Everyday Racism

[lebowskibukowski]

I have just been serving a customer in my shop when one of my regulars, a Nigerian, walked through the door.
I'm not sure even a word was spoken between them before the first chap simply pointed at the second and said "Black Friday".
The fact that he was a week out did nothing to clear the awkwardness from the air. When the second chap left the customer then proceeded to tell me it was a shame that golliwogs had been taken off jam jars and the Black and White minstrel show was fine because it was Black AND White. He then pined for the days of Alf Garnett and Love Thy Neighbour. He has a couple of Middle Eastern friends, though, so it is all OK.

Anyone else had a better start to the day than this, or witness this sort of thing?

(I work in an electrical wholesalers, and although reticent to make sweeping statements, all electricians are racist)

[Shit Good Nose]

[tag]Robert Palmer urged to consider different lyrics[/tag]

[Buelligan]

(I work in an electrical wholesalers, and although reticent to make sweeping statements, all electricians are racist)

Including the Nigerian fellow?  In that case, he deserves a spoonful of his own medicine.

BTW, is it OK to generalise about professions, just not skin colours?  I think probably not though I realise you were probably just joking.  *raises eyebrows eloquently*

[MoonDust]

If the profession makes them part of the ruling/upper class, then it's okay to generalise.

All other professions it's not okay to generalise. Them's the rules.

[Pijlstaart]

Not everyday racism though, only Friday racism.

Man Friday, another great friday racism substrate.

[Buelligan]

Agreed.  But he probably has unpleasant racism pants in his drawer at home for every single day of the week.  Even Xmas.

[lebowskibukowski]

BTW, is it OK to generalise about professions, just not skin colours?  I think probably not though I realise you were probably just joking.  *raises eyebrows eloquently*

I was. A percentage of them are actually fine, some quite liberal. It's all scaffolders that are racist...

[Shit Good Nose]

Even Xmas.

When the racism socks get a wearing.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I was. A percentage of them are actually fine, some quite liberal. It's all scaffolders that are racist...

My builder mate says most scaffolders are junkies.

[Soup]

Was it not John Lennon who said electrician is the Nigerian of the world?

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

If only the Nigerian had turned around and punched yer man full on in the face, then stated " Looks like it's "Black Eye Day " for you now , matey!! ". That would have been nice.

[PlanktonSideburns]

My builder mate says most scaffolders are junkies.

You gotta have someone to look down on

Its OK guys I'm a builder

[Paul Calf]

[tag]Sly And The Family Stone return in "politicised" reboot[/tag]

[Paul Calf]

You gotta have someone to look down on

Its OK guys I'm a builder

My mate Ashley used to be a scaffolder. He "looked down" on almost everyone!

Now he's a lorry driver, he "looks down" on most motorists!

note: the above is completely true. He's very tall too, but he doesn't look down on anyone because he's a thoroughly lovely man. 

[Buelligan]

Sad he's a junkie then.

[kngen]

My builder mate says most scaffolders are junkies.

My mate worked in a harm reduction clinic, and that was an unexpected discovery he made - tons of workies are mad for the skag.

The pattern being: you knock off work at 2pm and hit the boozer. Hammered by tea-time, you need something to keep you going, so a wee wrap of coke it is. Buzzing your tits off at closing time and you're supposed to be on site at 7 the next morning - oh well, a wee dab of brown will help you go down for the night. Before you know it, you're queueing up for clean works while the rest of your team is demolishing Set 4 with extra bacon at the nearby caff.

It's going to be the subject of my next gritty BBC drama: The Boys from the Brown Stuff.

[Dannyhood91]

I'm mixed race and a woman recently said to me "Have you been brushed with the tar?" I asked family and friends of this is a racist remark and apparently it is so there we are.

[biggytitbo]

I've always said what we need is a great big melting pot, one big enough to take the world and all its got. And if we keep it stirring for a hundred years or more, we could turn out coffee coloured people by the score, imho.

[Neville Chamberlain]

Just in case anyone's confused in this thread, scaffolders are not a race.

[Cold Meat Platter]

I think they should fuck off back to Scaffoldia.

