So long, and thanks for all the fish......

[psionandy]

I really have no idea where to post this... and I apologize in advance. This one crosses over so many individual issues (although possibly not climate change) , that I think it could derail anyone of the existing threads.

That said, this is going to be the last post I make in Politics and Current Affairs for a long time. Due to the political turmoil in the UK, the part of my head that normally deals with Politics is so confused, that I'm convinced that I don't know anything about anything any more, and so this forum simply isn't fun for me any more. Thanks to everyone who's put up with me here, even if I didn't agree with me, I've learnt a lot form you all, and going off and doing research on various topics has certainly been time well spent.

Thanks to the Moderators, who have to put up with all of the stress that this forum causes them. You have my permission to lock/delete/evaporate this thread at any time you wish.

Ok.. enough of the waffle, here's what happened to me today.. I'm still not sure about exactly what happened but it covers most of the threads I've been involved in here. And Writing this might be a useful way of me trying to get my thoughts in order, Feel free to stop reading at any point




So... I was walking through Liverpool City Centre this lunchtime... Its a very nice, very safe, very busy, very public part of town, with my headphones on.. And I noticed some very upset people walking the other way.

I was appalled to hear the rantings from a very sweary man, who was explaining to those around him, in incredibly vile terms exactly what he thought of the Blacks, Portuguese, Spanish and the Poles... This is unusual for England, and here in particular where this doesn't happen at all (unless its very late at night, not many people about, and idiots are very drunk). Nobody was drunk, and when he wasn't shouting he was quite coherent.

I'm really not a shouty person... But as nobody else was doing anything I had to shout him down in the centre of Liverpool. At which point some others assisted.

Apparently according to them, he's been doing this quiet a lot recently.

Never thought I'd see this... Never thought that people would allow it to happen.

Anyway, this has lead me to think about several things... and in no particular order
1) Since the Brexit vote, I'm suddenly very aware that I don't think this is the same country, famous for its freedom, tolerance, and multi-cultural society that I thought it was.
2) Because I a white middle aged English person , I very rarely see overt racism first hand.. its normally an offhand remark, dumb joke, meme, or institutional bias.. maybe by us all letting those things slide, we've let this happen.
3 ) Portuguese???? seriously I know all racism is bad, but I've never heard anyone who has a beef with Portugal!!!
4) I don't think that the majority of the people who voted leave are racists/or support the racist idiots... however, I do think that there are a lot of racist idiots, who believe that they now have the support of all the people who voted Leave.
5) I think that however the US election plays out, there are a lot of racist idiots that will believe that every vote for Trump is a vote that validates their views.
6) If I was someone who 'looked like a muslim' I'd be incredibly worried right now about some violent backlash in their direction.. and if I was a hot headed , I can see how how people would fall in with the wrong crowd.
7) There are so many other things that I should be worrying about, that now don't even make it to the news over here...
8) I was able to go over and confront this guy, because I live in a society where people don't carry weapons with them... yes he could have hit me I suppose, but we'd probably have both walked away. If this was in America, the would be a fair chance that he was armed (in which case I'd be dead right now) or that I'd be armed (in which case there is a chance I'd have ended up shooting him in self defense). Most probably I'd have decided it was too risky to do anything, and just walked away, letting the racist win.
9) One of the people who helped calm things down, was a homeless army veteran. He was a very interesting bloke, so we went and had lunch.

 

[dan330]

hi buddy... I feel you.. on all points.
I really like #9.

I am Asian.. and if Trump wins.. and N Korea becomes more a pain.
I will be afraid what that fat orange troll would do!.. to all the Asians

 

[Deleted User]

Yes, I've said it before, but this referendum has brought out a very nasty and completely unwelcome element in our society.

I can see this incident has upset you, and I would be the same. But don't get too disheartened. There are people with radical views in all walks of life, and I'm absolutely sure that the vast, vast majority of people in the UK are decent, even those who voted 'leave'

It's true that this country is now in a bit of a mess. To be honest I've just stopped watching the news because all they do is focus on the gloom and doom. I'm hoping that when the dust settles it will be ok. Hoping. I still like living in the UK. For all its faults, crap weather, NHS waiting lists, the national deficit etc, there are far worse places to live on this planet.

So however vocal the racist idiots are, they're a minority, and they will never beat the vast majority of sane folks like you and me, who have a much better outlook on life, and don't judge people based on the colour of their skin, or where they come from.

I don't know if this helps at all, but thanks for sharing, and well done for getting stuck in there and arguing against the racist bloke. Nice to see others rallied round you.