I think that the general public in Britain are afraid to stand up and be counted when it comes to beliefs. I was talking to a mate putting the world to rights and whinging that this is wrong and that is wrong etc when it occurred to me. If i was talking to a stranger would i say the same things?
An example of this is Muslim head scarves (Hijab). Both of us are of the opinion that they are intimidating exclusive and not right for promoting a secular society. Now if however i was within a group where there ware Muslims present would i voice those opinions. Or. just keep quiet for fear of being branded a racist or some such other thing?
Another such thing. According to BBC news there is a school in England that teaches students who between them have 17!! different languges used as a first language. Again i think learning English should be mandatory to ensuring a British passport and that it should be used wherever possible to the exclusion of other languages.
I could go on...
Do you, like I, feel we have a silent majority held to ransom by a busy body minority?
I see a lot of different types here in London. Many from 'traditional' backgrounds, who then go on to have families and build their own communities. Their children learn to speak English and usually perform as well as other UK residents. Some don't revert back to traditionalism within their own communities, but form a compromise as an interim stage.
Other people do eventually drop their characteristic traditionalism and wear western clothing and learn to use English with an accent etc. But sometimes it means we lose that diversity and they lose some of their character.
The UK really is an immigrant country. Especially so in the last 100 hundred years.
There is a certain amount of concern that an opinion could be taken as an insult, so people are careful, But I don't think we all want to live in fear.
Unfortunately, I agree with Srne. I never knew this day would come ... :doh:
I think everyone that comes into this country to work and live should have to be able to speak our laungage..it is hard to express an opinion with out worrying about being judged as a racist...at the moment everyone seems very uneasy about dirrerant cultures it probably comes down to a lack of understanding from everyone..with my job i work in the middleeast alot and you meet some very decent and welcomeing people and also some of the worst..it is something that needs to be sorted out before the situation gets beyond control.
We will always say things to trusted friends that we would not say in public. How often have do we think to ourselves, 'He/she is opinionated'
Then again is it bad to hold an opinion and debate it with others? Is it better to keep it to oneself and never test it in cold day light?
Language
In India English is sort by all young people. Why? English is a passport to well paid jobs.
Travis
You can talk about anything with anybody if it's broached in a respectful way and everyone involved is capable of listening.
I am always very receptive to people that have different beliefs and views to me, but only if they have some knowledge/reason/experience to back it up and don't view my questions as a personal attack.
I would like to think my opinions are things I have spent time thinking about and are evolving as I learn/experience new things - so in that vain I wouldn't mind talking about them with anyone who was interested or curious.
its a case of the silent majority I think...yes people are afraid to voice their opinions for fear of being branded this that and the next thing...however it woud appear that its not the older people of the immigrant/asian communities who are opting for the wearing of hjab etc......lets not beat about the bush this is all part of the radicalisation of the young people of this country.
Go to any ex-pat community and you'll find British people living as though they were still here, what's so different to other cultures coming here and doing the same? Is it because it's a culture we're not familiar with so we see i differently? Personally I'd prefer people to come here and feel that they had the freedom to bring their customs and beliefs with them, do we want to turn the whole world into one homogenised society?
H.x
In edit: Ta FB
Did anyone see Panorama last night on BBC1. It was discussing the divide that appears to be forming between the black/asian community and the white community in Blackburn.
I did find some of the expressions created by the media inflammatory in my opinion.
White flight seemed to be a bit extreme a phrase for white people moving out of the area.
The media is very powerful and needs to think carefully about how it presents items of news it thinks may be relevent to the cultural mix/divide in this country nowadays.
It did reveal though that things work both ways re integration and acceptance. One young couple a white man and an asian girl found walking down the street together quite an intimidating experience. They said they felt hositility from both sides of the community.
Not new I grant you but sad after all this time that its still happening.
DD
Many of the world's strivers and skivers come here because we have a system which by and large actually works and has a good deal of the world's wealth arriving here.
