I'm Not Racist But....

By Ruth Daly

In this, the first of my monthly blog posts for ROI Against Racism, I want to discuss the language of everyday racism in Ireland and beyond.  It is easy to recognise and call people out on overt racist behaviour – we see videos popping up on social media every day capturing racist attacks on public transport.  Just last week in Ireland, a 19 year old was sentenced to 18 months in prison for a vicious racist assault on two teenage cousins.  The assault, which took place in 2013, has left one of the young victims blind in one eye, and both young men have talked about the devastating emotional consequences of the violent racist attack they were subjected to.  While people are quick to condemn such overt racist assaults, many choose to overlook the more subtle, everyday forms of racism that are often presented in the guise of a joke or stereotype of some description. 

It is imperative that we recognise that language is not simply a means of communication. Rather, it is fundamental to everything we do, essentially housing the value through which we live our lives, a theory proffered by many critics.  It’s particularly worrying that a most insidious form of racist behaviour has become so commonplace and normalised in our society that prejudiced views and opinions are given the space to become validated. 

On a number of separate occasions, I have found myself in the company of people who have prefaced a statement with the words: ‘I’m not racist, but…’ what Sociologist Bonilla-Silva calls a ‘discursive buffer.’  He writes that this use of language became ‘standard fare of post-Civil Rights racial discourse.’  While the person uttering this disclaimer might think themselves unprejudiced, this all-too-common use of language is hugely problematic.  For one thing, these words carry with them inherently racist connotations.  In my experience at least, the subsequent remark is usually an explicitly racist or derogatory one.  Ultimately, in using this ‘discursive buffer’ a person is both acknowledging that they are going to say something racist while simultaneously absolving oneself of all responsibility in perpetuating prejudiced rhetoric. 

The idea that one can remove any sense of accountability for one’s use of racist language with a trite disclaimer is wholly unacceptable.  It illustrates the immense power of language as it points to the issue of a deeply embedded racist discourse which is often accompanied by a tone of cultural superiority. This of course leads us to another, huge, manifestation of racism, white privilege (which I will discuss in a later blog) which proves rather difficult as a point of discussion with someone who vehemently denies they harbour racist views or behaviours.  Lest we forget, as long as someone proclaims that they are not racist first, they can then make all manner of racist remarks.  So what can be done?  If we refuse to challenge the insidious, surreptitious everyday racism that has comfortably settled itself into our everyday lives, are we complicit in acts of racism? I would answer that with a resounding Yes! As Desmond Tutu puts it, ‘If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.’  We know that racism is by no means an inherent thing, but rather, it is a learned behaviour.  In educating ourselves about the deep-seated nature of racial discourse, and our complicity in that discourse if we choose to remain silent in the face of racism and prejudice, we can continue to work towards an inclusive Ireland…

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1. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Racism Without Racists (Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield, 2009), p. 57.
2. Ibid.

Direct Provision ; Will Common Sense Ever Prevail?

by Michelle Mitchell

 In my previous article for ROI against Racism I spoke of Direct Provision and its implications for the lives of those who are forced reply on it as a system for survival in Ireland. As this is very current issue in the media at the moment I would like to address the issue of the cost of direct provision in Ireland. Early this week The Irish Examiner published that ‘Direct Provision Contractors receive €5m each year in state fees’. Therefore in total last year Direct Provision has cost the state €53m to support the 4,364 people who rely on it. There is no denying that this is a substantial amount of money for any government to spend but particularly if the country they are running is in economic recession as Ireland is at the moment. Therefore why the government is choosing to invest such an amount of money in a system that dehumanizes and essentially imprisons people, I simply cannot understand. Surely this money could be invested more wisely and with sincere goals for equality and social change in mind.

The lack of available rental properties is one reason why asylum seekers, who despite being granted Irish citizenship are being forced to survive on Direct Provision. Therefore the logical solution to a problem such as this is for the government to increase spending in social housing schemes and rent supplement along with increasing rent supplement thresholds. Now, I am not an economist but I do foresee that if this were to occur, what would transpire are many long term advantages for both the person in receipt of direct provision and the government alike. As a sociologist what I can predict is that when an asylum seeker no longer relies on direct provision and has a fixed abode they are then in a position to secure employment and up skilling opportunities which they will utilize (despite some racially motivated ideologies). This in effect increases their assimilation and integration in Irish society and hence the racial social divide that currently exists is in a prime condition to weaken and narrow. In terms of parliamentarian benefits, economic contributions in the form of taxes and less overall reliance on the Irish government for living support from ex direct provision recipients can only serve to boost the Irish economy which consequently provides numerous advantages for the government.

