Yes, the Brexit debate was horrible but it wasn't the start of this behaviour. I notice that we sometimes hear of individuals apologising for making death threats or offensive remarks but there is no clue as to why they made them in the first place. What on earth allows them to do it?
Finger has to be pointed to the root cause of all this, populist politics and politicians. Populism is embedded in deep feelings of discontent, not only with politics but also with societal life in general. Moreover populism is mainly supported by stigmatized groups who face difficulties in finding a positive social identity.
Brexit got more votes than remain & Boris got more votes than any party since 1979, what does that say about the state of racism in UK? But hey let's sign a petition against racism in football and all will be sorted
….But hey let's sign a petition against racism in football and all will be sorted
No of course it won’t … but if if gets a few more people thinking, a few more people deciding to come down from the fence and stand on the side of the non-racist majority and call out racism whenever they see, hear or read it … then it’s a few more steps in the right direction.
If we stand still the world doesn’t stop … only the who engage can influence the direction of travel.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The campaigns surrounding Brexit gave some people more confidence to become vocal in their xenophobia and racism. But trying to understand where these feelings come from is probably best done by looking at the question in historical context and also in a more immediate context.
Historically, racism has been part and parcel of British history - the idea of racial superiority is what Britain used to justify and carry out its colonisation of much of the world. Just think about the idea of the “civilising mission” etc. This isn’t to say it’s all history - similar themes of racial superiority are seen today in Britain’s foreign policy especially in attempts to justify overseas invasions. Anyway, it is this history that leads some people refuse to accept an OBE.
Those who congratulate themselves on Britain’s record on racism and tolerance would do well to consider that Britain holds some of the biggest historical responsibility for fostering the very racism that it is now allegedly leading the way in tackling.
That’s the broad historical context.
The more immediate context, imho, is the way British governments have used minorities as scapegoats to deflect responsibility away from government failures. For decades prior to Brexit, ethnic minorities have been blamed directly or indirectly by politicians and the media alike for every problem under the sun: unemployment /housing crisis / gang violence / animal abuse / integration - you name it. You’d be hard pressed to pick up a copy of the biggest selling newspaper in this country without reading a negative story about ethnic minorities with clear racial undertones (if not outright openly racist remarks).
So the ground was fertile when the EU referendum took place. Politicians and the media chose to use racism and xenophobia to frame the Brexit debate because that was the language they had used to frame all the problems of this country in the past (though the issues of the EU and Brexit are not, imo, inherently linked to racism or xenophobia but that’s how politicians and the media chose to frame them).
I'm a football fan but would support England withdrawing from international football until the country shows the maturity to be able to participate properly.
Proud to be English? Coming together as a nation? Count me out. I'm reluctant to admit to liking football and embarrassed to be English. The racism, abuse, booing of National Anthems and taking the knee, ticketless fans forcing their way into Wembley to take the seats of those that have tickets, the touts making a fortune by fleecing the genuine fans, the anti-social, drunken behaviour, mass littering and complete disregard for Covid aren't all exclusive to football but it is a sport to which large swathes of pondlife seem to attach themselves. I despair If this nation ever was great, I certainly don't believe it is now.
Sorry Biglad, but this isn't "the country", it's a bunch of trolls and vandals who crawl out of the woodwork at opportunities like this. For "the country" go and browse the thousands of replies to Rashford's tweet today (his completely unnecessary apology for the penalty miss) or listen to the boos of a few hundred being drowned out by the cheers of thousands as the players take the knee. We do have a problem here, don't get me wrong, and it's no different to the problem many other countries face (at least in my experience, all of the 9 countries I have lived in across 3 continents).
Be disgusted and dismayed, as nearly all of us are, but it's not a reason to be embarassed to be English and it's not some unique national trait we have.
Until the non-racist but silent majority of us step up and call out racism
‘… loudly and publicly …’ every time we see it we are condoning it.
The non-racist but silent majority isn't even able to agree on what's racist and what isn't. And left-wing intellectuals don't make it easier. Then it gets picked up by sensation-seeking media and amplified, completely distorting the image of the problem and obscuring the real debate. The resulting atmosphere is perfect for populist politicians or anyone who benefits from dividing people.
I agree that scumbags aren't exclusively English @borgadr. Although, in the football world, I'd suggest that we're towards the top of the rankings. Those indulging in the behaviours that I'm embarrassed by don't have to be in the majority for me to remain embarrassed.
I guess it comes down to whether your glass is half full or half empty
Posts
Brexit got more votes than remain & Boris got more votes than any party since 1979, what does that say about the state of racism in UK? But hey let's sign a petition against racism in football and all will be sorted
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I agree @Posy - Brexit wasn’t the start.
The campaigns surrounding Brexit gave some people more confidence to become vocal in their xenophobia and racism. But trying to understand where these feelings come from is probably best done by looking at the question in historical context and also in a more immediate context.
Historically, racism has been part and parcel of British history - the idea of racial superiority is what Britain used to justify and carry out its colonisation of much of the world. Just think about the idea of the “civilising mission” etc. This isn’t to say it’s all history - similar themes of racial superiority are seen today in Britain’s foreign policy especially in attempts to justify overseas invasions. Anyway, it is this history that leads some people refuse to accept an OBE.
Those who congratulate themselves on Britain’s record on racism and tolerance would do well to consider that Britain holds some of the biggest historical responsibility for fostering the very racism that it is now allegedly leading the way in tackling.
That’s the broad historical context.
The more immediate context, imho, is the way British governments have used minorities as scapegoats to deflect responsibility away from government failures. For decades prior to Brexit, ethnic minorities have been blamed directly or indirectly by politicians and the media alike for every problem under the sun: unemployment /housing crisis / gang violence / animal abuse / integration - you name it. You’d be hard pressed to pick up a copy of the biggest selling newspaper in this country without reading a negative story about ethnic minorities with clear racial undertones (if not outright openly racist remarks).
So the ground was fertile when the EU referendum took place. Politicians and the media chose to use racism and xenophobia to frame the Brexit debate because that was the language they had used to frame all the problems of this country in the past (though the issues of the EU and Brexit are not, imo, inherently linked to racism or xenophobia but that’s how politicians and the media chose to frame them).
Yeah Gary Neville’s comments about how Boris Johnson is fuelling racism were spot on.
Be disgusted and dismayed, as nearly all of us are, but it's not a reason to be embarassed to be English and it's not some unique national trait we have.
And left-wing intellectuals don't make it easier. Then it gets picked up by sensation-seeking media and amplified, completely distorting the image of the problem and obscuring the real debate. The resulting atmosphere is perfect for populist politicians or anyone who benefits from dividing people.
I guess it comes down to whether your glass is half full or half empty