“Where are you from really?
With the results of the UK 2021 Census and today’s Royal Household debacle, I think it’s time to resurrect this post.
I have recently been considering reasons why systemic racism exists and continues to persist. The following is just one example of systemic racism in the UK.
Let’s look at the question “Where are you from? No, where are you really from?”
The rather innocuous first question is loaded with so many potential “microaggressions”, but actually it’s not the fault of the person asking the question (unless they are deliberately trying to provoke a reaction). In this example, the fault actually lies with the British government’s list of ethnic groups.
Why?
The first question in and of itself is not racist. Colour aside, it could be asked of anyone that could be discernibly considered not to be British. If the reason for the question is because the person speaks with an accent that is not considered to be obviously British, or dresses in a way that would be seen as unusual to a British person, one could be forgiven for making the assumption that the person is not British.
After asking the first question, the second question becomes rather offensive to anyone asked it. “Where are you from really?”
To anyone that is either British by birth or by naturalisation, the person asking is disregarding the first response as irrelevant to the person’s national identity. But this second question is only asked to a person that appears different, if you are white, with an identifiable British accent and nothing else to obviously identify you as different, you will never be asked the first question let alone the second.
But for anyone who is Black or a person of colour in the UK or in any white western nation, no matter how well integrated into the culture and society, we will always be identifiably different. This is what sustains systemic racism, but what follows is the justification for systemic racism and why I can’t call myself English.
In my example, I was born in the UK, to Caribbean parents. In the UK government’s list of ethnic groups I am categorised as Black British.
https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/style-guide/ethnic-groups
However, unlike the White UK community, I cannot be categorised as English. Only the White ethnic category has the sub category of English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish as well as British.
So even though I am a proud Englishman and even though the flag of St George is my national flag (I even fly this over my house in Switzerland on St George’s Day), because I am Black I cannot be English and neither can any other English born person of colour.
This is just one example of systemic racism in one nation, but this exists everywhere. Our responsibility is to highlight it where we see it; only by highlighting it can it be changed.
Really — English Subtitles
Really — German Subtitles
#antiracism #endsystemicracism #speakup
