Mini Riot In The Bronx Last Night 4pm Started
- Thread starter Merlin the Magician
- Start date
Merlin starts off by reporting a serious incident in his area where groups divided along racial lines attacked each other.
Merlin is then ridiculed as being intolerant and racist. I am aware of some of Merlin's views from other threads and would disagree with plenty that he has to say, but all he does here is ask whether this was a one-off or might such confrontations become more widespread.
I don't live in the UK, so I don't know what the answer is, but the question seems legitimate.
Merlin is then ridiculed as being intolerant and racist. I am aware of some of Merlin's views from other threads and would disagree with plenty that he has to say, but all he does here is ask whether this was a one-off or might such confrontations become more widespread.
I don't live in the UK, so I don't know what the answer is, but the question seems legitimate.
I agree entirely with Grey. Yes, I know we've roasted Merlin previously for perceived racist remarks. I do not think this is anything like that - there's been a nasty racist incident in his area, and with what's happened previously in Bradford in the UK, and what's going on in the France right now, he has the right to ask. It's a bit ironic that Merlin's legit query is responded to out of people's bias towards him!
I would venture to suggest that the majority of us on this forum are not living in areas of high racial tension. If we aren't, lucky for us, then. If we are, then what is the cause? Racism doesn't just come out of a bottle - it has to have some root cause. Middle-class professionals appear, as they do in the USA and elsewhere, to get along regardless of their ethnicity. Race riots appear to happen at the less-educated, less-wealthy end of the social scale. So 'racism' isn't endemic throughout social strata. Or so we would believe.
For everyone who snipes at Merlin, ask yourselves very honestly how you'd feel if your teenaged daughter or son (or sibling) came home with a boy/girlfriend from Nigeria or Pakistan, or even someone whose grandparents did? Totally at ease with the situation/no questions asked/no slight qualms at all/happy if they're happy, etc? It doesn't have to be a full-on, SS-style hatred of people outside your caste to remind us that racial 'preference' lies beneath the surface of much of British society. I'm not sure about Ireland, since I doubt that the non-white uptake of immigrants is anywhere near so large, but it would be interesting to hear a response, nonetheless. Doors open wide in a cheerful welcome?
I would venture to suggest that the majority of us on this forum are not living in areas of high racial tension. If we aren't, lucky for us, then. If we are, then what is the cause? Racism doesn't just come out of a bottle - it has to have some root cause. Middle-class professionals appear, as they do in the USA and elsewhere, to get along regardless of their ethnicity. Race riots appear to happen at the less-educated, less-wealthy end of the social scale. So 'racism' isn't endemic throughout social strata. Or so we would believe.
For everyone who snipes at Merlin, ask yourselves very honestly how you'd feel if your teenaged daughter or son (or sibling) came home with a boy/girlfriend from Nigeria or Pakistan, or even someone whose grandparents did? Totally at ease with the situation/no questions asked/no slight qualms at all/happy if they're happy, etc? It doesn't have to be a full-on, SS-style hatred of people outside your caste to remind us that racial 'preference' lies beneath the surface of much of British society. I'm not sure about Ireland, since I doubt that the non-white uptake of immigrants is anywhere near so large, but it would be interesting to hear a response, nonetheless. Doors open wide in a cheerful welcome?
simmo
Senior Jockey
Bloody immigrants.
It was a throwaway remark on a radio station that according to the Central Statistics Office (usually 2 years out of date before being published) yadda yadda yadda.
It's strange that we have a dedicated Irish language television station for the six people who speak Irish and are unable to understand English, yet I have heard of no plans to set up a Chinese TV station (there is a dedicated radio station, I believe). Those six people probably don't have a television anyway.
It's strange that we have a dedicated Irish language television station for the six people who speak Irish and are unable to understand English, yet I have heard of no plans to set up a Chinese TV station (there is a dedicated radio station, I believe). Those six people probably don't have a television anyway.
Colin Phillips
At the Start
Mel, can we take it that you have no worries about the disappearance of the Irish language.
It would seem a great pity to me if the language was lost completely.
