Racial relations in the UK

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Jun 5, 2005

Well I am just English and support all countries from UK if England is not involved because of course I must support them :chuckle

safewaygreenbox · Jun 5, 2005

Well I tell you what :uhoh21: . When I lives in north Wales I kind of understood that the Welsh didn't like the English because migrants and holiday home owners didn't try and speak Welsh and pushed the prices of houses up BUT when I moved to south Wales and found that for eg the English speaking Welsh wanted ANYBODY (even Argintina) to win any kind of match over the English!!! I was really surprised - not nice :rolleyes:

Its my understanding that the Scotish and Irish are the same :stone

............And the Welsh speaking Welsh don't take very kindly to English speaking Welsh..............very tribal........

Kay the 2nd :)

Owain Glyndwr · Jun 5, 2005

Well I tell you what :uhoh21: . When I lives in north Wales I kind of understood that the Welsh didn't like the English because migrants and holiday home owners didn't try and speak Welsh and pushed the prices of houses up BUT when I moved to south Wales and found that for eg the English speaking Welsh wanted ANYBODY (even Argintina) to win any kind of match over the English!!! I was really surprised - not nice
Kay the 2nd :)

True, but be careful not to tar everyone with the same brush. I was more than happy that England won the Rugby World Cup as, on the balance of things and their execellent build up to it they (swallows lots of pride...) deserved to.....oh, that hurt!

Its my understanding that the Scotish and Irish are the same :stone
Kay the 2nd :)

Much, much worse than the Welsh :eek: :sofahider :chuckle ++++

The following isn't a 'dig' at the English by the way but it's all to do with national identity. Something the English find hard to come to terms with since being 'English' means so many different things to those millions who claim it and is often confused with being British by some. Nationality and identity is so diverse and diffuse across England due to so many different regions that what being English is, is difficult to identify. Also, there is a distinct lack culture and tradition truly defined as English.The Celts are distinct nations.

Or am I way off the mark?

Discuss!

We have enough of a problem with the North/South issues in Wales and non-Welsh speakers being questioned as to whether they are truly Welsh.

Regards

OG

safewaygreenbox · Jun 6, 2005

We won't mention the FRENCH then :chuckle :chuckle :rotfl:

Oh its all good fun and we don't hold it against each other :uhoh21:

Kay the 2nd :)

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Jun 6, 2005

We won't mention the FRENCH then :chuckle :chuckle :rotfl:
Oh its all good fun and we don't hold it against each other :uhoh21:
Kay the 2nd :)

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Hey i was staying with friends in Ireland and England was playing Argentina and the family was cheering Argentina on, was one of the most horrible times for me. :uhoh21:

mojopsych · Jun 7, 2005

But what is it like for black people in England?? I'm African-American, and wanted to know if blacks are treated unequally in England like they are some places in America. Like here were African-American instead of just American (never been to Africa) but like in Britain ,for instance, are black people just referred to as British or what?? In a lot of places here in America there is a lot of racial tension amongst blacks (African-Americans) and whites (plain ol Americans) is it the same amongst them in England?? Or are they just good ol Brits just with a different color skin?? I'm not trying to be funny or cause controversy, but I would really like to know. I have no idea what things are like in other countries. :uhoh3: I have a Polish friend who came to America and she was scared of black people because she said she had never come in contact with black people before in Poland and only went by what she heard from American media. She quickly changed her views once she met my husband and I and many of our friends, but I understood where she was coming from. The American media can sometimes portray blacks as bad or scary and that's the only thing she knew. She even used a racial slur that she heard from the tv at a party and everyone was shocked. She started crying because she could barely speak English and didn't know that she was saying anything wrong. It was quite a moment, my husband could have hit the floor, as well as everyone else in the room. :rotfl: Anyway, now I'm just ranting, but I would appreciate any honest input.

karenG · Jun 7, 2005

how do Black people get treated?? like people! I work in the outskirts of London.. with 3 white docs, two asian, and 2 black. the racial tension is between the asian docs........... who send each other memos because they wont talk to each other....

