Idiot Racist Man

[enismirdal]

A man made me really angry today. I was walking into the lab when I passed this random middle aged white bloke, who looked around at the various perfectly law-abiding Asians coming and going on the streets around and commented to me, "Are you sure we're allowed to walk around here? Being white and all..."

For those who may not be aware, the ethnic breakdown of my area is as follows:
From Wikipedia, 2005 estimates:
White British 44.2%
Bangladeshi 30.5%
White Irish 1.8%
Other White 7.9%
White & Black Caribbean 0.8%
White & Black African 0.4%
White & Asian 0.8%
Other Mixed 0.6%
Indian 2.1%
Pakistani 1.0%
Other Asian 1.0%
Black Caribbean 2.2%
Black African 2.8%
Other Black 0.5%
Chinese 2.3%
Other 1.2%

It's a hugely diverse area, one of the most diverse in the country. It's GOOD like that. By and large, different groups seem to live side by side pretty happily. The local Bangladeshi teenagers are funny and friendly and sometimes we exchange amusing banter. I buy mooli radish from one shop, tamarind from another, malabi powder from another and sauerkraut from another. There's a whole drawer at the local doctor's surgery containing files belonging to people with the surname "Begum". I'm very happy to share a lab with people from 5 different countries, to tutor a student from Kazakhstan, to be represented by Bangladeshi Muslim MP (even if they're not necessarily from my first choice of party), to know when Ramadan starts and ends... It's wonderful and it keeps life interesting. And I have never, ever felt like I wasn't allowed to walk down a street because of the frickin' melanin content of my epidermal cells.

I've never had any problem round here with abuse/confrontation with someone from a different ethnic group - it makes me furious when people try to create divisions in society when there don't have to be any. Grrrr. I was too shocked to answer back right away, or I would have given him a right earful.

I guess we all know how he voted this election. Ugh. I'm glad the majority of the population round here have much more sense.

Comments

[mirien.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm speechless. What a nasty, small-minded and utterly inappropriate thing to say. Gobsmacked.

[silver-trails.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, many people still think like that... It is bad when middle-aged people do, but it is terrible and worrisome when young people are also racist.

[jay-of-lasgalen.livejournal.com]

Are you sure that man's allowed to open his mouth? Being an idiot and all ...

[wednesdayschild.livejournal.com]

It reminds me of the hideous comment that the woman who sold us our bed made, after we commented on how safe Lancaster was -- 'It's real England up here... not like Preston, where you have to play 'spot the white person'.'

Sorry you've had to deal with someone like this too :(

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

Ewwww. That must have been a mightily uncomfortable moment! Some people make my skin crawl!

[aduial-peredhel.livejournal.com]

Being Asian, that burns me up. I had a similar encounter when I was 19 and rendered speechless by such idiocy, it was assumed I didn't speak English. I almost wish I could do that day over again because the man would have gotten an earful.

[cobalt-skye.livejournal.com]

Prat. There's a distinct part of me that wishes racists weren't allowed to vote, so it's a shame I believe in freedom of speech. Perhaps that should be 'freedom of speech if you're not an idiot'.