We were up against a similar situation, here in Wales, some years ago but thanks to a lot of determination on the part of a relatively small number of people, Welsh looks safe for a number of decades at least.
It would seem a great pity to me if the language was lost completely.
We were up against a similar situation, here in Wales, some years ago but thanks to a lot of determination on the part of a relatively small number of people, Welsh looks safe for a number of decades at least.
Honest Tom
At the Start
- Joined
- May 2, 2003
- Messages
- 1,272
Surely language is a barrier. Does it not make more sense to get shot of it.
I can understand, from a heritage point of view, why people would want to preserve the language, but it does nothing for me. Irish is a particularly ugly language, and bloody hard to learn. If people want to keep it going themselves, fair enough, but it is being inflicted on many who do not give a toss about it. Rules are changing, but my current understanding at present is.
You cannot study in the National Universities without passing Irish.
You cannot be a barrister without passing an Irish exam.
You cannot be a teacher.
You cannot be a lecturer in many forms of third level colleges (regardless of subject) without satisfying a requirement in Irish.
You cannot be a Garda...
There is a host of other stuff as well.
You cannot study in the National Universities without passing Irish.
You cannot be a barrister without passing an Irish exam.
You cannot be a teacher.
You cannot be a lecturer in many forms of third level colleges (regardless of subject) without satisfying a requirement in Irish.
You cannot be a Garda...
There is a host of other stuff as well.
Colin Phillips
At the Start
Mel,
I feel we will have to agree to disagree.
Most if not all of the same citeria apply to posts in Wales, not to the point that an inability to speak Welsh would rule you out of all of the jobs you mention but it would certainly be looked on as an advantage and your application would be looked at in a more favourable light.
I agree that sometimes the duplication of forms in that they are written in Welsh as well as English and the fact that sometimes we lose out on Channel 4 coverage of racing , when S4C (the Welsh equivalent) is being used to cover an International Rugby match in Cymraeg (Welsh).
But all in all it seems a small price to pay in order that we may preserve a language that has been in use for many centuries.
As far as language "being a barrier and they could be got shot of", I suppose the one language you would want to retain is English/American.
That I may is a typical insular British attitude.
If I may digress slightly. Mel you suggest that only about 6 people speak the language and they wouldn't own a TV set, well I would like to refer you to a certain Dublin pub (Palace Bar, if my memory is holding up) where we were enjoying a quiet pint. There were about half-a-dozen lads of University age sitting around a table carrying on a conversation in what we assumed was Irish. A number of people in the pub were moved to ask if they were speaking their native tongue, they said they were.
I hope you are wrong in your feeling that the language doesn't serve a useful purpose.
I feel we will have to agree to disagree.
Most if not all of the same citeria apply to posts in Wales, not to the point that an inability to speak Welsh would rule you out of all of the jobs you mention but it would certainly be looked on as an advantage and your application would be looked at in a more favourable light.
I agree that sometimes the duplication of forms in that they are written in Welsh as well as English and the fact that sometimes we lose out on Channel 4 coverage of racing , when S4C (the Welsh equivalent) is being used to cover an International Rugby match in Cymraeg (Welsh).
But all in all it seems a small price to pay in order that we may preserve a language that has been in use for many centuries.
As far as language "being a barrier and they could be got shot of", I suppose the one language you would want to retain is English/American.
That I may is a typical insular British attitude.
If I may digress slightly. Mel you suggest that only about 6 people speak the language and they wouldn't own a TV set, well I would like to refer you to a certain Dublin pub (Palace Bar, if my memory is holding up) where we were enjoying a quiet pint. There were about half-a-dozen lads of University age sitting around a table carrying on a conversation in what we assumed was Irish. A number of people in the pub were moved to ask if they were speaking their native tongue, they said they were.
I hope you are wrong in your feeling that the language doesn't serve a useful purpose.
No - I'm saying that there are about six people in Ireland who can speak Irish only. ie do not understand English. I would guess there is a fair portion of the population (5-10%?, maybe a bit higher) could converse reasonably well in Irish.