The point is - she kept banging on...and on...and on, when the lady had already explained where she was from. She should have been asked about the vital work she was doing. Read the full story. I think some of you are missing the point.
I saw the story on BBC News last night. I took it that the woman either misunderstood or purposely tried to NOT answer what she knew was being asked. I have no issue with her not answering at all either - but why not say that? Why not simply say '...I don't talk about my origins and I just see myself as British - let's talk about my work...'?
If I had to guess, I think the woman has loved the coverage 'Sistah Space' has received in the media. But I'm obviously a racist cynic.
I'm just listening to her on Radio 4 ... I'm still lost - why didn't she just say 'my family come from Ghana' or whereever? She said she's proud of her African heritage. She sounds as though she knew exactly what the Lady In Waiting was asking (after an initial misunderstanding) - and didn't then answer. Why - what was the problem?
I'm appalled by the abuse of women and girls too. I keep getting emails asking if I would like to meet a sexy Ukranian girl. I report them. There is something shocking and unpleasant going on there. Beating up wives is horribly common too. First OH's mother was beaten by his father and 2nd OH's grandmother was beaten by his grandfather. Glad it wasn't hereditary.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Hello my name's Wild Edges and you are? Shakes hand and smiles. Makes small talk, asks about the person's heritage and explains why I'm interested.
Or
Shoves person's hair out of the way and checks name badge. You look foreign where are you from? Well you're clearly not proper British, tell me where your people came from. Sighs in exasperation. You people really are very hard to talk at.
See the difference?
Being upper class can be a bit like being autistic at times I think. You'd expect a bit more social skill from this person though but I don't know enough about her to say if she's universally rude or if this was racist.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
I see loads of differences. What I don't follow is why the woman didn't then walk off - but answered all the questions - but without answering the question. When she spoke on the radio this morning she said she initially thought the LiW may have been mentally impaired or hard of hearing due to her age - so , fine, misunderstanding. But she did then realise what she was being asked, and after explaining how she was proud of her African heritage in the radio interview, didn't then explain why she didn't then simply answer what she was being asked.
I wasn't there to judge how aggressive the LiW was.
Can I ask if you have an issue with class? - as you seem to group all people of a class together in your comment - 'Being upper class can be a bit like being autistic at times I think.' - isn't that just as appalling as being racist, ageist, sexist, glassist, tallist, shortist?
I think middle class people are snobbish at times.
I don't actually think anything of the sort - it's a bit stupid to give groups attributes like that isn't it? Isn't that what 'ist' stuff is all about? You deal with the individual and not the group - and applying a trait like that to a group is 'ist'? No?
Do you honestly not think that people are people. There are as many nasty working class (or more probably as the odds are get higher with volume) people as there are middle or upper class. I would guess there are as many socially inept people who are lower class as there are upper.
It’s more about a limited life experience and the understanding of ordinary peoples lives, by the folk who have the power to influence those lives.
A successful businessman I know ran away from his smart public school because of bullying by teachers over a health issue. He finished his education in a local comprehensive. He told me it was the best thing that ever happened to him. “I know what’s important to the people that work for me, what their lives and homes may be like, what the important issues for them are likely to be … I can talk to them without sounding as if I’m from another planet … it’s made all the difference … they know they can come to me with their problems and I stand a fair chance of understanding.”
The problem with the royal aide was that she had absolutely no idea of how her questions appeared to the woman she was talking to.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
When we were in the USA on holiday somebody asked if we were Australian. We said we were from Britain. If the questioner had then asked where in Britain would that have made them racist?
I strongly suspect the person taking offence in the original story knew very well that the questioner was trying to find out where her family had come to the UK from.
As far as I am concerned, the whole exchange was clearly racist. Unfortunately being asked where you are from, as a black person, is associated with the next statement, which was usually why are you here, go home.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
Posts
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Don’t most thinking people? Would that be a problem?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border