Consider, please, this statement “I am continuously surprised as to why the British government is unable to make a statement as follows: “Select immigrants are welcome. We will set the selection criteria. Since no one is forcing them to come in, we will expect that once they are here, they will blend into our culture and not expect Britain to accommodate their cultural needs which they are welcome to address privately at their own cost”. This would be an eminently reasonable position that would considerably diffuse the matter.”
Now, that could well start the dogs of political correctness and racial diversity to chewing at my heels for daring to give it even the slightest further publicity. But, hey guys, it is written by an Indian in a Indian newspaper. It is just the sort of comment one might expect from a racist bigot such as me.
I freely admit, in the absence of thumb-screws and the rack, that my racial attitude is old fashioned. But it is only that – old-fashioned as it is the one I grew up with and where I am most comfortable. Having lived in a number of places where I was one of a racial minority, I know some of the effects of prejudice. I did not start riots just because, for example, Hong Kong Chinese thought it necessary to spit dangerously close to me. I’ve previously explained that I keep myself out of the law courts by adopting a form of reverse apartheid. I stay away from situations where my prejudices might cause me to do or say something I regret. This is not based on creed or colour; I’d no more willingly associate with fake-Burberry clad chavs than seek the company of baggy-trousered Gangsta Rappers.
What I am not so sure about are the reasons for the change in relationships between human beings which are determined by pigmentation or racial characteristics. Back in the early ‘50s I spent a lot of time in Aldgate amongst the Jewish community there. My girlfriend came from a family with a relaxed attitude to goyim. Besides, I came in handy for a number of tasks on their Hold day. I heard how the initial wave of Jewish immigrants were subjected to persecution from the working class residents of places like Manchester and London at the end of the 19th century. Much of what went on was exactly what one may read in the stories of Nazi persecution around 1933. An anomaly here was that when Moseley and his Blackshirts marched through London’s East End to terrorise Jewish families, they were kept away by that same class of people who initially attacked jewish business and individuals. Whilst there is an under-current of bad feeling towards Jews, there is little evident problem. So, why the problem with Africans and Asians?
It is my opinion that much of the current animosity is down to heritage. It is quite clear that we were not the nicest of people in our dealings with colonies. Think of General Dyer and his riot-control methods. This started Gandhi off on his crusade (if I may use that term for a non-Christian). But, even with this background, many Indians served bravely and with great loyalty in WW2. So why did they change their attitude? They had independence a long time ago. We did not adopt any controversial trade policies. Could it be that their current attitude is due to the matters given in my opening paragraph? Someone told the masses that they were downtrodden and they reacted. Until then, the vast mass was possibly unaware that they were being treated in any way that was wrong.
This focus on past events leading to demands for change is particularly noticeable with Africans. The major pressure for change came from America. They had the slave history as a sore spot but their demands for better treatment did not go back to those times. To me, the 1968 demonstration of Black Power at the Olympics did most to awaken that dragon. Maybe even more than the actions of the Freedom Riders – it was the limited success of the NAACP that inspired those two sprinters to demonstrate on a world stage.
So, who else? Those of the Islamic faith? Whilst much of their ire does go back to the Crusades this only covers Middle Eastern Muslims. Note I do not use the word ‘Arab’. Many of the Middle-Eastern people I have known always correct use of this word. There is no such thing as ‘An Arab’ even as an amalgam or melding of Saudi, Egyptians, Iraqi, Iranian etc. What sets one lot off is no problems for others. The Muslims of the Far East have quite different characteristics to those of the Near and Middle East. I think that a lot of our latter-day conflict with Islam is down to Lawrence and the way he was used. Another factor is the belief that land occupied by Islam at any time is permanently dedicated to Allah and must be recovered to honour him.
This very shallow enquiry into why there is racial conflict will not get me any Masters degree. However, it does seem to support my theory that the conflict we have is due to factors other than actual discrimination and unfair treatment. It is mainly propaganda and bad publicity that sets people onto demanding a righting of old old actions and events. It is this we should address.
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