Racism in present day British Society
In today’s society, racism can be seen in all aspects of daily life. Some of the main areas in which racism is experienced have been discussed further in the sections below
Tourism
Xenophobia, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is referred to as an intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries. In Britain, racism can be experienced in all walks of life, for example in education, sports, and, as is being focused on in this section, tourism. Zeroing in on this aspect, there are not many cases of tourism-based racist incidents being seen in Britain today. One example can be seen however, in the article “Youth’s racist attack on tourists” (BBC, October 2008). Xenophobia, which is a term that can be applied to this are of racism, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is referred to as an intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries.
Crime
The barriers built in the British society via ethnicity features crime and violence through aggression to another race. This is a direct result of the common ideology among races that a race has an established superiority above the other. Racism in itself is considered a crime in most countries which falls under the category of “Hate Crimes” also known as bias motivated crime. Hate crimes are defined as the targeting or singling out of victims due to his or her perceived membership in a particular group be it social, ethnical, religious, racial or gender identity. The nature of hate crimes such as racism lay as breeding ground for many other social ills such as victimization, bullying, murder and verbal abuse.
Sports
Racism is a serious hate crime that has adverse physiological effects on victims. With reference to sport, racism is prevalent. Racial attacks have been made by players during games, supporters in the crowds and the commentators themselves. They have forced players to change to foreign clubs, or refuse offers which would require them to migrate.
News.com. reports that television commentator and former rugby league player Andrew Johns had been banned for allegedly calling Greg Inglis a series of disgusting names while addressing the New South Wales rugby league team. Fights have erupted during the middle of games as a result of racial comments to get inside the opposing team’s head. One such instance is during a rugby game between England andSamoa, where an English player made a racial slur against a Samoan, resulting in his retaliation and an all out brawl.
Education
Racist attitudes and behaviours within the education system in Britain is widespread. Minority ethnic communities especially those with limited English, are more susceptible to racist behaviours within and outside of the classroom. (Surrey County Council, 2010) These may include asylum seekers and refugees and individuals of Hindu and Muslim belief. This is in conjunction with the findings of an Educational Reserach where 57% of boys and 43% of girls belonging to a minority was harassed in one school term. (Taylor and Francis)Racial attacks include name-calling and physical impairment. Additionally “Nearly 88 000 racist incidents were recorded in Britain’s schools between 2007 and 2011.”( BBC News, 2008)In response, the Department for Education said racism needed to be ‘rooted out.’ Furthermore, education, as stated by Mutuma Ruteere of The UN and reporting strategies along with counseling and school polices ( to promote race equality and community cohesion) are measures that are and should be adopted to lessen racist incidents.
-Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, Mutuma Ruteere in his briefing to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council. Therefore, it is implied that education is a tool to prevent racism and discrimination as a whole.
Workplace
What is Racism in the workplace, and how can it affect the working population? Racism in the workplace occurs when the ethnic minority groups are not reflected properly by either not being able to access certain jobs, being unable to attain promotions, being treated inappropriately as well as being dismissed unfairly because of race. It can have a negative impact on workers since it inhibits their ability to carry out their responsibilities. In the British workplace there is no exception. Racism has stemmed from immigration where there is increased competition for jobs and the majority white population feels as though their opportunities are being taken away by those from other ethnic backgrounds. In order to alleviate the problem, measures have been put in place by the British Government as well as other equality organizations. Below are a number of links shared to help us further understand racism in the workplace.
Forms of racism:
1. Employees may lash out on one another:
2. The public’s attitudes towards workers ofdifferent races:
3. A black Café Owner in the UK says White Peopleshun her business
Immigration have also lead to racism:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y65ZpN-AV3c
Measures to combat or help employers and employees to deal with racism?
Employment Law: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4zopPgLhZw
Sites: http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/
Labels: Britain, Human Geography, Impact, Racism in Education, Racism in Sports, Racism in Tourism, Racist Crimes
Discussion- Cause of Racism
Within Britain and by enlarge European domination, three acts come into play. These acts are, unfortunately, largely to blame for the racist and discriminatory thoughts and actions that exits within the British society presently.
The first being being the quest for materials to expand the young/newborn industrial economy which lead to numerous voyages to Africa, Asia and Australasia.
They exploited the region and disposed of the native population for benefits such as the construction of transport systems and the opening of mines. They excused their behaviour “as acts in the face of a native population who were unwilling to accept the alleged benefits of European civilization” (The Socialist Party of Britain, 1988) and the development of their resources.
Secondly, there is the development of the plantation system in the Americas and The West Indies.
. The systems of slavery and indentureship arose as the plantation owners needed a source of labour to facilitate the production and refinery of sugar in the 1400’s. They started with white Europeans, however needed a more resilient workforce., in which the Africans came into play.
From these two accounts one can see that the powerful economy of Britain was not always carried by successful mining and financial sectors but from colonization and the blood, sweat and tears of individuals due to inhumane working conditions. “Contact between these powers and the people they had subjugated was rarely easy and frequently violent and bloody.” (The Socialist Party of Britain, 1988)
Europeans, specific relation to Britain, built on the “perception” of the inferiority of these “other” cultures and societies to justify their actions, “depicting Africans and Amerindians as lacking civilization, constantly in need of European guidance, and always solicitous of European concerns.” (Selwyn R. Cudjoe. 2003)
This hierarchy based on ‘color prejudice’ originated colonization, however this form of discrimination was further embedded through the encouragement of migrant labour to Britain in the 1900’s.
The industries suffered from a shortage of labour in which the jobs available were physically intensive and badly paid, unattractive for native British. Due to the over exploitation which stricken the colonies into poverty as well as the addition of threat from natural disasters, religious massacres etc , which can be investigated under the push-pull migration theory, “made the prospect of emigration especially attractive.” The first set of immigrants arrived in 1948 with about 500 Jamaican nationals. As years passed the numbers increased from hundreds to thousands.
The absorptive capacity became exhausted, both culturally and economically “As the trickle of immigration became a flood it exerted the predictable pressure on the limited resources in housing, schooling, medical and social services.” (The Socialist Part of Britain, 1988) As a result, individuals of a specific culture congregated in particular areas and were further exploited by employers because of their dire circumstances. Countless riots and voices emerged against these workers and because of the extent of cruelty towards them, immigration laws and controls were implemented.
In today’s society, racism can be seen in all aspects of daily life. Some of the main areas in which racism is experienced have been discussed further in another post.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that racism is in fact a prevalent problem in Britain and has worked to the detriment of a certain class in numerous sectors of the British society. It can be dated back as far as the 15th century, where European colonization influenced the growth of racism and color discrimination in the region and the wider international society. Then more recently, the immigration of labour that was encouraged to Britain in the 1900’s. Our own Caribbean people have been influenced by colonization (slavery and indentureship) and migration labour (eg Jamaica) These have had a lasting effect on our people as even today we segregate among ourselves in Caribbean communities looking down upon others of a darker skin tone and kinky hair. We even form hierarchy through academic qualification, religion and social groups. So these awful seeds continue to bear, blossoming at the expense of our unity, identity and culture.