Speaking this week, Minister for State for New Communities Culture and Equality, Aodhán O Riordáin described the implementation of Direct Provision as a ‘regrettable periods in Irish History’, publically admitting that this system does not work. Protests were also held this week with texts on placards from asylum seekers stating that the want ‘the right to integrate’, believing that direct provision does not allow them to do this. Thus I would like to conclude this piece by proposing that instead of contractors earning a large income on a suppressive system by receiving money from a government that claims poverty every day, which this money is invested into providing homes for asylum seekers. As previously stated I argue that this can be achieved by a restructuring of social housing and rent supplement policies. Perhaps the large amount of “ghost estates” that need completion would be an area for consideration to facilitate this?

I Love Tea But Not In That Mug: Controls on Immigration on the Table

by Lorraine Lally

As a tea lover the misuse and abuse of a mug which is a common household item to send a message was upsetting because these items will survive even if the Party does not get elected. This mug was not Ukip either which another worrying point is.

 

To quote Diane Abbott a member of the Labour Party “This shameful mug is an embarrassment. But real problem is that immigration controls are one of our 5 pledges at all”.   I was severely distressed and sickened almost to the point of not wanting a cuppa tea at the United Kingdom Labour Party selling red mugs with a pledge.  They are being purchased for 4 pounds, can you imagine buying a mug stating “controls on immigration” there were no mugs stating “Increase Disability Supports” or “Promote Child Welfare” or “Report Domestic Violence”. The United Kingdom is our closest neighbour and the discourse that is present there is equally present in other EU States such as Spain.  Barcelona has a serious issue with illegal immigrants like most European Countries.  And on a recent trip it was clear the ghettoization that had occurred in the City. I hate seeming the use of high rise buildings with large amounts of impoverished migrants who are all surviving in unacceptable conditions often in accommodation that is not appropriate.

 

When talking to a member of staff in the hotel about racism he stated that there was a symbol on the entry to some nightclubs as blacks/Arabs and other foreigners are not welcome. The person telling me this was of African descent with a Spanish mother.

 

I asked him if it bothered him and he reckoned that it was easier to keep the peace and stay away from where you are not wanted.  I mentioned segregation and he did not understand I stated to keep people separate like apartheid. He told me there were no apartheid just cultural and religious issues. He told me that Spain was struggling and that it would improve. What was going to improve?

 

As a tourist in Barcelona you are harassed on the beach by individuals trying to sell you drinks and sun glasses none of the individuals are natives to the country with broken English and equally broken Spanish. I wonder if they are trafficked. Are they struggling to pay off a debt? Are they sending the entire money home to their families? Are they depressed at the thought of their entrapment?  You could sense the desperation which was a little unnerving for someone looking to lie in the sun on the beach which is what I really wanted.

 

The situation is bad in Spain through the eyes of a tourist and on the last day we saw the individuals on the beach mainly African men fleeing toward us at the top of the pier there was an immigration control police car.  On returning to Ireland I read an article that made me smile when I saw that Spain will allow illegal immigrants access to public health care. 

 

In Ireland illegal immigrants can access public health care and are provided with medical cards based on need and income.  This situation will change and we need to be aware of all the changes within the EU to ensure that we protect the most vulnerable people who are trapped. They are often stuck in a foreign country what we need to realise is that country maybe our country.

 

I once met a woman who was over 8 months pregnant and had not seen a single doctor out of fear. I reassured her that she could give birth in Ireland and that the staff would take good care of her. I was lucky to know a midwife who reassured her over the phone that her welfare and that of the baby were the only concern of the hospital. She asked my friend to confirm they would not take the baby from her as she sat before me wearing slippers her feet were so swollen. She told me that she had been preparing to give birth at home. I told her about Noel Browne and the Mother and Child Scheme and explained that we have a proud history of providing good care to pregnant women .We need to make sure that we make good policy decisions and that our changes going forward in relation to health look at international best practice and not the budget costs involved.