I think here (and yes I'm white) people are taken as they are found. so dont come with a chip on your shoulder about colour... its who you are that counts....... we have enough to worry about without bothering about your colour. I hate it when people play the race card to get something done- a student nurse saying I'm racist, because I didnt do HIS course work is just nasty. I got into a lot of trouble for refusing to do his course work. he accused me of racisim ( of course the fact that at the time I had 3 flat mates... 2 of whom were Black...... and laughed long and hard at the accusation, was neither here or there!)

so come with an open mind........ and as long as we can understand your accent and funny ways... you should be fine. Youre far more likely to get teased about being american than about being black!

ok.. back to the important stuff about scotland V england!!!!

and rugby.......... lions tour- hope we win!

Karen

letina · Jun 7, 2005

I've thought long and hard about responding to this thread because the subject will always upset someone, no matter what.

Is there racial tension in the UK? Yes there is. Ever heard of positive discrimination? Well, that's what we have here. We are so afraid of "upsetting" ethnic minorities and immigrants that we are unwittingly forgetting who "we" are. The best way to demonstrate this is to give you a couple of examples which have recently been reported in the press (sorry don't know how to cut & paste):

A young white man recently applied to join the Police Force in Greater Manchester. He got a letter saying they were not recruiting. His Asian friend also applied at the same time and he was invited for an interview, they even stated in the letter that, subject to him passing the fitness tests etc., that he could expect to be starting his training within a couple of months. Both men had the same qualities to offer (age, education etc) but the only difference? Their colour. The white man was rejected.

Another story to hit the headlines here in the last few days is the NHS is withdrawing Bibles from hospital bedsides. Why? Because their presence may "upset" people of other cultures. Hello!!! What about OUR culture?! This is just another example of how the "do-gooders" and the crazy politically-correct-brigade are doing their utmost to annihilate the beliefs of a lot of people born and raised in this country. The sad thing is, it's not black people or Asian people or any other immigrants who are creating this tension, it's the Politicians who are at the root of it. They say they want equality for all but what they are effectively doing is quite the opposite. The media also have a lot to answer for. If a murder is committed by a white person and the victim is black or Asian, it gets front page headlines as a "racially motivated crime". But if a white person is the victim of a crime by a black or Asian person, it's usually given a few lines near the back pages, that's if it gets media coverage at all.

This country prides itself in welcoming diversity but we are going over the top by discriminating against our own. There are people who never had a discriminatory bone in their body who are starting to think they are actually at a disadvantage being white in this country.

So to the OP's question, I don't think you need worry, you will be welcome here no matter what the colour of your skin. Most white people don't see it as an issue as long as you don't.

mojopsych · Jun 7, 2005

I've thought long and hard about responding to this thread because the subject will always upset someone, no matter what.
Is there racial tension in the UK? Yes there is. Ever heard of positive discrimination? Well, that's what we have here. We are so afraid of "upsetting" ethnic minorities and immigrants that we are unwittingly forgetting who "we" are. The best way to demonstrate this is to give you a couple of examples which have recently been reported in the press (sorry don't know how to cut & paste):
A young white man recently applied to join the Police Force in Greater Manchester. He got a letter saying they were not recruiting. His Asian friend also applied at the same time and he was invited for an interview, they even stated in the letter that, subject to him passing the fitness tests etc., that he could expect to be starting his training within a couple of months. Both men had the same qualities to offer (age, education etc) but the only difference? Their colour. The white man was rejected.
Another story to hit the headlines here in the last few days is the NHS is withdrawing Bibles from hospital bedsides. Why? Because their presence may "upset" people of other cultures. Hello!!! What about OUR culture?! This is just another example of how the "do-gooders" and the crazy politically-correct-brigade are doing their utmost to annihilate the beliefs of a lot of people born and raised in this country. The sad thing is, it's not black people or Asian people or any other immigrants who are creating this tension, it's the Politicians who are at the root of it. They say they want equality for all but what they are effectively doing is quite the opposite. The media also have a lot to answer for. If a murder is committed by a white person and the victim is black or Asian, it gets front page headlines as a "racially motivated crime". But if a white person is the victim of a crime by a black or Asian person, it's usually given a few lines near the back pages, that's if it gets media coverage at all.
This country prides itself in welcoming diversity but we are going over the top by discriminating against our own. There are people who never had a discriminatory bone in their body who are starting to think they are actually at a disadvantage being white in this country.
So to the OP's question, I don't think you need worry, you will be welcome here no matter what the colour of your skin. Most white people don't see it as an issue as long as you don't.

