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Racism

Racism

11     There can be no arguments for racism, but does it still exist? Does it depend on
2 what area you live in? Has society become less or more racist over the years? Four Just
3 Seventeen readers gathered around the table to discuss these issues and more. Hannah
4 and Nicole are black, James is coloured and Pam is white.
 
25     How would you define racism?
6 Pam: I'd say it was judging people by the colour of their skin, not necessarily in a bad
7 way - but just taking them at face value, and making a judgement because of their skin
8 colour.
9 Nicole: It's not always about the colour of their skin, is it? I mean I think jokes about the
10 Irish are really racist, too.
11 Pam: But usually, don't you agree that racism in the first place is associated with skin
12 colour? I take your point, Nicole, but it doesn't automatically come to my mind that I
13 was being racist if I told an Irish joke.
14 James: Also, I think there's a fine line to racism which comes down to knowing when
15 you're insulting someone. Some Irish people may find an Irish joke funny and some Irish
16 people would find it offensive - you have to be careful who you're saying things to, and
17 you should know a person really well before you do say something that could be taken as
18 racist.
 
319     Do you think you may have been racist in the past without knowing it?
20 Hannah: I think I probably may have been racist in the past, but I'd never mean to be.
21 It's just things like music for instance; if I heard a white person say 'Oh yeah, I was
22 listening to Maxi Priest the other day ... I really like reggae,' I'd probably think, 'Is that
23 her idea of reggae? She probably doesn't understand it,' and I'd probably assume that
24 that was because she is white.
 
425     Do you think racism still exists in Britain?
26 James: I think a lot of it depends on the area. I mean it's definitely not as bad as it used
27 to be in places like London, where there are lots of different ethnic groups. But if you go
28 up to the North in the countryside, where there are hardly any black or Asian people,
29 then people are more racist.
30 Nicole: I don't think that you can say that because often it's just that people probably
31 haven't really seen many black people in their community, so they stare at you. They're
32 not necessarily anti-blacks because they are looking at you.
33 Pam: I think the more there are things on national TV that are not putting black people
34 into situations where they are criminals and the like, then people will be more prepared
35 to accept black people as individuals like any other people, what ever area they live in.
 
536     Do you think the media encourage racism?
37 Hannah: Well, if you think about it, you hardly ever see a black person advertising a car
38 or video on TV.
39 Nicole: That's right. According to advertisers, black people don't have washing machines,
40 they don't use Persil, they don't have families. In fact, the only black people that are
41 actually on the telly in adverts are babies.
 
642     Do you think racism will in the end disappear completely?
43 Hannah: Weil, it can only get better.
44 James: It's definitely getting better.
45 Nicole: But plenty of people are still racist, so why should it ever change?
46 James: Yes, but it's not people of our age who are racist.
47 Nicole: Oh, I don't know about that!
48 Hannah: I think it's getting better because children are growing up with different views
49 because they are growing up with kids who are from different racial groups.
50 Nicole: Yeah, but kids can have racist parents and if they put racist attitudes into their
51 kids, then racism will always be there.
52 Pam: But do you think our generation will do that to their children?
53 Nicole: Yeah, because their parents have already done it.
 
     from 'Just Seventeen', December 7, 1988