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Looking at the experience of black Britons through an American lens

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Re: Looking at the experience of black Britons through an American lens

#281

Post by koheripbal »

dkdbejwi383 wrote: post #96
drumhead wrote: post #62

Adele, the singer, was photographed at the Nottinghill Carnival (a massive Carribean street festival over the August bank holiday in London) with her hair in Bantu Knots and wearing a bikini top in the colours of the Jamaican flag. As soon as it was on twitter the you started getting tweets from Black Americans about cultural appropriation, but this was met in turn by fierce opposition from African and Carribean post…

As a British person with Caribbean family background, I found the reaction to this from the internet so strange. In Britain it's normal that the different cultures here mix. Shops selling Baltic bread, next to shops selling jerk chicken, across the road from a traditional English pub. People of all colours and backgrounds frequenting all of them. From an outside perspective, people in the USA seem very pre-occupied w…

> I found the reaction to this from the internet so strange

That's because "the internet"'s voice isn't the prevailing opinion of the general population. It is the fad-driven prevailing opinion of socially dysfunctional people aged 14-27.

Social media addiction is a disease, and en masse it has cast a shadow over all of political discourse.

Re: Looking at the experience of black Britons through an American lens

#282

Post by koheripbal »

somerandobrit wrote: post #124
dkdbejwi383 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a British person with Caribbean family background, I found the reaction to this from the internet so strange. In Britain it's normal that the different cultures here mix. Shops selling Baltic bread, next to shops selling jerk chicken, across the road from a traditional English pub. People of all colours and backgrounds frequenting all of them. From an outside perspective, people in the USA seem very pre-occupied w…

Exactly, compare the prison systems: America’s is segregated by race. You can’t mix with the other race or borrow something from them, or even sit on their table. In Britain the races mix, there’s no strict segregation, if there is any, it’s more segregated by town and county and areas.

In US prisons, the prisoners segregate themselves, btw - the prison itself doesn't do this.

Re: Looking at the experience of black Britons through an American lens

#283

Post by StavrosK »

Leherenn wrote: post #280
StavrosK wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a Greek, I agree. Ancient Greek culture influences a lot of things, but I've never heard of any Greek being offended by any of it, we consider it homage/remixing. Except the Parthenon marbles, we want those back.

North Macedonia/FYROM claiming ancient Greek/Macedonian heritage was (and still is I think, even after the recent events) a big issue though, no?

I think that has died down after the agreement (where they agree not to claim that any more). Their claim to ancient Greek heritage was an overreaction to a Greek overreaction to drive them out of south Macedonia (the Greek part) around 100 years ago. Before then, both races were coexisting pretty happily, as far as I know, but the Greek government decided to launch a propaganda against North Macedonians (slavs) in the early 1900s.

There is some reaction within Greece after the agreement, about how it's a betrayal etc, but I expect that to die down pretty quickly now that the matter is settled.

Re: Looking at the experience of black Britons through an American lens

#284

Post by dafoex »

esperent wrote: post #82
gambiting wrote: post #6

The problem exists elsewhere too, because of the extremely widespread proliferation of American media - I see the Polish media taking american talking points about race, sexuality, religion, and just transplanting them wholesale into the Polish frame of reference as if they were equally important here - more often than not, they simply aren't. While racism is a problem in Poland, it's not a systematic racism like in…

> While racism is a problem in Poland, it's not a systematic racism like in the US Are you sure about that? I haven't spent much time in Poland, but I've spent quite a bit of time in the baltic states and systemic racism absolutely is a problem there. It's just (mostly) against Jews and Roma rather than black people. I fully expect this is the case in Poland too. EDIT: yes,as I thought. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik…

Does that not also prove the point? The US view of racism being white against black eclipses all other forms of racism, including white A against white B, or even black against white.

That's not to say white against black is only a US problem, because it isn't, but it helpfully masks all other local problems and pretends they don't exist because "America said so".

Re: Looking at the experience of black Britons through an American lens

#285

Post by ccapo »

doctor_eval wrote: post #148
dkdbejwi383 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a British person with Caribbean family background, I found the reaction to this from the internet so strange. In Britain it's normal that the different cultures here mix. Shops selling Baltic bread, next to shops selling jerk chicken, across the road from a traditional English pub. People of all colours and backgrounds frequenting all of them. From an outside perspective, people in the USA seem very pre-occupied w…

In an attempt to lighten the mood a little, I would just like to relate a quick story about a restaurant I saw while visiting Liverpool many years ago. It was called, "Jamaican me Hungry". :)

Was it a Jamaican and Hungarian restaurant, because that would be awesome! I would try a Jerk Chicken Goulash in a heartbeat.

Re: Looking at the experience of black Britons through an American lens

#286

Post by somerandobrit »

koheripbal wrote: post #282
somerandobrit wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly, compare the prison systems: America’s is segregated by race. You can’t mix with the other race or borrow something from them, or even sit on their table. In Britain the races mix, there’s no strict segregation, if there is any, it’s more segregated by town and county and areas.

In US prisons, the prisoners segregate themselves, btw - the prison itself doesn't do this.

I know. It was a comment about the culture comparisons.

Re: Looking at the experience of black Britons through an American lens

#287

Post by esperent »

dafoex wrote: post #284
esperent wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> While racism is a problem in Poland, it's not a systematic racism like in the US Are you sure about that? I haven't spent much time in Poland, but I've spent quite a bit of time in the baltic states and systemic racism absolutely is a problem there. It's just (mostly) against Jews and Roma rather than black people. I fully expect this is the case in Poland too. EDIT: yes,as I thought. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik…

Does that not also prove the point? The US view of racism being white against black eclipses all other forms of racism, including white A against white B, or even black against white. That's not to say white against black is only a US problem, because it isn't, but it helpfully masks all other local problems and pretends they don't exist because "America said so".

Yes, it does. I wasn't arguing against the original point, on the contrary, I agree with it. I was arguing against the claim that Poland is free of institutional racism.

Re: Looking at the experience of black Britons through an American lens

#288

Post by mr_toad »

HowFarFallen wrote: post #26

>I have privilege as a White person because I can do all of these things without thinking twice about it … I can go jogging (#AmaudArbery). I can relax in the comfort of my own home (#BothemSean and #AtatianaJefferson). I can ask for help after being in a car crash (#Jonathan Ferrell and #RenishaMcBride). I can have a cellphone (#StephonClark). I can leave a party to get to safety (#JordanEdwards). I can play loud mu…

> violent criminals on the receiving end of justifiable responses?

Though justice be thy plea, consider this: That in the course of justice none of us Should see salvation.

Re: Looking at the experience of black Britons through an American lens

#289

Post by enriquto »

matthewmacleod wrote: post #254
coldtea wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it really isn't. American I presume? You have full rights to use elements of our culture from this here part of Europe (not that you ever asked our permission, you use them anyway. But it's not like we care either...).

No, your presumption is wrong and I'm Scottish. Everybody has the absolute right to use elements of others' cultures – and using them in a disrespectful or exploitative manner is something that I find distasteful and think its reasonable to object to.

Alright. And people have the right of being distasteful, it's an essential part of freedom of speech.

Re: Looking at the experience of black Britons through an American lens

#290

Post by 082349872349872 »

bloodorange wrote: post #260
082349872349872 wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I don't sing my mother's tongue"

"Coca-Cola, sometimes war"

At least we get sugar and not corn sweetener in our Coca-Cola :-)

Bonus clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9nE2spOw_o

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