It’s
laughable reading Daily Mail's attempts at shock as they
‘uncover’ British attitudes towards race.
The Sun recently ran
a poll about young attitudes, and more than 80 per cent of those
surveyed would marrying someone of a difference race – they were
probably Black men.
In the Observer that week former Guardian boss Peter Preston was
going on about how fewer ethnic minorities there were at regional
newspapers, despite burgeoning minority populations. Well he can
talk, when I walked into a Guardian morning news conference last
year you could still play spot the only Black man – the
rest may have been behind the counter in the canteen.
Oh
and let’s not forget the Sir Trevor McDonald jibe from some
no-name (well very non-English sounding named) Tory MP who
suggested Sir Trevor only got his job because he was Black.
Considering they were still legally holding up 'No Blacks, No
Irish and No Dogs' when Sir Trevor came over, I doubt he's
product of positive discrimination.
Still, the icing on the cake had to be Thursday’s (28th
October) Daily Mail feature ‘Trading Races’ by Tessa
Cunningham. Here former Blue Peter presenters Diane-Louise Jordan
dons white skin for the day (I always thought she was white
anyway), whilst Janet Ellis goes Black and slums it in a pair of
£120 boots from LK Bennett. Both had to report their shock horror
findings.
In the first instance, both women looked hideously ugly. The
blacked-up Janet Ellis really only need wider eyes not to be
mistaken for a jam jar golly wog. Whilst sweet little Diane-Louis,
looked like she'd have no Halloween issues.
Their experiences were of the ‘feeling variety’ where they
'felt' they were being stared at even though nothing was actually
said. But that is the British way. In my experience white British
people will laugh with you, joke with you and then not give you
the job. There’s nothing new there.
If they wanted to experience something different, the blacked-up
Janet should’ve gone down to the DSS and try to sign on or get
seated in a decent restaurant.
Which is why these experiments are utter nonsense, no amount of
cosmetics and fakery can help them understand what it’s like
constantly being on the receiving end of the venomous daily
immigrant bashing headlines, digging at everything non-white
whether subtly or directly.
Diane-Louise Jordan should’ve taken herself down to a health spa
and got chatting to one of those middle-class coffee morning types
to hear what white folk really think when Blacks are not
listening.
Of course society treats skin colour differently, it’s an
established fact. Just cross check the prison population, the lags
crime and colour and you'll see.
As a Black journalist entering the editorial office of any
national newspaper it’s obvious. I scan
for Black faces. You may be able to gauge how you’ll be
treated if you’re not the token ‘Black’ (making up the
minority quota).
But every-so-often
newspapers feel compelled to take a swipe at racially intolerant
Britain when in fact they themselves are the commanders-in-chief
of shaping, influencing, and working up the frenzied mobs.
Trust
me I’ve always been Black and proud about it too. I wouldn’t
want it any other way, not even when there’s a van-load of bored
Policemen sat behind me in traffic. So please don’t tell me what
I already know, and what you damn well know, we both know. The pot
is black, the kettle is black and we’re Black, and in as much as
you’d like call us wogs, spooks and the dreaded ‘N’ word,
you can’t do it publicly. So what is really new in British
attitudes to race? Nothing.
