In Reply To - Fear And Loathing In Hull (by Nicholas Boldock) By Anonymous

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I am just writing in response to an article saw on your fine website regarding racism in Hull in recent years. Firstly, I'd like to make it abundantly clear that I abhor racism in any form or fashion, my wife is Indian and I have many friends of varied ethnic backgrounds born in the West Indies or of African or Indian descent. I myself am a white man currently living abroad but having been born and raised in Hull and with these facts considered, I believe I can offer a unique insight on the situation.

Racism is a disgraceful and shameful form of behaviour to all man, but what is highly unrecognized in places such as Hull is that racism exists to an extreme degree between differing coloured races. It appears to be consistent in many places throughout the world that friends or even family members behave inappropriately in some cases with those people of a darker skin tone than themselves. Not being a black man, I cannot offer the specific logic behind this behaviour or exactly how widespread it is throughout the world; I can only hope it is minimal and decreasing. The term Paki as it was used in the article Fear and Loathing in Hull, was taken issue with in a rather pedantic way. Although it is an offensive term and I would rather that it was not used, it is important to note that throughout Indian communities, the word denotes a specific character of person, one with certain characteristics that defines them that do not amount to degradation of colour at all. I understand that the article was likely born out of an idea in which the writer was simply writing from memory and expression but I wonder if he would take this following thought into consideration.

The rather flippant comment which provoked such disgust in the author came from a female who was just as likely to receive similar treatment as a black person in the form of comments such as Getcha tits out! or other marvellously moronic expressions whilst walking down the street. These utterances, while commonly accepted, are no less offensive and inappropriate than any insult suffered by a woman or a person of colour being degraded for their skin; discrimination is discrimination in whatever form you find it but I wonder if sexism is no longer a fashionable or relevant enough cause for the author to ponder over, I certainly don't think we'd find him running to the hills seeking retribution for a sexist comment.

Unfortunately, racism is an ailment that still spreads in all corners of the globe but like some leprous disease, it should be avoided, and those carrying it should be quarantined and looked at through a window until a permanent cure can be found. Racism happens in Hull as it does in all cities around the world, it is a sad truth we must face but if we are to combat it appropriately, we must not face it with the blinders on.

Hull is home to many war survivors, pensioners and retains many old fashioned values, not a lot happens there, that is until the government decides to upset the equilibrium by unceremoniously dumping individuals seeking asylum into a system they have no knowledge of, and which has no knowledge of them and simply says, Off you go.

Hull is nothing exceptional in terms of its level of racism or incidents that occur there and there is no excuse for anyone thinking of it as some backwater place where individuals of little education simply cannot abide change. If that were the case, this website would not be available to the public now would it? Simply put, the government is to blame for this situation and yet they remain as some silent partner in a chaos they have created. There are no attempts made from them to assimilate the refugees into their new society or the citizens of Hull to the ways of the refugees. Without understanding there can never be any hope of settling this dispute. Immigrants from all over the world settle in a variety of ways, some make every effort to blend into society, working extremely hard and being grateful for all they receive while trying to learn new languages and making friends, while others maintain a hostile posture, insisting that their ways are the best and that they will remain so and they make no efforts to warm themselves to the community or the community to themselves.

Likewise, you will always have individuals that harbour racism towards refugees, people who will not educate themselves to the facts but I believe that the majority of people in Hull are good people and would listen openly and without prejudice. The author makes several errors in his statements though and they are what I alluded to as people having the blinders on. He states that refugees do not have access to mobile phones or vehicles or new clothes all of which are completely false.

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