Originally Posted by jumpy
(Post 1524260)
Good eh? :)
The city I live in has many peoples and there's a tendency for some to hold the opinion that there is an imbalance in the population here. I don't subscribe to it myself. Over all these ideas of invasion are grossly misrepresented; look at many cities in the midlands - you could be forgiven for believing it.
I should generally be more concerned with the reasons behind such scaremongering, than the cast of those who live around me.
My experience is that all the colours that live in my city have the same established view on immigration - it's funny in some ways and shows just how much we are all of the same mind. I shall explain, without any bias on my part, the observation of second and third generation Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims (some for their religious means), Indians, Pakistanis, Somalis, Nigerians, Jamaicans and many other peoples besides, too numerous to detail here. All, pretty much without exception made the same comment and regard concerning the influx of recent european economic migrants, more specifically eastern european workers. Bluntly, 'who are they to come here and take all of our jobs?' Exactly what the white peoples of britain said about them so many years ago. We are all in some way suspicious of outsiders - what better compass of a nations people could such a thing be, that all have the same view?
I believe this show much about people. Not about whites, or blacks, browns, english, pakistani, indian or pole. But the one thing we all have in common - the roots we have that makes this land feel like ours (that's about as much national pride you are likely to see me convey). I like that. It's somehow very british and gives meaning to what I said before about the empire - it may have been just that once, but now it is all of those people with some common history that they would not have had otherwise, and which makes us very different today.
Numbers are not a real concern for me - I live in a diverse place - living as a majority, equal or minority has no meaning. Attitude is what is important. That the UK is a predominantly white country, reveals much when fears of cultural invasion are broached. There is much to be said for casual racism and stereotyping, but the truth is we all do it here, to ourselves and others, as a passing thing. What is more important is the underlying fabric of how we all live and share more than we often care to admit or see.
There are many in my community. For the most part, I like that too, same as everyone else here.
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