch. You don't say where the abuse is happening but I have worked outter and inner London and there is certainly more tension and stress inner London.
Having written this there isn't an excuse for anyone to be rude/racist to another human being. But alot of workers who work with the public have recieved abuse or far worse. Be proud of who you are and remember their mouth isn't always engaging with their brain when they say the things they do. Although their comments stick with You, stand tall, as it really is their problem and breathe.

It isn't just foreigners who experience prejudice. I'm now living in the North of England where the local people have very distinctive accents and mannerisms. I was brought up in the Midlands and have a 'posh' voice. As soon as I speak, I'm labelled a snob.
Basically, humans have the same instincts as other animals and dislike anyone who is different.

Yes, it’s everywhere, a casual racism and also xenophobia and even, as others say, North against South, and vice versa.This happens in most countries, probably all countries.
Ignore it OP. There are just as many pleasant people as stupid ignorant ones.

Better still, do what our family friend does----swear in the language of their country of birth.

Our friend is Dutch and was brought up by an American nanny so has a yanky twang. She also speaks fluent Dutch obviously when talking to her family on the phone and if some idiot skits or presumes she's German, she comes out with a string of obscenities in Dutch---it's amusing.

A very good picture on facebook headed 'explaining racism to dummies' shows eggs in a variety of shell colours but when cracked in to a pan are all the same on the inside.
I am white British, born in England, live in Wales but very often hurt and dismayed by the anti-English feeling. Mr P and I have often commented how hard it must be when colour is added to the mix, at least we can walk about and not be singled out by the ignorant until we open our mouth.
I am appalled that in 2020 these attitudes exist, what happened to our sixties dream of 'a great big melting pot'

My colleague is a lovely young Polish lass who moved to the UK, with her husband and little boy, about 5 years ago. Before moving to SE and then NW England, they lived in Scotland for a year and she said that they received more racist abuse from their neighbours there, in the short time they lived there, than anywhere else they've lived in the UK. This simply demonstrates that there are ignorant people anywhere and everywhere but they're not representative of the country as a whole. They're just ignorant thickos who just happen to be in a particular area.

Sadly it happens in every country. When my daughter, who is half English and half South African, was working temporarily in Spain, she received a lot of abusive comments from Spanish people at various times - until she answered them in fluent Spanish at which point the perpetrators would shut up.

Ordinarily I would agree with you Doodle...People are taken the mickey of for various reasons but mainly most are one offs that you can shrug off but the Op has stated

"in a regular basis , in me being told to ‘ go back to my own country’ by various people"

That is not something that can be shrugged off imo. As the OP says she has lived in the UK for a long time anyway so just how many times has she experienced this? I don't think anyone should be advised to ignore repeated abuse. Needs reporting not ignoring imho

Anyone who says go back to your own country deserves no respect. Ignore them if you can. There are many people who are targeted with abuse for many reasons. As already pointed out, the colour of their hair, their weight, religion, their disability, their homelessness, their looks all sorts. Anyone who says anything unpleasant and thoughtless about anyone else should be ignored. To quote a commonly used phrase, they’re not worth it.

Notjustaprettyface I am really intrigued to know who these 'various people' who tell you to get back to your own country are? Where do you come in contact with them? How often? What age group? Is it a continuing problem?

I can honestly say I mix with a wide range of people from various countries and have witnessed arguments galore, never ever heard anyone telling people to go back to their own country. I have, however, witnessed people claiming they are being discriminated against because of their ethnic origin, when in fact they are being pulled up because of their lack of work ethos. Not suggesting in anyway that is the situation here by the way but what am saying is IF, the OP has experienced racism to this degree she needs to report it and not just accept it as..one of those things.

the people who are not the targets of this kind of dehumanising comments cannot understand what it is like to be in that position.
it is easy for those not experiencing it to say just ignore it, but like any bullying i think it behoves us all to challenge it when we hear any of these offensive attitudes.
maybe we could ask those who suffer it what can we do to help.

Hello prettyface, my mum was German and when i started school in the early 50s some children in the class called me nazi. Didnt understand of course only being 5, but I knew it wasnt kind. Obvious they had heard their parents talking.

Mums English was excellent, she lived this country the majority of her life but she never lost her accent. It was part of her charm. She, like you, worked hard, paid her taxes and loved this country.

No doubt remarks are brexit related as were those to me a few short years post war. Please ignore any ignorant and unpleasant remarks, it says a lot more about them than about you. The majority of us are generous, polite and decent people, as you must know having been here for so long.

Sussexborn I don't think the OP suggested that the British are all "a nasty, rotten bunch". She is married to an English man so obviously she isn't saying that.

She is entitled to express how she has felt when certain people have said "go back to your own country", without you implying the same thing.

Notjustaprettyface I am sorry people have made such hurtful and racist remarks to you. I know how upsetting it can be but hope you can put it down to ignorance and hold your head high.

As your DH said notjustaprettyface ignore the ignorant sods.
If it weren`t for people like you we wouldn`t have knowledge of other peoples cultures.
And alot of the indiginous are bone bloody idle.
I for one welcome all.
And don`t try to loose your accent it`s who you are.
I was born and bred here and find myself apologising for the ignorant so called indigenous people around.

I never say that I was born and bred in the Midlands without someone saying something along the lines of, 'do the natives still wear woad, there?' in what they mistakenly believe is a Brummie accent and roaring with laughter at their own joke. The first person to say it to me was a senior, very highly regarded teacher at the school where I was succeeding her in post. I subsequently learned that she was also extremely rude to almost every one else, and that is how I regard these jibes; very little to do with racism and a great deal to do with rudeness.