So the web has been ablaze with footage of a Caucasian lady (holding a young child in her arms) hurling a barrage of expletives and racial slurs towards various ethnic groups on a crowded tram in the London area. Rush hour commuters were treated to a rousing manifesto for the repatriation of non-Brits in the two minute clip, which due to the magnificent power of the internet has amassed (at the time of writing) in excess of 353,000 views! The trending topic #mytramexperience has been the most discussed on Twitter today and I’m sure the video has been shared by hundreds of thousands on Facebook. (Facebook informs me 20 people shared the video on my list alone)
As a result debate, anger and surprise has surged on web platforms and probably more traditionally in social settings within the British Isles; with many people, both ’minorities’ and white/Brits expressing their disgust, offering impromptu History lessons and visualising what actions they would have taken had they been on the tram. Some people were agreeing…
The underlying question being discussed is: “Does racism still exist in Britain?”….Well yes it does undeniably. To be real if everybody chose to record their every venture outside their house similar distorted views of Brits and other groups of people would be found on the web daily. No doubt, I myself have been in contact with such foolishness before.
Alongside this comes the question: “Is Britain racist”…To which I answer “What Britain are you referring to?” If you are referring to Britain from a narrow-minded view, the ‘my Britain’ so passionately referred to by the lady *cough* I mean jailbird in the video, then yes it is ignorant racism personified. However, as a young black man born and raised in Britain, cared for by the NHS, taught in the British school system and an aspiring collector of Queen Elizabeth portraits (on English bank notes) for the most part the young lady’s ‘Britain’ does not match my experiences!
Most probably it does not match your own either, nor David Cameron’s, nor The Queen’s or my Yardie uncles. The reality is that Britain and especially cities like London are as fluid in culture, experience and description as definitions of love.
In relation to this and in all of this palaver, I have to state: I DO NOT CARE about what some slurring clown on a tram has to say about ‘her’ Britain and when I want Cockney entertainment I watch Lee Nelson’s Well Good Show. If living in the Capitalist west has taught me one thing, it is that time is money and unfortunately we’re all not going to get those 2 minutes of Pound Stirling’s back!
The reality is that prejudice and tension between racial groups is something that is entrenched and effectively a by-product of multi-cultural society…yuh cyaan run from it! You won’t find a place on Earth in which does not have racial tension undertones where more than one racial group is present. It may not always be visible, but it rears its head at times!..That’s human nature. We, even in our own communities find ways to squabble and plough over meaningless differences (lighty vs browning, Africa vs Caribbean, Yardie vs Smallie etc.) So why people entertain ignorance in instances like this, I fail to understand!
Now I know you’re probably sitting behind your PC or smartphone screen and thinking, “Well, by writing this article you’re doing the same thing!” However, I’ll have you know that this piece was not written without merit! A whole can of worms can be opened in relation to this issue, and I have a much bigger agenda or seed I’d like to plant in your mind. I want you to consider our state as members of the African-Caribbean diaspora…
Why would you leave this paradise?
Having frequently travelled to St. Lucia the reality from my experience is that a high percentage of young people do (or at least want to) migrate to Britain and other countries in the west in search of better opportunities. While I could care less about the young lady’s opinion, I do find it sad that many young people in St. Lucia (and probably other Caribbean islands) still feel they need to migrate to achieve.
I hope that we members of the black diaspora and those able to make a difference in the Caribbean and other African-Caribbean nations use propaganda like this to spur us to invest more in our own businesses and home nations. Let’s not act surprised that some are ignorant, ignorance will exist till the end of time and re-hashing boring issues will profit us nothing!
CaribDirect is one business that is no doubt working towards this end, support us as we grow and connect with us!
If you have any discussions/points to raise please comment or follow me @mrmcpherson1 and check out Alpha Publications a new online men’s lifestyle review, which seeks to provide young men with useful and stimulating content in order to aspire and achieve.
The views, opinions and positions expressed here are mine alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of CaribDirect.
