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Are The Elderly More Likely To Be Racist?
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The elderly members of my family (70+) are the most wonderful, kind and on most issues, open minded people I know.
But, the way that they talk about foreign people, different cultures now seen in many areas of the UK and asylum seekers, is bodering on what people my generation would label as "Racist".
They have clearly seen more changes to this country and see it as a very different place to how it was when they were growing up. So, can we excuse their views? If I talked about "the new muslim family that moved in next door" the way my grandad does for example, I would be branded a racist. But he doesnt think he is being racist, its just how he sees the world today.
But, the way that they talk about foreign people, different cultures now seen in many areas of the UK and asylum seekers, is bodering on what people my generation would label as "Racist".
They have clearly seen more changes to this country and see it as a very different place to how it was when they were growing up. So, can we excuse their views? If I talked about "the new muslim family that moved in next door" the way my grandad does for example, I would be branded a racist. But he doesnt think he is being racist, its just how he sees the world today.
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I don't think "the new Muslim family next door" is racist at all (it's not racist anyway, Muslim is a religion not a race) he's just describing them. We have Chinese and Czech people in our road and refer to them as such (if not by their names), to differentiate which families we're talking about.
However - people over 70 were brought up in a world where it was OK to describe people as they are (and sadly to use derogatory words about them too) and old habits die hard. I do believe sometimes though that people now take PC-ness to the other extreme, and look for offence where there isn't any. That example you gave isn't offensive to me at all.
However - people over 70 were brought up in a world where it was OK to describe people as they are (and sadly to use derogatory words about them too) and old habits die hard. I do believe sometimes though that people now take PC-ness to the other extreme, and look for offence where there isn't any. That example you gave isn't offensive to me at all.
Yes I would certainly say they are more racist, especially towards coloured people, working in care homes where a few of the staff were coloured it was not unusual to hear them called names by the residents and the word niqqer was used rather like a descriptive word rather than a deliberate insult, I think it is a sign of the times really. Fortunately the English staff always got on well with the foreign staff.
I had an elderly relative who used the N word. I wouldn't say she was racist, it was a generation thing.
She was homophobic.
One of the funniest things she ever said (just before she died age 103) was when she was talking about two sisters we know, one of whom is gay. She was confused over which sister was which and came out with the immortal line
"Which one of them is the Elizabethan?"
She was homophobic.
One of the funniest things she ever said (just before she died age 103) was when she was talking about two sisters we know, one of whom is gay. She was confused over which sister was which and came out with the immortal line
"Which one of them is the Elizabethan?"
actually it is how he saw the world yesterday and sees no reason to change.
so you could call it rational
One of the 'old' world views I find fascinating is by and large the Egyptians, do not regard our glorious colonial occupation as particularly oppressive. IN 1956 we were unceremoniusly kicked out and Tahrir started, and their standard of living was the highest in the Arab world and by 1978 my first visit, it was the lowest - and didnt they know !
In India the Indian Civil Service wasnt corrupt up to 1948 - but my God the ICS has made up for lost time. I dont expect anyone under 30 to know that, they are scoring high if they know the British were in India for 200 y - you can 'do' English History of the 1700s without the Empire nowadays at school.
Birmngham Lib had well written up exhibiition on colonial peoples fighting for the King-Emperor 1939-45. British Guiana had 48, I thnk Suriname which wasnt British had three. I did wonder about Sareth Efrica not mentioned - hundred of thousands or Rhodesia - a later prime mininster was an RAF pilot, but thought it was politic since I was old, to keep my wonders locked away.
History is a social construct rewritten by every generation
so you could call it rational
One of the 'old' world views I find fascinating is by and large the Egyptians, do not regard our glorious colonial occupation as particularly oppressive. IN 1956 we were unceremoniusly kicked out and Tahrir started, and their standard of living was the highest in the Arab world and by 1978 my first visit, it was the lowest - and didnt they know !
In India the Indian Civil Service wasnt corrupt up to 1948 - but my God the ICS has made up for lost time. I dont expect anyone under 30 to know that, they are scoring high if they know the British were in India for 200 y - you can 'do' English History of the 1700s without the Empire nowadays at school.
Birmngham Lib had well written up exhibiition on colonial peoples fighting for the King-Emperor 1939-45. British Guiana had 48, I thnk Suriname which wasnt British had three. I did wonder about Sareth Efrica not mentioned - hundred of thousands or Rhodesia - a later prime mininster was an RAF pilot, but thought it was politic since I was old, to keep my wonders locked away.
History is a social construct rewritten by every generation
For a start,the "N word" has acquired the tag of racism though it is still used seriously by black people in the Deep South, and the related, though now less offensive, word negroes was used by Martin Luther King, but that, in the singular, is barred by our censor filter. But because the N word was used insultingly by so many whites in the US, it is now forbidden, and the other word has, curiously, also come into disfavour.
Old people are more racist, and it's not a question of whether they use outdated words or not. They were brought up with the idea that black people were primitive and inferior to whites ( and British people were superior to everybody else!). Indians were superior to blacks, and made good civil servants for the Empire, but were still inferior to us. And Jews? Well, some of them were clever, but all were dishonest and they all stuck together. "By Jove, I wouldn't have a Jew in my golf club" was the attitude, and it was carried through. Many clubs would not admit Jews ,some had a quota. One to the north of London had neither policy, with the result that it rapidly became virtually a Jewish club (but it was a lot more luxurious as a result!)
And the whole thing was backed by a simple, apparently natural, distrust or defensiveness of anyone who is not like us.
Old people are more racist, and it's not a question of whether they use outdated words or not. They were brought up with the idea that black people were primitive and inferior to whites ( and British people were superior to everybody else!). Indians were superior to blacks, and made good civil servants for the Empire, but were still inferior to us. And Jews? Well, some of them were clever, but all were dishonest and they all stuck together. "By Jove, I wouldn't have a Jew in my golf club" was the attitude, and it was carried through. Many clubs would not admit Jews ,some had a quota. One to the north of London had neither policy, with the result that it rapidly became virtually a Jewish club (but it was a lot more luxurious as a result!)
And the whole thing was backed by a simple, apparently natural, distrust or defensiveness of anyone who is not like us.
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