Three Little Birds

Just because there is racism elsewhere doesn’t mean we can’t talk about its presence here. You can’t tell theses days whether someone has Irish parents or grandparents, it you do know if someone has African or Caribbean ancestry, so you can’t compare the two. Yes back in the day there was prejudice against Irish incomers, but if they have married and settled here, their children and grandchildren will be fully integrated. Yes skin colour and cultural differences are major factors.

As several on here have said, racism is everywhere. Shazmo, kwest and a few more seem to think we have a monopoly on it?! In the USA, the last lynching was in the 60s, and the country is generally racist right now - and that's with a much greater proportion of non-Caucasians than here.

Across Europe, many countries target minorities, the substantial African or Arab minority in some Paris suburbs get looked down on and ridiculed. Hungary targeted the columns of refugees several years ago, and weren't alone. In Russia, or the Balkans if you're black, brown or gay you'll be targeted. Bulgarian football fans abused the black English players over there just a year or two ago. And that's NOW.

Go back to the Windrush period, 50s and 60s, get yourself a Tardis, and take yourself to say Italy, or Austria, and find out if blacks and other foreigners were welcomed if they came to live in the wrong neighbourhood?

People rightly blame South Africa for apartheid, but it seems to be forgotten that two warring tribes in Rwanda caused well over a million genocidal deaths (80s). I worked with a Malaysian woman, 15 years ago, and she described life back there, a complex mix of Chinese heritage, Indian and Malay, with several different faiths, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, etc. She said that everyone got on well together, because "everyone knew their place" -- meaning those looked down on by everyone else didn't complain too much! Like I said, racism is everywhere, has been for a very long time, and isn't going away soon. We're not that bad compared to many.

For Nanna -- you HAD NOT heard about the Windrush??? Hard to know where you must have been all this time?!

I think you have to let things go. When children as young as 4 were working in appalling conditions during the Industrial Revolution, that was nothing to do with race or colour just cheap labour? If that wasn’t slavery I don’t know what else you would call it.

I'm planning to watch after being recommended it by someone whose family came over
I have always learned a lot from David Olusoga . Despite having studies history to degree level there was very little about the slave trade. I've learned so much more about it recently via online talks. Had not realized that the local brewery green king has slavery in its history. Another talk told how our entire financial system developed as it did because of slavery and slave trading. I zoomed one last night from Cambridge museum about Olaudah Equiano and his family. I have another one tomorrow about the owners
And I keep.discovering about people who ended up here from the Caribbean and other places before the big migration
Yes the Irish got so much discrimination but you know once an Irish girl married an English she is hidden behind the surname, you can't tell just seeing them. Mary O'malley's son by her husband James Robinson will go by the name.John Robinson and it will be harder for people to discriminate against him than another John Robinson who happens to be black

Sick of hearing about it all now - let it rest!

Delene100

The Irish were treated badly too but blacks cannot hide the colour of their skin. I think that's the difference. I grew up in the 60s and 70s and remember those signs. The UK is not as racist as the US.

Quite right. Did you see my post about Sir Trevor Phillips who says the Uk is the least racist of countries? I believe him. There used to be a lot but it’s much better now and Lenny H and David O need to recognise that.

When I worked in probably the most multi cultural city in the UK There was more racism between the West Indians and Ugandan Asians actually. When we advertised for staff one supervisor used to say the vacancy had been filled as soon as she heard they had a non British surname.

Now there are black Tv presenters, politicians, sports people, actors, top business people, doctors and I believe the woman right at the top of nursing is black which is great. If we were a racist country this would not be the case.

The Irish were treated badly too but blacks cannot hide the colour of their skin. I think that's the difference. I grew up in the 60s and 70s and remember those signs. The UK is not as racist as the US.

Primrose53

Kandinsky

My parents came over to England from Ireland in the 50’s & experienced similar discrimination.
Has there ever been a program about discrimination against the Irish?

My Mum was Irish and because she was a cheerful, happy person got on with everyone. However, people who didn’t know her well often tried stupid Irish jokes on her but she was very quick minded and often they came off worse.

When she was in her 80s a nurse in a hospital actually said to her, in my presence, “oh you’re Irish, I bet you have a bad temper. I’ll steer clear of you.” I heard that on several occasions from people who should have known better.

Yes as a Nurse in the 1970s, I was once called " white b...., dont come near me," by a lovely Jamaican lady.!! Not as one sided as some people like to think.

Ladyleftfieldlover

Don’t you think that David O and Lenny H simply want people to know the truth? This country of ours has a history of belittling anyone who wasn’t white with the right accent or the right school. The Windrush generation were invited to the UK to take part in rebuilding the country after the war. Most were treated badly by the ‘motherland’. The colour bar went on for far too long. I think it’s important that today’s children are taught all our history not just carefully selected sections. David O is doing a grand job. He certainly doesn’t hate this country.

Windrush, formerly named the Monte Rosa, captured by the British in 1945. Before being requisitioned by the Nazis, the Monte Rosa was a passenger ship, formerly a cruise liner taking German passengers to Europe and South America. In 1936 ferrying between Hamburg and London.
Nazis turned it into a prison ship, used for transporting Norwegian Jewish people, then landed in Germany, where those poor souls were destined for Auschwitz.
The whole ship should have been destroyed, not used for ferrying people to the UK to work
Bet they didn't tell you that.