That's interesting, because here the latter story would be the headline. It's awful that some people there are experiencing reverse racism, but it is refreshing to know that skin color is not a big deal there. I have no chip on my shoulder, I see people for who they are, not what color they are, I just wish everyone would do the same. It's always easy to make comments or pass judgement when one hasn't been in a certain situation. Until someone has actually experienced racism or had their children experience it, I don't think you have the right to tell someone if they should be upset or not if they experience it. Sometimes people do jump to the wrong conclusions as to why they are being treated a certain way, but always being treated differently gets old fast. I'm just looking for a place where my children will be treated equally. Just for clarification, for someone to a have a chip on their shoulder would mean that they miscontrue a situation and think they are being treated unfairly when they're not, this is not always the case because even though everyone doesn't experience it, Racism is real and until people acknowledge that, it won't go away.

letina · Jun 7, 2005

I have no chip on my shoulder, I see people for who they are, not what color they are, I just wish everyone would do the same. It's always easy to make comments or pass judgement when one hasn't been in a certain situation. Until someone has actually experienced racism or had their children experience it, I don't think you have the right to tell someone if they should be upset or not if they experience it.

Excuse me, I did not say you have a chip on your shoulder, nor did I suggest that I have a right to tell anyone that they should not be upset if they experience racism.

It's as I said when contemplating whether or not to contribute to this thread, someone always gets upset or offended in a discussion which is controversial.

mojopsych · Jun 7, 2005

Excuse me, I did not say you have a chip on your shoulder, nor did I suggest that I have a right to tell anyone that they should not be upset if they experience racism.
It's as I said when contemplating whether or not to contribute to this thread, someone always gets upset or offended in a discussion which is controversial.

I didn't imply that you did say anything of the sort it, I was commenting on what another poster said. But it's odd that you would get so easily offended or assume that I am, which I'm not. I'm simply stating my opinion. My only response to your letter was about the latter headline. It seems you may be the one with a chip on your shoulder if you misconstrued my personal opinion as an attack on you or on anyone else. That it not my intention. I am only stating what I have experienced and my views on that. Like I said I am open to and expecting any honest answers or opinions, I must have been mistaken when I thought that everyone else would be too.

karenG · Jun 8, 2005

this is a very emotive subject...........and has been comented... we are trying very hard here to be 'non racist'. we are trying to give equal oppurtunities to all and there will be a back lashe eventually. Not just regards colour, we have students who attend private schools, achieving outstanding grades in exams then finding that because of the school they attended, they are unable to get university places. one girl got a place at Stanford but no british university would offer her a place. This is crazy.

we are trying so hard not to offend people, whatever colour/race etc that we are in danger of upsetting everyone! I am so concious of the race thing, that despite the fact 70% of my patients are from ethnic minorities, I dance around race as a factor in disease (ie black people are more likely to be hypertensive, asians more likely to be diabetic.. factors that should influence health care) It makes for some very difficult consutations.

as has been said, we take you as we find you. But there are a lot of people here who use their colour/ethinicity to work the system, I guess that happens in the states too.

and...........did you know, that as a scot living in England... I am officially an ethnic minority!! LOL