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 Spain to Allow illegal Immigrants access to free public healthcare http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/11509227/Spain-to-allow-illegal-immigrants-to-access-free-public-healthcare.html

Racism; How We View Each Other

by Nyasha Mhandu

Race for not simply the colour of a person’s skin, it is all things cultural combined that make someone who they are. Where are you from? Where were you born? Where do you live? Innocent questions that I will live with for the rest of my life, when I am in Ireland I am not fully Irish but when I am in Zimbabwe I am not fully Zimbabwean so how do I identify myself? The development of technology has had an increasing effect on migration all over the world and the lines are blurring between who is of this and that race. Ireland as a small society has only began to experience multiculturalism in the last 25 years especially in Dublin although there is still major racial issues evident. The new generation of Irish is not the stereotypical red haired freckled Niamh and Eoin, I know Liam and Nathan born to fully Zimbabwean parents who may never get the chance to see Zimbabwe now that most of their relatives are spread around the world so where are they really from? Being racist or not racist does does not directly imply the dislike of another person because of their race but in our everyday manner and respect for other people. Words such as ‘chink’ ‘paki’ and foreigner itself are wrongly embedded into Irish colloquialism and the negative association with them mirrors an unwelcoming society. Although many of us don’t admit it there is an element of racism in all of us in that when we see someone who is of  a certain who sounds or dresses a certain we confine them to a box of stereotypical mannerisms.

‘Do they walk their dogs?’ ‘Do they have blonde hair’ I distinctly remember asking my dad on the phone before I moved to Ireland, this was my perception of varungu the Zimbabwean term for white people. To 12 year old me if you weren’t black you were white and I was going to live in a country with white people racial diversity was not a notion I had thought of before. I had mostly seen white people on the television prior to the big move and as I look at my attitude back then there I had been raised with an embedded superiority of white skin over black skin. This racial superiority is not something only common in Zimbabwe as I noticed it during the time I spent in Thailand. When the volunteers introduced themselves we all had to share where we are from and I would introduce myself as being from Ireland and so would another pale red head girl I had worked with and there would be a common muddled look on the children’s faces. As I worked mostly with children I noticed a lot of them instantly attracted to spending more time with my white colleagues where as it took them some time to relate to me. However as time developed one of the children got comfortable enough to really get to know the difference she touched my hair skin eyelashes and compared them to hers and I felt satisfied we all equal we really were.

The widespread consensus that has been highly encouraged by the media is very much of a whitewashed society, in black communities there is a significant amount of effort put into having long straight hair or lack of appreciation for very dark skin. I myself have been subject to this as a young black woman I have seen myself making a lot of effort to fit in by getting a very long weave instead of braids just so I can have the same silky smooth hair as all my friends. The older I get the more aware of this I am and it is in my best interest to love myself as I am afro and all. Racial stereotypes about black people that have indirectly affected me include the stereotyping of black people loving chicken or being seen as loud. Growing up in a predominantly white society made it significantly more difficult for me to accept my awkward puberty phase, I grew hips and a bum a lot faster and bigger than the majority of my peers. The body shape I developed is the same as that of my mother and my aunty but I cannot say it is that of all black women. It is only since Hollywood has accepted the current trend of a big bum not being ridiculed and associated with being fat I see people commenting on my figure in a positive manner.

Prior to writing this blog I had not fallen victim to any comments I would have found deeply hurtful however on St Patrick’s Day this year a comment made by a homeless man on Henry Street really hit home for me. Walking out of work with my colleagues he struck up conversation about the violence and noise and immediately he turned to question me about ‘the likes of you’ and why we like fighting. Although the comments were not taken personally it is the fact that no matter how hard I strive to be a better version of myself to someone else my melanin levels will always be more important than my contribution to society that always play on the mind.

Racsim ; Learning from Living

by Hannah Church

When I first sat down to write this post, I struggled. I didn’t know what I could bring to the cultural diversity and the media discussion. I don’t know what wisdom I have to impart on the topic. All I can give is what I’ve learned from life and growing up in the world I have. I feel that the best education a person can get comes mainly from experience. If you have a bad experience in a restaurant you’re not likely to return or give it a good review. If you go to a film and absolutely love it you’ll rave about it to your friends and encourage them to see it as soon as you can. And what about people? If you have a negative encounter with a person, you react. Some fight back, some take note to avoid in the future and most recount their experience to friends. This can often affect the friends’ judgement regardless of whether or not they’ve had their own encounter. This could be a far too confusing and convoluted analogy of how I believe media representation of different cultures can work. I don’t agree that traditional media is the best place to learn of other cultures. It can narrow our minds. With the introduction of new media however, there has been a new sort of revolution in the way people of all different cultures are exemplified and represent themselves and show their lives and struggles. We can be exposed to so much more now than we ever had been before. Our minds can broaden and so can our attitudes.

