Racism

[Thracian]

Good point, in my experience it's often well meaning do gooders who want to find racism in anything. They usually make the situation far worse, as it promotes the fact that we are different. More focus on the similarities would be nice a bit more often.

There's nothing wrong with individuals being different, quite the contrary.

The problem comes with groups gathering different individuals together and focusing them on a particular aim and outlook, even though many of those individuals might come to feel uncomfortable in that group if it wasn't for them being so scared of being outside it.

Think trades unions and scabs if you want an example. It may be all but impossible to work somewhere without being in a union but God help any individual who thinks and acts contrary to the union whip. It's much the same in politics much of the time and in religious groups.

Indeed, given complete freedom to choose I believe many women, in particular, would abandon their religion completely or keep their faith as a matter entirely for themselves. Especially in some parts of the world.

But most are afraid of their husbands, their families or their communities. In other words "membership" has become obligatory - not out of choice but out of demand by others to maintain the power to be had from great numbers.

For all that it erodes the freedom of the individual, it seems that people forever accept being conveniently boxed in one form or another because the walls of the boxes provide protection and if they open the boxes and fall out, they're in danger of being trampled underfoot by the massed forces of the bullies and manipulators.

Think about it. There couldn't be a single war in the world if people weren't prepared (or forced) to be "persuaded" into groups under whatever pretext. But they are, and always have been.

Don't be silly Thrac it was completely stamped out in the 70's when they banned the series 'Love Thy Neighbour'.

[MC Prussian]

There's a far greater undercurrent of racism now than there ever was in the 90s or in my own youth.

But it's much more specific racism than blanket racism, although anti-white-British racism is rife and demonstrably so.

 

That's not really tough, is it? The real flurry of mass immigration to the UK started well after the 1950ies. By that time, you were already entering your twenties.

 

You may argue that racism against foreigners or against blue collar/white British is a bit like the chicken and the egg question, but either you deliberately neglect the fact that there once was a British Empire with considerable negative side effects on the local population (oppression breeds racism, no matter how civilized you go on about it) and people fleeing their respective native state due to economic or social pressure or even racist-based injustice amongst their own fellow countrymen (from the 1950ies onwards) or you're just being purposefully obtuse and/or highly selective with your own argumentation. I wonder why?

[Thracian]

That's not really tough, is it? The real flurry of mass immigration to the UK started well after the 1950ies. By that time, you were already entering your twenties.

 

You may argue that racism against foreigners or against blue collar/white British is a bit like the chicken and the egg question, but either you deliberately neglect the fact that there once was a British Empire with considerable negative side effects on the local population (oppression breeds racism, no matter how civilized you go on about it) and people fleeing their respective native state due to economic or social pressure or even racist-based injustice amongst their own fellow countrymen (from the 1950ies onwards) or you're just being purposefully obtuse and/or highly selective with your own argumentation. I wonder why?

I didn't argue any of the above paragraph nor was I likely to. It seems like a mass of mixed-up generalisations, most of which I couldn't dream of commenting on with any background knowledge or authority. As for your "wondering why" perhaps you'd explain.

[potter3]

Ironically, in the written word of English; I can count that this response has seven mistakes.

Classic internet moment #3: Making a grammatical error while correcting or pointing out mistakes by others.