Brian Walden wrote a decent piece on the BBC website about discrimination, specifically asking why if racism is so bad, given for example the recent incidents on Big Brother, class discrimination is accepted and rife.
Most of his examples are from the "upper" classes looking down on people. And yes, it happens a lot. But so does the "lower" classes really hating others. I lived for four years on a fairly rough council estate in Manchester where I was (I think) the only university-educated person on my street, as well as sounding posh (even though I was fairly local) and as well as being a Christian and as well as teaching at the local fee-paying school. There's plenty of discrimination working both ways.
But there's plenty of racism in Britain. And I don't just mean the anti-black racism which was pretty endemic on that estate.
As far as I can tell, it's currently accepted to discriminate against the following groups in Britain. There may be some I've missed.
- Scousers (a remnant of anti-Irish racism?)
- Scallies / Chavs
- Old Etonians
- Posh people
- Gypsies
- Americans
- "Fundamentalists"
If Harry Enfield's famous scouser sketches were done with Jamaicans or Jews, would they be racist?
What would it mean for the Church to more fully take on board that God accepts anyone who turns to him, even if it's George W Bush?
2 comments:
Fat people.
Also, immigrants. It may not be acceptable in the circles I (and probably you) move in, but there's still a lot of prejudice out there, including in people who are very dear to me.
Ah yes, immigrants. Except for the Australians and white South Africans, of course....
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