            I’m a twenty year old college student with no real worries or stress other than what I’m going to do once I’ve graduated. I’ve had it relatively easy. I’ve lived a sheltered, happy life and I, unfortunately, have not had many life changing or mind blowing experiences of different cultures. Other than visiting a few European countries every now and then on a family holiday, I’ve never travelled anywhere than takes more than four or five hours on a plane to get to. So I can’t actually regale you with any stories of my travels and the cultural education I’ve gained from each trip. All I have to offer what awareness I’ve developed over time of different cultures and how they can be represented or misrepresented and the obstacles that are still hindering a culturally diverse and developed world.

Living in my sheltered existence meant that many of my cultural experiences, outside of what I’d encountered on a few family holidays, came from outside sources. Mainly the media. The media nowadays is a regular form of education. We get our news and current affairs, our Information on people, places and events, and it can help to expand our knowledge and broaden our minds. Traditional print media and television can help in our education of the world. However, it can also end up interfering in our view on certain cultures. I watched a lot of television as a child. I would watch shows and cartoons on Nickelodeon, I would rent every Disney movie I could and I would love every minute. This is where my cultural knowledge started. Or lack thereof. The most popular shows at the time, and probably most impactful, were the American shows. I would notice small messages here and there within the shows. For example, all Asians are smart or nerdy or high achieving and not very social. Or all African Americans are cool or trouble makers. I would later learn that this was stereotyping and how damaging it is. We were fed closed minded messages like this so often. It’s really troubling how much of this stereotypical content is in children’s television.   I’ve never had to really face racism in my life. My only experience was in second class in primary school, I wouldn’t share my crayons with a class mate so she called me a racist. I remember getting incredibly offended, even though I didn’t fully comprehend what she meant, and I quickly assured her that she was wrong and actually I wasn’t sharing my crayons with anyone. After that day I stopped bringing in any crayons because I’d rather avoid the drama. I grew up not understanding racism until it was discussed in school. We were told in history class about the racism experienced by the Irish by the British. We learned about the atrocities Africans Americans were subjected to for centuries. We read roll of Thunder Hear My Cry as a class to teach us how wrong racism is and what it did to families and entire cultures. Though we knew that racism hadn’t suddenly become extinct it was easy to feel that it had only really happened in the past. To believe it happened when people were less civilised, when they didn’t know as much or understand empathy like we did today. “That was ages ago”, we could reassure ourselves. Having been exposed to the internet I can see that the world did not fix itself in the way we had been led to believe.

Through the internet we can be exposed to so many harsh truths. Not everyone has grown up with the same sense of what is right and what is wrong that I have. We can now see through YouTube, social media, bloggers and online news outlets racism is still out there. More so than we’d like to think. Scrolling through comments sections on videos or articles it is common place now to see at least one or two racist remarks. A simple YouTube search will bring you page upon page of videos with someone sharing their experiences with racism or even videos containing racist content. It’s eye opening. I am a particularly empathetic person, you cry, I cry. So consuming this content can be hard. But I’ve learned so much more about what is really happening in the real world than I had before.

With the introduction of this new media I feel like the conversation about racism, cultural diversity and identity has really taken off. Because though there can be some dispiriting content out there, there is also an army of people who are ready to defend and speak out and fight against the way things are. For example, the tragic cases recently of the shooting of Mike Brown and the death of Eric Garner in America were covered extensively online. Thousands of people came out in protest of the racist treatment of these men, showing their support in so many ways through social media. Stories like this may not have had as much coverage and may not have had a chance to gain as much support as they did if it had been left to traditional media to decide what story takes preference. With social media and new media the story, the issue and the outrage could all be heard clearly.

I believe that a culturally diverse and accepting world is so much more obtainable now with new media. There are so many incredibly intelligent and broadminded people from every corner of the globe ready to give support, speak out and defend themselves and others against oppression, racism and cultural ignorance. There are so many people ready to learn more than what traditional media has told them to be true. There are also people who will abuse their right to freedom of speech and will offend and insult and attack the developed and diverse mind-set. But it is important to know that there are people like that out there, and not just naively believe when your teachers tell you that racism was in the past. This is the only way we can continue learning and growing and fighting for a diverse, accepting future. 

