Racism

[Le Chat]

I am asking this question an all innocence. Are black people ie, of African, Nigerian descent having "an easier time" (for want of a better phrase) now that we have all the controversy with Muslims of Eastern descent and what we may describe as a backlash against them?
I don't wish to offend by this question and hope I haven't worded it in such a way that it does.

[spaced]

not too sure, but I do agree with someone that was interviewed on the streets of London the other day - he said that the muslims, who were protesting about the pope, should not be allowed to protest so freely in the UK and bad mouth us westerners. He added that if we did the same thing outside a mosque on in iraq for example, we would not hear the end of it. I totally agree with all he said.

[noxlumos]

A sort of shifting of nasty bias you mean, away from "traditional " targets of afro caribean people towards (also traditional targets) Asian peoples?
I would imagine that the first group of people that the bigotted and mindless would try to have a pop at now would be the muslim community purely because they perceieve that they'll get less objection from the populace about it, as there is an unfortunate backlash against all muslims oweing to the actions of a few extremists, but deep seated racial hatred is not, I think, so easily diverted and it is still there without a doubt beneath the surface just awaiting an opportunity to rear it's ugly head.

[sp1814]

Le Chat

Excellent question...seriously, that is an excellent question, and I'd wondered when someone would answer it.

What I'm about to say is all based on perception, rather than concrete evidence, but yes, there definitely seems to be a weird shift in attitudes. It's like we (I'm black) are now seen in comparison as 'good immigrants' compared to Muslims.

I bet if every Muslim up sticks and moved over of Britain tomorrow, the right wingers would remember the original 'enemy'.

[metagirl]

Many black comics in America, eversince 9/11, have joked about a similar thing - they are no longer widely seen as Public Enemy #1. Its sad, but I think there is some truth in it!