Some people!! (mini-rant alert!)

the.fee.fairy · Mon May 26, 2008 11:43 am

The thing is, i think that what he was subjected to was more than a passing 'go home'.

He's a big bloke, and he was crying on my mum's shoulder!

My dad is great, we're both the same. We both think that its wrong to have a go at someone so much that they leave the pub in tears.

Sadly, that's what the local pubs are like...

ina · Post: # 105500Post **ina** » Mon May 26, 2008 11:56 am

the.fee.fairy wrote: Sadly, that's what the local pubs are like...

However, the landlord should have a say in that, too. A pub I used to go to in Aberdeen (unfortunately not the same now after it's changed owners) was very strict: if they noticed anybody harassing other guests on grounds of race or whatever, they'd chuck the offending party out.

the.fee.fairy · Mon May 26, 2008 12:02 pm

I agree. But what the landlord *should* do and what the landlord *does* do are completely different! She's only worried about her profits, and if she chucks out the offenders, she'll have no drinkers. The bad ones drove out all the good people a long long time ago.

Wombat · Post: # 105506Post **Wombat** » Mon May 26, 2008 12:20 pm

Mrs Wombat, It happens everywhere unfortunatley, They think they are protecting whats theirs but the truth is the world is getting smaller and we are no longer a country. We are the world. Just as we have to get a new mindset about ecology, we have to get a new mindset about who we are as a people. We have a song here that certainly not all follow and prejudice is rife here too. But It goes " We are one, but we are many, and from all the lands on earth we come. We share a dream and sing with one voice, I am, you are, we are Australian. This song is sung with pride all over the country. I tingle all over when I hear it. But I know the words fall on deaf ears for some. Feefairy, Your Dad will make a difference and that is what counts. I have a prejudice myself. Its against too much drink. It damages brains and makes people do terrible things. You've got a Dad you can really be proud of.

ocailleagh · Mon May 26, 2008 1:05 pm

This really is disgusting, that poor Polish guy! What most of these racist

hatemongerers fail to realise is that they are no more 'English' than the people they are harassing. Not that it would make it ok if they were. But the English are such a mongrel race, with bloodlines traceable from all over the world, that you'd think they'd be a little more understanding towards the latest wave of immigrants. After all, they were immigrants themselves not too many generations back. And further back still, they were invaders!

Edited to add that I don't mean to imply that all English are racist, nor that it only happens in England. We have quite a large Polish community here too (as well as various Asian communities) and there is a great deal of racism directed at them from the Welsh as well.

eccentric_emma · Mon May 26, 2008 3:05 pm

ina wrote:
the.fee.fairy wrote: Sadly, that's what the local pubs are like...
However, the landlord should have a say in that, too. A pub I used to go to in Aberdeen (unfortunately not the same now after it's changed owners) was very strict: if they noticed anybody harassing other guests on grounds of race or whatever, they'd chuck the offending party out.

This is true, and in fact there is a law in place that says that landlords are not allowed to allow racist comments, or homophobic comments in fact. i used to be a bar manager (and am going back into it soon), and we didn't suffer too much from racism in our bar, but definitely from homophobic customers - but we had a lot of gay customers too and always let people know that nasty comments were not welcome and we would be quite happy to lose nasty customers. then the law came in and it made it a lot easier as we had some back up - and in the end we barely lost any customers and everyone started to get along.

i definitely think it has to be up to people to step in if they see racism because too many people get away with saying comments. in the pub trade i would always tell customers that they are in my home and i expect them to behave like a guest otherwise they can go elsewhere. in the off license where i work i always tell people if they have offended me with their racist comments (unfortunately really common as i live in a small narrow minded town), and 9 times out of 10 they don't even realise how offensive they are being and i'd like to think they think twice before saying things again.

to say such things that make people cry just breaks my heart. i get a lot of nasty comments about my appearance as i am really short and look very young for my age - and i still cannot understand what possesses people to say such horrible things to others for things that are out of their control and that shouldn't matter anyway!

God on your Dad though Fee. It's nice to see that there are decent people.

tiggy · Post: # 105533Post **tiggy** » Mon May 26, 2008 3:33 pm

well done your dad

of dads. where i live there is a lot of bedsits and we get lots of new neighbours.brits and other europeans seem to rub along quite happily.we had more neighbour bother and unpleasentness in suburbia and would not go back to our old place for a big clock!
however one of my polish neighbours did experiance some nastyness in worcester.he has gone home now because his mum was not well.
we have to get our head round this one world idea, but without naming names, there are plenty of other countries well suplied with bigots.
Also there are an increasing number of brits spreading out accross the enlarged EU

oldfella · Tue May 27, 2008 12:32 pm

A friend of ours who was in hospital in London was sharing a room with a very racist gentleman who was very vocal about his feelings about the colored folk working in the hospital, one morning a chap walked in, in full African dress and introduced himself as the surgeon who was to operate the following morning; apparently there was no further conversation of any sort from then on, not even goodbye when our friend left hospital

