Trevor Phillips' documentary about multiculturalism

I don't think anyone on here has said they believe that the pendulum has swung too far the other way with regard to race relations in Britain, and I didn't think that message was implied in the programme either (apart from Nigel Farage's ill-considered declaration which he later backtracked on!).

The feeling I get is that there are certainly rumblings of discontent about the level of immigration of people of whatever race, colour or creed, and dissatisfaction with EU rules which are perceived to have been foisted on us against the wishes of many UK citizens.

Yes, there is a section of society made up of mainly older, white residents who feel hard-done-by, but I don't get the impression that any Gransnetters belong to that group. Most of us will not have experienced racism directed against us, but that's no reason to dismiss our views and concerns. It's a very complex issue.

Your first 3 paragraphs.
I personally have not experienced being a target of racism. And I appreciate that you may have been, or some of your relatives or people that you know.

I appreciate that there are many and numerous examples of racism in all sorts of places.
I think[I cannot speak for others] that by saying the pendulum has swung too far, I mean that it is say 15% too far.
Things like the actor B. Cumberbatch or whatever he is called, is an obvious example of that. There are lots of others.

People found to have been negligent in their duties are only too willing to cite their fear of being called a racist as the reason for their negligence. It's a popular theme that goes down well with many since the right wing press and people like Richard Littlejohn are constantly deriding equality legislation and presenting white Britons as beleaguered and fearful victims of oppressive laws.

I do not agree with this, as we have discussed before., elsewhere.

The Farage interview.
I didnt agree with all he said, in particular the parts you have quoted.

I think, and would hope that a lot of work that has been done in this area will not be undone.

I would just add that political correctness is not just about race.

What I really want to do Eloethan is give you a hug!
I think that you have genuine fears and concerns, and even though I am white, I think I can at least partly understand that.

I am white too soontobe. My husband is Asian and my children are mixed race.

However, I have always stood up against racism, even as a 17 year old in my first job in a psychiatric hospital. In those days it was quite common for white staff to make racist comments aimed at the overseas employees who made up a large proportion of the nursing staff (and also about gay people). I found it unacceptable then and I still do.

soontobe I think Benedict Cumberbatch was just clumsy in his choice of words rather than being racist.

He was at the time actually expressing concern about the lack of opportunity for black actors in Britain as below.

www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/jan/26/benedict-cumberbatch-apologises-after-calling-black-actors-coloured

"Talking on the Tavis Smiley show on PBS, Cumberbatch said: “I think as far as coloured actors go, it gets really different in the UK, and a lot of my friends have had more opportunities here [in America] than in the UK, and that’s something that needs to change.”

I meant that Mr Cumberbatch is part of the too far pendulum. I can see that my paragraph about that is not very clear. I agree that he was not being racist.

I have heard that if BC had said 'actors of colour' no-one would have turned a hair. Such are the nuances of language in a delicate situation.