Are we a nation of passive racists?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....-authors-bigotry.html

Well we are according to ex footballer John Barnes, does he suggest that we burn all these classics, such as the Nazis did in the 30s?

These books were written in a different age and reflected the feelings of explorers, colonist etc when they ventured into strange lands and encountered the natives of these lands, some which were proved to be very strange, savage and leading much different lifestyles to their own.

If these peoples also had such authors, they would have most likely have written the same sort of things about the white man.

[chaptazbru]

There is a Polish shop in my town which for several weeks posted a sign in the window saying 'Polish only'. Imagine if that had been the other way round and for example Asda posted a sign saying English only.

[tonyav]

I would have thought that they would get done for that, chaptazbru.

[chaptazbru]

To my knowledge they didn't, but the sign stayed for several weeks before being removed.

[tonyav]

Well perhaps the proprietors could only speak Polish for a guess.

[chaptazbru]

Maybe ....

[emmie]

not polish then, as in shine your shoes.. or mirrors..

[Old_Geezer]

I am of the opinion that it is more likely John Barnes is simply a stirrer.

[emmie]

yes a sh1t one at that.

[FredPuli43]

aog, there are plenty of racists, passive and active, among young people.

But it must follow, if it is accepted that racism was commoner in the past than now, that gradually there will come a time when more racists are old people. The young racists will have become old ones and have not been replaced in the younger population by an equal number of young racists.

Has that happened yet? It must be happening, if the premiss is sound.

Is there less racism than there was? Yes.

.An instance: I can remember being at Chelsea in the 80s when we got our first black players. The comments in the stands were racist and abusive. The first time I witnessed it, the player, possibly the first, hadn't played for the first team, and came on as a sub. He hadn't even touched the ball yet. As he ran out, a Chelsea fan said loudly and angrily "There's a f----- c--- [rhymes with 'moon'!] playing for Chelsea !" John Terry, if guilty, has done nothing like that! And nobody around that fan made any adverse comment at all. There was an easy acceptance of his saying it. There wouldn't be now.

[sp1814]

AOG

Voting patterns - good Lord! No, age isn't recorded on voting papers, but you've heard of opinion polls right?

Older people have a different attitude to homosexuality than the younger generation. You're using semantics ('gay people aren't ordinary people') to avoid the obvious. Older people are much, much more homophobic than younger people. They can't help it. I don't blame them, because I look to young people for hope for the future.

Regarding black people and our knowledge of whites. It's not a generalisation when we interact with white people all the time. When we have personal knowledge of the country around us.

However, there is a huge constituency of elderly white people who are racist and homophobic, because that's how they were raised, and nothing will change them.

I don't blame them - like I say, it's not their fault - they know no better. By the way, sometime generalisations and stereotypes become generalisations and stereotypes because they are true. You have certain assumptions when you see a certain groups don't you? Well, perhaps other groups (elder white people ) fall into predefined stereotypes.

By the way, this is certainly NOT true of ALL elderly white people, but their numbers are higher than their grandchildren.

[sp1814]

AOG

I'm curious - would you say that the proportion of racists amongst 18-35 year olds is exactly the same as those 65 and over?

Also - do you think that the same demographics have the same attitudes to homosexuals, gay rights, gay adoption etc.

What I mean is - do you think that attitudes don't change a jot from one generation to another?

That being the case - do you think that we all still have the same attitude to women voting as the Edwardians?

[emmie]

is this elderly white racists only, or do others get a look in.

[sp1814]

em10

We've done Muslims to death recently on AB - time to look at another demographic for five minutes!

[sp1814]

em10

But to narrow it don a bit - I suspect (although I've not been able to find supporting evidence) that there is the same 'antipathy' to gays and lesbians amongst ALL older - black, white and Asian.