Kandinsky

My parents came over to England from Ireland in the 50’s & experienced similar discrimination.
Has there ever been a program about discrimination against the Irish?

My Mum was Irish and because she was a cheerful, happy person got on with everyone. However, people who didn’t know her well often tried stupid Irish jokes on her but she was very quick minded and often they came off worse.

When she was in her 80s a nurse in a hospital actually said to her, in my presence, “oh you’re Irish, I bet you have a bad temper. I’ll steer clear of you.” I heard that on several occasions from people who should have known better.

I think all stories should be told.

I was brought up in NW England, my mum's family had strong Irish roots and my small northern town was divided along the lines of rat catchers and proddy dogs! I was obsessed with the Reformation, strange little kid as I was, and loved singing Faith of our Fathers' then I grew up, discovered lads and all that went out of the window.

I was lucky to have a wide circle of friends and a sense of humour which, I believe, can mitigate so much if you can have a laugh at life's cruelties and absurdities.

And that's what I also liked about 3 Little Birds, it was joyous with the colour of humour, music, fashion and the hopeful promise of good times to come.

It was predictable & in parts implausible. I have every sympathy with victims of racism. I’d like to point out though the humiliations I suffered as the working class child of a poverty stricken single-parent family in the 1940’s & 50’s. At the middle class girls’s grammar school I attended teachers mocked my accent, commented on my home-made uniform and patronised me at every turn. Should I be whinging too about my grandmother, who at the age of 10 was made to work 3 days in a cotton mill and only two days’ schooling. I worked with & taught West Indians, amongst other races, and never experienced any prejudicial behaviour. I became good friends with many of them. They accepted me, with all my character deficiencies, because I treated them as equals. I’m a bit fed up of being made to feel guilty because my skin is white.

I’m of Irish heritage and have never experienced discrimination because of my ancestry or skin colour

Well you’ve been very lucky because discrimination against the Irish was rife!

My parents came over to England from Ireland in the 50’s & experienced similar discrimination.
Has there ever been a program about discrimination against the Irish?

In reply to the different skin tones of the sisters, children of black parents can have different skin tones and hair textures , just like anybody else.

vegansrock

I’m of Irish heritage and have never experienced discrimination because of my ancestry or skin colour. The same cannot be said of many black people’s experience in this country. That’s the reason we don’t go on about it. There’s an interesting black history series on iPlayer which certainly opened my eyes and I learnt a lot, but obviously some on here know it all already.

Have you ever been in joke shops where they sell “irish mick” ginger wigs with a shamrock hat or those “irish mugs” where the handle is inside?

They would never be allowed to sell versions of these aimed at Caribbean or Asian people.

Buttonjugs

I don’t understand racism at all. I literally don’t. I haven’t watched the programme because I know what went on and it will upset me. Treating people badly because they have more melanin is utterly ridiculous to me. I Hope lots of younger people watch it so that they learn about the way people were treated because it is an important part of our history and hopefully will make them think. It’s obscene that the Windrush people were invited over and later told they had to go back. Social injustice at its absolute worst.

Racism is not just about melanin or colour. The worst racism I ever witnessed was between Asians and West Indians.

I’m of Irish heritage and have never experienced discrimination because of my ancestry or skin colour. The same cannot be said of many black people’s experience in this country. That’s the reason we don’t go on about it. There’s an interesting black history series on iPlayer which certainly opened my eyes and I learnt a lot, but obviously some on here know it all already.

Buttonjugs Don't think it was just the melanin difference that was the issue. Irish were mainly white yet they too were included in the "we don't want" stigma. A lot of the fear was the immigrants having different ways of life and taking away jobs. In the 60s white South Africans here were discriminated against because of their treatment of the black population in their own country. Racism is widespread.

I found the programme very distressing. To see such unkindness and ignorance displayed by the English made me feel ashamed.

I’ve binge watched it and found it very moving. Also watched the programme about Kenny Henry last evening which was interesting. He’s obviously thought well of by many other “celebs”.

Weĺl i binge watched it over 2nights and was thoroughly enthralled by it- the actors were all very good, but like other poster i too was confused by the different colouring of the sisters- i just assumed in the end(as no one had mentioned it) that perhaps they had different mothers & were actually half sisters?maybe its an explanation theyre saving if they bring out a 2nd series? I was also appalled by how they were treated but knew already some of this, its been well portrayed on 'Call the Midwife' set in same era and other shows and in history books etc, or even what our parents/grandparents have told us.Back in late 60's/early 70's my stepdad went to work building the motorways and we went too, lived in caravans- got to know all kinds of people, my mum had a lovely friend, a jamaican lady- her huge caravan was like a palace- and there were gypsy families too i was best friends with the youngest daughter- her nan had a true Romany wooden carved caravan.And our closest neighbours were an irish couple and other side an American & his welsh friend who worked together with my stepdad.Great folk all of them.Shame we never stayed in touch.

My Irish parents came over during the war years to work in Coventry, they eventually settled in London in the early 50’s ... the racism towards the Irish was just as bad yet their story is never spoken about as often as the Windrush.

I don’t understand racism at all. I literally don’t. I haven’t watched the programme because I know what went on and it will upset me. Treating people badly because they have more melanin is utterly ridiculous to me. I Hope lots of younger people watch it so that they learn about the way people were treated because it is an important part of our history and hopefully will make them think. It’s obscene that the Windrush people were invited over and later told they had to go back. Social injustice at its absolute worst.