News1 min ago
I could weep
41 Answers
What has happened to cause these disturbances amongst colour, creed and race in the UK?
I was born in 1961 in a multi cultural society (although I didn't realise that until many years later). I was at junior school with Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Irish, Afro Caribbean and a few Jews. Yes, the Irish have their place in this list as times weren't particularly easy for them.
What a great time we all had! Yes, some children had to interpret for their parents when I went for tea, some of my friends took the ham out of their sandwiches when they came for tea at my house. I distinctly remember Boy Scouts having a range of colour and creeds whilst I was a member. I remember some pupils leaving assembly during prayers to attend their own prayers for 5 minutes. I remember with deep embarrassment my mother making a hugely embarrassing comment about my Jamaican friend's hair, but I know she didn't mean any offence.
I remember it wasn't all sunshine. A friend of mine was pushed off her swing and called a black b***, but we played together, Patrick, Ali, Paul Cowen and me. My parents occasionally made the sort of comments you may hear Alf Garnet say but my siblings and I took great offence!
This Islam extremism distresses me. I cannot relate it to my childhood friends, nor their parents. I cannot relate it to any Muslim I know, but it scares me. I try hard to make sure it doesn't make me regard Muslims in a different light but the fact I have to try makes me uncomfortable.
I went through much the same thing when the IRA was bombing British cities.
Does anyone else in my age group feel the same way?
I was born in 1961 in a multi cultural society (although I didn't realise that until many years later). I was at junior school with Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Irish, Afro Caribbean and a few Jews. Yes, the Irish have their place in this list as times weren't particularly easy for them.
What a great time we all had! Yes, some children had to interpret for their parents when I went for tea, some of my friends took the ham out of their sandwiches when they came for tea at my house. I distinctly remember Boy Scouts having a range of colour and creeds whilst I was a member. I remember some pupils leaving assembly during prayers to attend their own prayers for 5 minutes. I remember with deep embarrassment my mother making a hugely embarrassing comment about my Jamaican friend's hair, but I know she didn't mean any offence.
I remember it wasn't all sunshine. A friend of mine was pushed off her swing and called a black b***, but we played together, Patrick, Ali, Paul Cowen and me. My parents occasionally made the sort of comments you may hear Alf Garnet say but my siblings and I took great offence!
This Islam extremism distresses me. I cannot relate it to my childhood friends, nor their parents. I cannot relate it to any Muslim I know, but it scares me. I try hard to make sure it doesn't make me regard Muslims in a different light but the fact I have to try makes me uncomfortable.
I went through much the same thing when the IRA was bombing British cities.
Does anyone else in my age group feel the same way?
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it sounds as if you're trusting what you read in the papers ahead of the evidence of your own eyes. Why this lack of confidence in your own experience? Do you really think the handful of cases the media blow up is somehow more representative of the UK than what you actually see every day?
(To suggest a parallel: you're rather more likely to be killed in a car accident than in a terror attack - but does this stop you driving, or make you fear every other driver on the road is out to get you?)
(To suggest a parallel: you're rather more likely to be killed in a car accident than in a terror attack - but does this stop you driving, or make you fear every other driver on the road is out to get you?)
I do listen to community radio stations, get involved with local community and listen to youngsters.
I do have friends from a lot of different ethnic backgrounds and many are as distressed as me at the apparent conflicts within the community.
The local Sikh temple was held to hostage for 6 hours last weekend, with riot police and rampaging by fellow Sikhs.
I want us all to get along with mutual respect, but that goal seems to be getting further away instead of nearer.
Thankfully I do have friends from different faiths, and no faith but those who live insular lives must be struggling to keep a balanced view.
I do have friends from a lot of different ethnic backgrounds and many are as distressed as me at the apparent conflicts within the community.
The local Sikh temple was held to hostage for 6 hours last weekend, with riot police and rampaging by fellow Sikhs.
I want us all to get along with mutual respect, but that goal seems to be getting further away instead of nearer.
Thankfully I do have friends from different faiths, and no faith but those who live insular lives must be struggling to keep a balanced view.
I grew up in the 40/50s and was married in the 60's. There were no coloured children at our schools then, it was the Jewish people who were the strangers, and the adults treated them with some suspicion. And the Catholics were also given a cold shoulder, the nuns used to knock at the Irish Catholics house on Fridays and they would have to give them money. I had friends both Catholic and Jewish.as children we did not see the distrust that adults did On the other hand my granddaughter has a lot of friends of different nationalities. She has grown up with them, attending schools with them and I imagine that she would feel the same as you do. I'm sorry it distresses you hc, As an adult now I see the invasion of all these foreign people as a threat to the stability of my home and the things I have worked for. They have brought with them an alien culture, terrorism and medieval punishments. The Sharia law appals me, and I hope it is never made legal here. It seems to be a mockery to all that my father fought for.
When I was young there were no black people here. There was one mixed race boy who did not appear to have a father. Now this is how it goes - first house, two Sikh ladies, next door a family from the Congo, then me, next door up is a chap (aged 80) originally from Jamaica married to a white lady. We all live in perfect harmony and no bother at all. Pity a few others can't do this. People are people, whatever the colour of their skin.