Wombat · Post: # 105892Post **Wombat** » Wed May 28, 2008 3:03 am

oldfella wrote:A friend of ours who was in hospital in London was sharing a room with a very racist gentleman who was very vocal about his feelings about the colored folk working in the hospital, one morning a chap walked in, in full African dress and introduced himself as the surgeon who was to operate the following morning; apparently there was no further conversation of any sort from then on, not even goodbye when our friend left hospital

Nev

ina · Post: # 105917Post **ina** » Wed May 28, 2008 7:35 am

That reminds me of something... Can't remember where I read it:

Did you know that the doctor who "invented" blood transfusions died after an accident, because the nearest hospital wouldn't take him, as a black man, in and give him the transfusion that he needed? That was in the States.

Thurston Garden · Wed May 28, 2008 9:01 am

Living in an agricultural area, I know of lots of farmers who would be totally lost without their Eastern European workforce. The guy we rent the field off uses the same squad at tattie time year after year. The first year he used them he got them through an agency who pocketed half the hourly rate. They have worked direct for the farmer ever since and he swears they are the most conscientious and hard working bunch that he has ever employed.

I actually admire them. Imagine being in the position to need to move to another country where everything, language, culture, food, government, procedures are alien. How many so called Brits (I depsise that word

) could move to Poland and work to provide additional income for their families and a better life for themselves? A significant number here won't get off their own derriÃ¨res and work here! So imagine after all the upheaval that poor guy in the pub has gone through. It's bad enough being picked on in your own patch. No wonder he was in tears. He is trying to support his own in the best way possible and that might mean moving to another country. Must be like starting from scratch, without the support of your friends or family.

Oldfella's Hospital story reminded me of something similar. It concerned a white South African who was allocated a seat on an plane next to a black South African. Shortly after take offthe white guy was shouting at the airhostess demanding that he be upgraded to First Class and away from the black South African. How dare the airline allocate him a seat next to such a person? The air hostess agreed to see what she could do and returned to the white guy after a chat with the Captain. "I have discussed the situation with the Captain Sir and he agrees that the seating arrangements are not correct. He would be delighted to make a free First Class upgrade under the circumstances." Then turning to the black South African, she said "Would you like to follow me to the First Class cabin Sir? The Captain would like to offer you an upgrade and apologises on behalf of the airline for seating you next to such a racist individual".

ina · Post: # 105942Post **ina** » Wed May 28, 2008 9:38 am

Thurston Garden wrote: Oldfella's Hospital story reminded me of something similar. It concerned a white South African who was allocated a seat on an plane next to a black South African. Shortly after take offthe white guy was shouting at the airhostess demanding that he be upgraded to First Class and away from the black South African. How dare the airline allocate him a seat next to such a person? The air hostess agreed to see what she could do and returned to the white guy after a chat with the Captain. "I have discussed the situation with the Captain Sir and he agrees that the seating arrangements are not correct. He would be delighted to make a free First Class upgrade under the circumstances." Then turning to the black South African, she said "Would you like to follow me to the First Class cabin Sir? The Captain would like to offer you an upgrade and apologises on behalf of the airline for seating you next to such a racist individual".

Absolutely brilliant! Three cheers for the airline staff!

QuakerBear · Wed May 28, 2008 12:08 pm

Really well done to your Dad Fee.

There are odd people like this where I work and as I've got to know them I've realised they're really ignorant. They just don't have a clue about the people around them, to be blunt, they're thick as the proverbial porcine poo poo. Their callousness is still inexcusable though. Never mind, I shall show them the error of their ways....

The other thing which bothers me is all this emphasis of nationality. For goodness sake countries are no more then administrative boundries, they're fickle, they change, disappear and are re-invented somewhere else. To only see nationality and not common humanity is a gross oversight and again, I think it stems from ignorance.

I used the 'English are a mongrol race' on someone who was being 'difficult' regarding my brown-ness once. Tee hee, I know it's bad but it shut him up and made him see how silly he was being. Mustn't do it too often though

Naughty QB!

I think we all have opportunities to buck this nasty trend though by clearly being kind and considerate to those around and by making integration seem normal.

Helsbells · Wed May 28, 2008 2:35 pm

That poor poor man, some people just dont have the ability to put themselvs into other peoples shoes. Imagine being all alone in a strange country not speaking the language and trying to make a life for yourself, then getting that treatment.
Well done to you, your dad and your family Fee, we need more people like you.

Love your neighbour innit!

Ellendra · Post: # 106055Post **Ellendra** » Wed May 28, 2008 5:16 pm

ina wrote:That reminds me of something... Can't remember where I read it:

Did you know that the doctor who "invented" blood transfusions died after an accident, because the nearest hospital wouldn't take him, as a black man, in and give him the transfusion that he needed? That was in the States.

Yes, his story was among those that added fuel to the equal rights movement.