If we didn't have a flow of produce and people here we would starve. Or be eating turnips out of the ground with our teeth, if anyone could be bothered to plant them.
We have an enormous legacy of trade and labour directed towards us because we have a controlling factor in the world's economy. It's not about wideboy traders in the Stock Exchange making thousands per deal its about 2-300 years of trade across the world. A huge legacy that people across the world believe in, and thereby continue to contribute.
We don't like to see lazy sods sponging off our system, but on the world scale we can afford it, believe it or not.
I am not afraid of my own opinions even though often people don't agree with me.
For what it's worth, my opinions on some of the things brought up in this topic go as follows.
The Hijab. If people choose to wear something then I have no right to question them. This goes both ways -they have no right to question what I wear or my reasons for doing so either.
I do have some reservations regarding the apparent patriachal nature of some religions, but peoples religion and culture are thier right. This being a free country, we absolutely should respect the rights of people to dress and act however they like so long as that does not infringe on the liberties of anyone else.
This is where any fundamentalist religious belief can get onto a sticky wicket in a country with freedom of expression - but it is important to allow people freedom of religion and expression even when we don't agree with them.
I know a number of women who wear the hijab, and I like all of them as people, and I like thier husbands, too. I don't claim to fully understand Islam or the reasons for wearing it, but I accept that if that's what they feel they should do, then that's thier choice and I have no call to question that.
I harbour absolutely no religious beliefs whatsoever. and disgree wholeheartedly with an awful lot of what religion stands for, (and agree with a lot of it too - who can argue with, 'Thou Shalt Not Kill'?) - but that's a personal opinion and not one I thrust down anyone elses throat.
Looking after people who choose not to work
While this goes on and is annoying, I am happy to pay my taxes to ensure there is a safety net for those who need it. If some people take the piss, then that is no reason to remove the safety net for those who genuinely cannot work. I don't like the idea of people starving to death, or dying because they can't afford medical treatment. There are people who abuse the system, but there are a lot of people who need it. I would hate to have an American style system where everyone just looks out for themselves and sod anyone who can't afford to look after themselves.
Immigartion and Asylum Seekers
I have a similar point of view. There are those who need sanctuary in this country and there are those that take advantage. But just because there are those who take advantage does not mean we should turn outr backs on those who need us. If we could get it right and refuse asylum and privelegs for those who are taking advantage without making those who are genuine suffer, then I would be all for that. But, unfortunately, the arguments seem to be all or nothing, and given a choice, I'd personally prefer that we helped people who needed help and a few piss takers got through the net, than if we turned everyone away and genuine people suffered because we were afraid of having the mickey taken.
I'm an Asian - and have lived in this country for over 45 years - so this is home for me and my family - never even been back to India where I was born in fact. I have always felt that us 'foreigners' should integrate and not segregate....the odd thing is my brother and I had a recent discussion about 'being British'....and we came to the conclusion that in many ways, he and I are actually MORE 'English' than a lot of the indigenous population!. We go to church on Sundays - and am part of various comittees within, we value the countryside, love and respect this country as home to the point that my kids NEVER litter, or vandalise etc. YET - we STILL get abuse from the ignorant youth - who tell us to go back to our own country - yet quite happily smashing in a phone booth for fun! Most frustrating I can tell you! Incidentally, the British Raj when in India, really did not integrate - seeking to educate the natives to the British way of life - so maybe we shouldn't expect total integration heh? Also, the Brits in Spain don't integrate or learn to speak Spanish - instead they build a community within a community of British pubs etc.....just as the foreigners here do! Now isn't that food for thought??
Kash
Have to say, Woodlake - you certainly write better than a lot of 'native' English people! Apologies, couldn't think of a better way to phrase that - no offence intended.
As to the changing language - I wonder if 'text speak' will become an acceptable misuse of the language? For example, in literacy examinations.