[pancreas]

I'm mixed race and a woman recently said to me "Have you been brushed with the tar?" I asked family and friends of this is a racist remark and apparently it is so there we are.

"treacle" would have been more endearing.

[Dannyhood91]

Just in case anyone's confused in this thread, scaffolders are not a race.

They take all the good scaffolding jobs though

[Utter Shit]

I have just been serving a customer in my shop when one of my regulars, a Nigerian, walked through the door.
I'm not sure even a word was spoken between them before the first chap simply pointed at the second and said "Black Friday".
The fact that he was a week out did nothing to clear the awkwardness from the air. When the second chap left the customer then proceeded to tell me it was a shame that golliwogs had been taken off jam jars and the Black and White minstrel show was fine because it was Black AND White. He then pined for the days of Alf Garnett and Love Thy Neighbour. He has a couple of Middle Eastern friends, though, so it is all OK.

Anyone else had a better start to the day than this, or witness this sort of thing?

(I work in an electrical wholesalers, and although reticent to make sweeping statements, all electricians are racist)

Stuff like this just baffles me. I mean, it's no shock that some people are racist cunts, but the casual assumption that the person you're talking to will share your views...I don't get it.

Even if you take it away from such a hateful realm, that sort of assumption of a shared interest/belief is still weird, the equivalent of going up to someone and saying "Rooney was better than expected last night, wasn't he!" and just being absolutely certain that the person you're talking to will also like football and have an opinion which matches yours. Is it arrogance? Just stupidity in not considering whether other people have a different POV? Or maybe you live somewhere where it's reasonable to assume that the average person you meet will share your racist views, and non-racists are the weird ones?

[Utter Shit]

They take all the good scaffolding jobs though

My Irish uncle genuinely complained to me a couple of years ago that Eastern Europeans had come over and taken all the Irish building jobs.

[Kelvin]

Heard today:

"I'm not racist in the slightest, but they shouldn't be able to buy doors."

I dunno.  That does seem slightly racist, to be honest.

[lebowskibukowski]

Stuff like this just baffles me. I mean, it's no shock that some people are racist cunts, but the casual assumption that the person you're talking to will share your views...I don't get it.

Even if you take it away from such a hateful realm, that sort of assumption of a shared interest/belief is still weird, the equivalent of going up to someone and saying "Rooney was better than expected last night, wasn't he!" and just being absolutely certain that the person you're talking to will also like football and have an opinion which matches yours. Is it arrogance? Just stupidity in not considering whether other people have a different POV? Or maybe you live somewhere where it's reasonable to assume that the average person you meet will share your racist views, and non-racists are the weird ones?

I'm in Brighton, so should supposedly be surrounded by the most liberal and understanding people in the country. It's so tricky in a work environment as well, if you bump into someone in the street or in the pub spouting this sort of stuff you can just move on or tell them to fuck off, but in a place of work you can't really admonish them. Normally I'll just smile and nod until they get to the end of their tirade.
And I like football, but it is so weird that people will just assume that you will know what they are talking about when they say something like, with no preamble,"Wazza should've dinked it, shunt 'e?"

[Shit Good Nose]

My builder mate says most scaffolders are junkies.

I don't know if that is true, but the other day one of my colleagues was talking about his daughter's boyfriend who is a scaffolder and a drug "addict", but only weed.  And I'm not convinced about the addict part either.

Anyway, take that for what it's worth.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

, but the casual assumption that the person you're talking to will share your views...I don't get

This hits at the heart of it, yeah.

I assume most people don't challenge them and just be all British about it.

They are correct, I wouldn't unless it was truly obnoxious and someone was on the receiving end. Even then probably not if they looked like they'd try and fight me.

I have decided to make unrequited positive statements where possible and where it doesn't feel artificial to try and fight back. A true wishy washy liberal commitment.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Pfft as if you can be addicted to weed.

[lebowskibukowski]

Heard today:

"I'm not racist in the slightest, but they shouldn't be able to to buy doors."

I dunno.  That does seem slightly racist, to be honest.

I can see the logic behind their fear. If you let them buy a door, they'll be wanting to buy a house. A house next door.

What context was this in?