I didnt have a cigeratte it happened a year and a half ago but I now distrust even hate Somali looking people coming towards me.Is this natural or is it the start of racism?
2006-11-17 18:49:03 · 14 answers · asked by dave c 1 in Social Science ➔ Sociology
Carry fags easy!
2006-11-17 18:51:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think it's natural to feel that way after a bad experience like that. Race is always the hot issue but if it was... say someone spiked brown hair that attacked you it is very likely that you would associate the memory with other random people with spiked brown hair.
If it was some one of your own race you would probably just not trust people in general or find some unique thing to identify with the negative experience and react with a similar discomfort.
If you recognise that your feelings are as a result of this experience and accept them it probably won't develop into racism, but that obviously depends on your own private feelings before. Stop trying NOT to be racist, that's how half the problems start in the first place. I think.
And I know it's hard to believe for some people, but people of other ethnic groups can be racist too! What if this Somalian had some negative experience with someone of your race and decided to take it out on you. At the rate we are going we are just going round and round in circle sharing the hate and ruining people's lives. Don't let it get you and don't try to push your feelings aside, they will only fester. Deal with them, that's the only way of not hating an entire group of people for the horrible action of one man.
2006-11-17 20:16:12 · answer #2 · answered by whyisthat 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I remember having my nose broken in the late seventies by someone who thought I was a 'Paki' outside Man. City's ground after they were beaten by Newcastle...or was it Sunderland - nevermind. The police picked him up as he was running away amongst the departing crowd. Got £40 'damages' and he was sent to Borstal (he apparently was on 'probation' for the same sort of thing). He was a white boy, about the same age as I (mixed race) was then. Just before he was released, his probation officer wrote to me, saying he had 'found God' and wanted to express his regret, and could I go to the Borstal (called Hindley, as it happens) with the officer. I agreed, but a week later his sentence was extended on account of him throwing hot water into an Indians face. I suppose it would have been satisfying to distrust and express cynicism - and perhaps racism, but was told it would be a long time before I experienced such a thing again - if at all. Racism was out of the question, as I was at Manchester Uni. at the time, and found that most of my friends there were white.
As scuzzy as your experience with the Somalian was, I suspect it would be easy for you to indeed express distrust and racism on account of the medias' behaviour nowadays towards North Africans and Asians as a whole - okay, that may sound weak, but as you said it happened 18 months ago, what has been the situation since (and has the current squealing of the press put you into gear to write your experience)? I don't cross the roads here in Norwich if I see a cropped ginger-haired man walking towards me, but in 1979, came to the conclusion not everyone in the world we meet will want to shake our hand. And that was 27 years ago - the world has become more harsh now, I fear, amongst all races.
2006-11-17 19:32:21 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's a horrible thing that happened to you, but it's worth considering why his race is the thing that stays in your mind.
I was once raped by a man, but I don't hate and distrust all men. The rapist was white, by the way, like me, so if I used race as my criteria, I would only trust non-white men.
The race thing stays in your mind because it's the easiest thing to identify. Unfortunately we can't tell if someone is a nutter simply by looking at them. Perhaps you could get to know some people of Somali origin, a family with children, that might help. I helped a Somali woman with her English a few years ago, she was great, really, really wanted to learn, wanted her kids to speak English and be part of our society. She has coloured my view of Somali people, so perhaps you could try something like that, to counteract the horrible thing that happened to you.
Good Luck
2006-11-17 20:21:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I was stabbed during a mugging 2 years ago. Strangely enough the guy was actually caught and given 8 years. This leaves the question of your attack, was the guy caught..? If not, its harder to bring closure to the incident because in the back of your mind every Somalian you see may be him. Its your own mental coping device, not the start of being a racist, Every country has its sour element, dont brand a race by one individual act.
2006-11-17 23:20:00 · answer #5 · answered by Merovingian 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hello
That's a trauma nobody forgets and you are only reacting to a violent experience. You have every right to be worried but as you know not all of a race are like that. TIME will heal the wound.
Depending on where you are you can get councilling from your local victim support group. It might help.
As for the guy who stabbed you. If you see him again stab the bastard.
2006-11-17 22:14:05 · answer #6 · answered by Jexf 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have a right to feel angry but you need to let it go or it will consume you. Try not to think of this person in terms of his race. Did you know his nationality when he first approached you? Probably not. Think of this person of someone in need of help who used you as a source to let his anger out. A horrible thing to happen to you, but these things do happen and if you express anger to every innocent person that you come across in the street then you become the same as the attacker. Recover now, you owe it to yourself.
2006-11-17 19:18:29 · answer #7 · answered by Druantia 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think this can lead to the start of racism because you're associating all somalian people with bad things. i'm sure not every somalian is a bad person, so for you to start hating all somalians, you are shutting yourself off from people who could potentially do something really good for you. that person who stabbed you could have been anybody - british, italian, american...but you can't start hating the world just because of one bad person.
2006-11-17 18:53:09 · answer #8 · answered by mighty_power7 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
I think it's pretty natural to hold anger towards the race of someone who attacked you,but think of it like this if the person who stabbed you was of the same race as you would you not trust your own race?
2006-11-17 18:52:04 · answer #9 · answered by Carl The green's keeper 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't care what anyone says the majority , well most of us, ok all of us has some kind of racism against another nation, person , colour. Those who say they are not racist at all are lying.
2006-11-18 11:28:01 · answer #10 · answered by Duisend-poot 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no its not. you are not a racist,the P.C. mob will make you feel as if you are.
i come from belfast but now live in glasgow, i have lots of proddie pals,my best mate here is a proddie,my scots wife is proddie,im a catholic,but i distrust prods from back home in ireland,i dont have any prod mates in ireland,am i a bigot/racist ?
2006-11-17 22:59:42 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