A World of Cultural Diversity

by Adam Halpin

Ireland is not the most diverse of nations, with less than 5 per cent of the population being of an ethnic origin other than white. As a result, one would expect a low level of discrimination and racism. In my opinion, while racism in the sense of colour is not a massive problem in Ireland, there seems to be a lot of discrimination based on origin. I find that people often comment and complain when they hear an accent from overseas as they immediately associate that accent with preconceived notions of a particular nation. These generalisations need to stop and as a nation we need to become more open and accepting, we are not all the same, but we are all human and share many similarities. I’m glad to say that I haven’t witnessed many racist acts in Ireland, but unfortunately they do happen and are mostly based on traditional stereotypes.

To be honest I feel that overall Ireland is a very welcoming country and most people will treat people with culturally diverse backgrounds in a respectable manner. In my opinion, most racism in the world can be dealt with through education, as once people know more of the world and its people they will be less likely to discriminate against those from elsewhere. Currently Ireland seems to have a system of cultural integration in that immigrants tend to respect the cultures and traditions of Ireland while keeping their own beliefs, cultures and traditions, as opposed to cultural assimilation which sees national identity forced upon all citizens. While at the outset, a clear national identity may seem favourable, in some cases it may result in negative outcomes, for example in France, where cultural assimilation has led to many racist attacks in the past. The first extreme case of racism that I have encountered occurred in France when I was 16 as part of a cultural exchange program in Transition Year. My exchange student had racist views, believing that all black people and “Arabs” were thieves who wanted to take over France. While comments such as that were disturbing, I was even more shocked when he told me to put my hands in my pockets whenever anyone that wasn’t white passed us. Attitudes like this need to disappear and can only do so if cultural diversity is respected and accepted. If that experience taught me anything, it is that as world citizens we need to be open to different cultures and look at what makes us similar rather than what sets us apart.

Last summer, I worked in Orlando, Florida in the United States as part of a J 1 programme and was pleasantly surprised to see how well racism is dealt with in America. While on the outside America may seem similar to Ireland, it is a much more culturally diverse nation and has often been seen as a melting pot of culture as all cultures tend to exist together. This was particularly evident to me when an African American colleague jokingly asked me if black people existed in Ireland. My immediate response was that they did exist in Ireland, but not as they do in America, as I would consider most black people in Ireland as Irish. Whether or not this is a good thing I do not know, but I do find it very interesting that  cultural diversity is treated differently in different parts of the world. I find America particularly interesting in how it treats multiculturalism. Minority or ethnic groups are established, e.g. Italian American, Irish American, Asian American and African American which differentiates these groups from the rest of the population. As a result, the majority of these groups keep traditions from their place of origin, often creating their own communities which led to the development of ghettos or “China-town” like areas where people of the same ethnic origin live together. While these minorities may be accepted now, it has taken a long time for America to overcome discrimination and it is still a work in progress, with racism still occurring in some areas.

It is difficult to say whether integration or a “melting pot” can deal with multiculturalism adequately, as there are even more ways that other nations have dealt with cultural diversity. While the melting pot of the United States celebrates the different cultures of American citizens it also creates minority groups, which separates them from the wider society, in a way alienating them. On the other hand, cultural integration also has its issues in that people are forced to let their heritage become more refined in order to respect the national traditions of the new country.  As a result it’s hard to say if either is suitable for a world without racism, but a mixture of both could allow ethnic cultures to better blend in with mainstream culture.

It may take a long time for racism to vanish, but in my opinion, Ireland has already taken small steps which could be built upon. In general people need to become more informed, whether this is through school or public information campaigns, everyone needs to be encouraged to be more open in their outlook of the world and its people. It is clear that people may have established judgements which may negatively influence their actions. However, if people know more about different cultures, they may be less likely to make racist comments or attack people out of discrimination. A recent experience which has allowed me to see the similarities of cultures was last week, when I visited a mosque for a college assignment. During this visit it became clear to me that Islamic beliefs are not that different from Christian or Jewish beliefs with many more similarities than differences. I found this particularly surprising with the amount of violence cause by Islamic extremists which shows that even minor differences can cause disruption. These differences really shouldn’t separate the world, but unfortunately they do. In my opinion if we all embrace our similarities rather than differences we may be one step closer to a world without racism.