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IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Do many White Britons really get it about the offensive nature of Racism?
Why the BBC was right to drop Carol Thatcher

By Elaine Sihera
*(Author of "Managing the Diversity Maze" and founder of the British Diversity Awards)

Carol Thatcher, the daughter of a British Prime Minister, makes a remark about a French tennis player, saying how much he looks like a 'golliwog' and apparently, to date, 3,300 people have complained about her being dropped by the BBC and only 60 for the decision. In the eyes of some of the predominantly White media, that shows how 'silly' and 'pc' it all is, a storm in a teacup, how Britain is losing its way etc. But it is truly painful, as a Black citizen who loves Britain, to see how racism is taken for granted simply because White Britons have the power to behave as they like and often exercise that power in the form of branding everything to do with essential mutual respect as 'pc'.

Let's get one thing straight. Racism is an ignominious and offensive form of action. It takes a particular mindset to be racist against another. Racism robs someone of their value and their dignity, it derogates their race and identity and it treats them as undeserving and inferior to everyone else. Above all that, we are talking about the absence of MUTUAL RESPECT when we practise any kind of racism, yet we all seek respect for what we value, for what we cherish and what we hold dear to our hearts. We also give three strong messages about ourselves when we use racist terms against others.

First, that we are so low in esteem that we have to boost our ego, to get our kicks, to feel superior at the expense of another person who might be far less fortunate than we are and whose only 'crime' as the butt of selected 'in jokes', is the colour of their skin. No one can change their skin colour to what others might wish it to be, so to use racist terms against another is to define the actual value we too place upon ourselves. Simply because if we really love ourselves, and value who we are, we would understand how someone else feels about themselves too, the pride and joy in being a unique individual.

Second, the language we use identifies us and our mindsets, where we are coming from and where we are going. It shows what we value and care about by the words we actually choose to utter. Most people do not go round using a term like 'golliwog' to describe a Black person, especially in 21st century Britain, because the word was deemed publicly offensive some time back because of its questionable roots and its deliberate unflattering caricature of a Black image. When we easily use racist and derogatory words, we say a lot about how we perceive others who are different, how we regard people who might not share our skin colour and how we easily relegate them to be undeserving of our respect and inclusion in order to maintain our feelings of superiority.


Personal fears
Third, we allow fear to dominate our perspective as we foster a deliberate 'them' and 'us' mentality where people are identified in a purely derogatory way: by the colour of their skin, no other factor included. It shows a lot of personal fear because racism is the worst form of exclusion. Fear is a terrible thing when it comes to dealing with others because it allows for unnecessary barriers in appreciating who they are, it focuses on their differences negatively while completely ignoring the similarities we might all share. When we are not sure of how to deal with difference, we usually select the most obvious feature to transform into something worthless.

But there are other more practical concerns with this incident. This Frenchman is a guest in our country. Do we get our kicks from bashing visitors now instead of protecting them? What does it say about us and how we view our European neighbours, while pretending that we are much more advanced in racial matters? How would we like one of our treasured stars to be racially abused in another country?

Many White Britons still don't understand the nature of racism and why it is simply wrong to use racist terms. It has nothing to do with being 'pc', a term mostly used by people with power to excuse bad behaviour against more vulnerable members among them. Racism is the worst action in a mixed society because it is the majority group, the White section, that has the economic power, that controls the media (how many Black faces do you see or voices do you hear in Britain's media, especially in the positions that really matter?), that has the political clout, that makes the laws, sets social standards and controls the country's resources. It means they have the power to do whatever they like against anyone who might be different simply through sheer numbers, history and exclusivity. Being openly racist is also a part of that power, especially in the absence of minorities in positions of authority to give alternative inputs.

In a year when the first Black person has been elected to be President of the United States, and to lead the Democratic Party; when the first Black person has also been elected to lead the Republican Party, it is time Britain moved into a new exciting phase of its own and ditch the racism. We are well behind America now and it is time we stopped behaving as if we are so inclusive, so respectful of each other or so understanding of our heritage, if we can still easily condone racist acts. Time to stop the racist smugness and start the healing process. Time to get out of the 'golliwog' and racist era and join America in celebrating difference. Time to be much more genuinely inclusive of minorities by ensuring their voice and valuing their contributions instead of simply derogating them because we can. Perhaps we might even learn to truly appreciate ourselves as a nation in the process.

It might only have been a simple word. But words define who we are, what we wish to emphasise and how we we truly value ourselves and others. For a privileged lady, whose mother set such a remarkable example for this country, Carol Thatcher's action was thoughtless and shameful and should be condemned as such by every person who is proud to be British.

Thank you, BBC, for your very prompt action.

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