Viewpoints Britains Mongrel Race: One Proverb Too Many. | Britains Mongrel Race: One Proverb Too Many. |
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25 April 2001 Too many column inches have already been given over to the ramblings of washed-up MP for East Yorks, John Townend in recent weeks. His bold remarks about 'our' decline into 'a mongrel race' have been pounced on by press and politicians alike, and he has been boldly, although not sufficiently, chastised. Townend seems unable to accept the reality that his home belongs to others too. He's a joint tenant who thinks he's the sole owner. The BNP also is still hung up on the 'go back home' set of slogans. People who still can't distinguish 'race' from 'ethnicity' need educating, and I suppose someone has to take them in hand and have a go. Perhaps if we could hold a mirror up to their foolishness, they would see the light? For as the Kenyan proverb goes, "If the baboon could see his own behind, he would laugh too". The problem is, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. People everywhere have grown up with this silly notion of 'The Island Race', and it's prevalent still. For instance, public response to Robin Cook's recent speech on race and ethnicity highlighted a widespread lack of understanding of basic British history. People went ga-ga over the idea that white people in Britain may not accurately call themselves a 'race'. They even smarted at the latest MacDonald's ad which features a little lesson in the 'Indian' roots of 'English' words such as 'pyjama' or 'cot'. It seems that the race debate in Britain is stuck at such a low level that we simply trade slogan insults like prep school brats. Townend hurls'mongrel race' at us, we hurl 'washed-up racist bigot' back at him. It's a system which is self-perpetuating and gets nowhere. This will show itself particularly in the next few weeks as the election draws closer. Soon enough policies will be drawn with the broadest strokes, aimed at the lowest denominator. One of these common themes in the present race argument is the right of people in Britain to call their country 'home'. Interestingly it's not only a rights issue, because it's also a question many British Born Chinese ask of themselves, not politically but personally. |
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