“Et tu, Brute?”
Yesterday as a friend and I were along a road next to Chinatown, a bunch of young teenage white boys walked past us, and one of them poked his head forward and said: “China” to our faces, which I found bizarre enough.
In another beat, probably in a bid to appear cool and to up his friend’s “China” comment (statement? insult?), another member of the group sneered: “Bitches”
And I’m thinking: Dude… you’re next to Chinatown of places! Is it Surprising to find chinese people walking around?
I’m this petite, harmless girl walking along minding my own business, enjoying one of my rare moments out of the office, breathing in foul London air. Why me?
I am disturbed, but dismiss the incident as the result of silly adolescent boredom.
Later that night, at 11.10pm at night as I was walking past Holborn station to take a bus home, I heard a guy shout from the shadows: “Chinese cunt” in my direction.
It had been a long day, it was a quiet street, and I was wearing heels. I decided that confronting the guy was probably more hassle than it was worth. So I ignored him and walked on.
But I was upset. Dismayed. I try to brush it off as just isolated incidents of random insular and ill-bred nonentities taking out their frustration on passer-bys. And that is probably true. As a whole, I believe that Londoners aren’t racists. London is too mixed-up, too much of a cultural melting pot for that.
But that’s why it came as an even greater shock to me. London is so incredibly cosmopolitan. And yet, even here!
Maybe London has been too open and welcoming of diverse cultures and immigrants that the locals have become disenfranchised and this is part of a backlast post bomb blasts. Certainly, I get the sense that there has been a noticeable increase in the Oriental population since I first came to London in October 2001.
I’ve never been the target of overt racism. Or at least I’ve been too good-natured and/or oblivious to notice it. This is my first experience with it. And even though it’s relatively mild, and in theory, I can rationalise it away, it is still not a pleasant feeling.
And it has made me think. While I’ve always been against racism, I’ve never actually thought about the effects on peoples’ lives. For the first time, I have a real sense of empathy for the people who are the targets of racism.
I guess I’ve been lucky or privileged enough to escape from such attitudes thus far, such that I’ve almost forgotten that the most negative, overt and hostile kind of racism still exists. Racism has always been more of a theoretical concept than a tangible one for me.
It is discouraging to think that even in London, attitudes from the Dark Ages can still exist. The road ahead is a long one I fear.
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London’s cultural diversity is one of it’s great strengths, and major appeal to me and luckily to most other Londoners. Sadly, there are a minority of fearful, ignorant bullies; who hide their own inadequacies behind the stance of racism. These stupid and cowardly individuals, tend to hide in ‘the shadows’ or ‘gangs’, as this makes them feel able to spout their vile racist jibes in safety.
The hopefully temporary increase in their prominance, was something I was very worried would happen as a result of the recent terrorist actions in London. A sort of perverse divide and rule, another maybe intended effect of the bombers, I don’t know. Certainly a very worrying development, and one that needs to be combated strongly.
I’m not too sure of your background but I’ve grown up in London (though admittedly suburbs) and as a chinese kid had a barrage of mildly racist insults pretty much every day. Kids stuff really.
Anyhow, as I grew older, the insults died away. But now I’ve noticed a resurgence. Name-calling etc. I usually respond with the finger - though this is definitely not wise. But it makes me feel better.
E*
I can find no event in recent news that would mean increased animosity towards those of Chinese or Anglo-Asian origins but, as BKKMEI observes, perhaps something has triggered an increase in such pitiful behaviour.
As a 40-something white male who habitually crops his hair (through laziness), I have found myself labelled a skinhead in the past and found myself having to deal with resulting confrontations and prejudice on occasion. That said, my experience cannot compare and I will never experience what you and BKKMEI have described. However, I can and will condemn it wholeheartedly and deplore those whose ignorance and upbringing have left them with such a stunted vocabulary and narrow view.
Living in the area where London’s original Chinatown flourished (Limehouse) and enjoying some exposure to the Chinese culture that being a local resident, school governor, diner and New Year celebrator has enriched my life.
It is my sincere hope that I speak _for_ the vast majority and _against_ the tiniest minority.
bignoseduglyguy
Let me add my voice to the chorus condemning these weak, pathetic losers.
The fact that they attacked a ‘petite girl’–someone who they assumed couldn’t attack back–shows them to be even more pathetic. Men intimidating women on the street–it’s sexist bullsh*t as well as racist.
Let’s hope their lonely lives are punishment enough. And that they walk into a bollard in the most painful way possible.
E* I’m with you on this. Right now for some idiots they think they have carte blanche to insult/intimidate anyone who is not white and like them in anyway. I don’t think my wife has ever suffered this sort of abuse. I know we haven’t, yet. However, a while ago with visiting Taiwanese friends an approaching guy (in this case black) did a really lousy comedy sort of chinese language impression and walked right through us. I let it pass as my wife and our friends seemed to miss the insult. I however, made a quick decision that this slur was in all honesty not worth a confrontation over. In the light of the recent stabbing of a man who defended his girlfriend (she’d had chips thrown at her on a #43 bus) it makes you now question any possible confrontation. hopefully this sort of disgusting behavious will pass. I hope it didn’t affect you too much.
sean