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Hello.
I’m white, middle class & English and once experienced blatant discrimination on nationality/ethnicity/race grounds ...
...now I know what you’re thinking.....But no it’s not that.
It’s something else.
But it taught me an interesting lesson.
A small thread
I’m white, middle class & English and once experienced blatant discrimination on nationality/ethnicity/race grounds ...
...now I know what you’re thinking.....But no it’s not that.
It’s something else.
But it taught me an interesting lesson.
A small thread
2/
A couple of decades back I was doing my “year abroad” in Germany. It was before the advent of budget airlines and students strapped for cash took lifts with a shared car lift service - Mitfahrzentrale - you booked via telephone and shared the petrol costs.
A couple of decades back I was doing my “year abroad” in Germany. It was before the advent of budget airlines and students strapped for cash took lifts with a shared car lift service - Mitfahrzentrale - you booked via telephone and shared the petrol costs.
3/
My German friend booked my lift for me and I was ready to go.
The driver phoned up to check details & then something happened. He found out it wasn’t my German friend traveling but his friend the foreigner - ein Auslander. He wavered. All of a sudden he wasn’t sure.
My German friend booked my lift for me and I was ready to go.
The driver phoned up to check details & then something happened. He found out it wasn’t my German friend traveling but his friend the foreigner - ein Auslander. He wavered. All of a sudden he wasn’t sure.
4/
He said he would “check his itinerary” again. We waited.
He phoned back & asked “what type of foreigner?”
English we confirmed.
He said he would check in later.
A couple of hours later we got communication from the agency that my lift was cancelled.
But it was too late...
He said he would “check his itinerary” again. We waited.
He phoned back & asked “what type of foreigner?”
English we confirmed.
He said he would check in later.
A couple of hours later we got communication from the agency that my lift was cancelled.
But it was too late...
5/
I had needed that trip for personal & professional reasons.
It was booked. I had relied on it.
It was to late to make other rearrangements.
In the great scheme of things tho it has not affected my life.
But 2 things here....
I had needed that trip for personal & professional reasons.
It was booked. I had relied on it.
It was to late to make other rearrangements.
In the great scheme of things tho it has not affected my life.
But 2 things here....
6/
Firstly I’ll never forget the anger I felt at being treated like this: the humiliation at some strangers opinion of me without even knowing me based purely on discrimination.
This happened to me once in my life, years ago...& I still remember it.
But there’s another thing..
Firstly I’ll never forget the anger I felt at being treated like this: the humiliation at some strangers opinion of me without even knowing me based purely on discrimination.
This happened to me once in my life, years ago...& I still remember it.
But there’s another thing..
7/
It’s occurred to me over the years:
Imagine if I had been treated like this once a year..
or once a month...
or perhaps once a week..
or even perhaps in some small way once a day?
It’s occurred to me over the years:
Imagine if I had been treated like this once a year..
or once a month...
or perhaps once a week..
or even perhaps in some small way once a day?
8/
This tiny little experience has stayed with me for years. Yet imagine how many white people never even think about this.
I don’t know what the answer to racism is.
But whenever someone tries to play down other people’s racist experiences I think of my anger 26 years ago.
This tiny little experience has stayed with me for years. Yet imagine how many white people never even think about this.
I don’t know what the answer to racism is.
But whenever someone tries to play down other people’s racist experiences I think of my anger 26 years ago.
