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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/29/covert-racial-prejudice-britons-violent-crime-hate
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| It’s not a brick through the window, but covert racial prejudice blights lives | It’s not a brick through the window, but covert racial prejudice blights lives |
| (4 months later) | |
| Fri 29 Sep 2017 16.50 BST | |
| Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 16.12 GMT | |
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| With so much bad news, good to focus on the positive. Over the past 30 years, this sceptred isle has become more tolerant on the issues of sex, sexuality and abortion. According to the National Centre for Social Research, we are less racially prejudiced than we were four years ago. Save for a blip in 2011, the number of Britons who would readily describe themselves as racially prejudiced has been declining for decades. Enjoy the glow for a moment: after that, things become more disheartening, certainly more complicated. | With so much bad news, good to focus on the positive. Over the past 30 years, this sceptred isle has become more tolerant on the issues of sex, sexuality and abortion. According to the National Centre for Social Research, we are less racially prejudiced than we were four years ago. Save for a blip in 2011, the number of Britons who would readily describe themselves as racially prejudiced has been declining for decades. Enjoy the glow for a moment: after that, things become more disheartening, certainly more complicated. |
| One in four, a quarter of those polled by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), admit that they are prejudiced to some degree against people of other races. Some of this relates to pigmentation, but for many race appears to be a proxy aversion to people of a different religion and culture, ie Muslims. We are talking about a quarter of a more than statistically ample sample of 2,220 adults questioned between March and April this year admitting to prejudice. There is no disguising it: this is who we are. | One in four, a quarter of those polled by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), admit that they are prejudiced to some degree against people of other races. Some of this relates to pigmentation, but for many race appears to be a proxy aversion to people of a different religion and culture, ie Muslims. We are talking about a quarter of a more than statistically ample sample of 2,220 adults questioned between March and April this year admitting to prejudice. There is no disguising it: this is who we are. |
| Does it matter, some will ask. Wait for the think pieces asking, “So what? Aren’t we all a bit prejudiced?” Then read the verdict from Nancy Kelley, the deputy chief executive at NatCen. She says: “It is important to get away from the idea that racial prejudice is hate crime, and think what the impacts are of the fact that such a high proportion of us described ourselves as racially prejudiced.” | Does it matter, some will ask. Wait for the think pieces asking, “So what? Aren’t we all a bit prejudiced?” Then read the verdict from Nancy Kelley, the deputy chief executive at NatCen. She says: “It is important to get away from the idea that racial prejudice is hate crime, and think what the impacts are of the fact that such a high proportion of us described ourselves as racially prejudiced.” |
| Those impacts aren’t hard to find. Prejudice in the criminal justice system, with black people more likely than white to be stopped, arrested, charged and harshly sentenced (3% of the population in England and Wales are black, but they account for 12% of the prison population). Prejudice in education, with black pupils three times more likely to be excluded than their fellow pupils. Prejudice in employment: an analysis of the 2015 Race at Work survey revealed that almost a third of the 24,457 employees surveyed had seen or experienced racism from managers, colleagues, customers or suppliers. | Those impacts aren’t hard to find. Prejudice in the criminal justice system, with black people more likely than white to be stopped, arrested, charged and harshly sentenced (3% of the population in England and Wales are black, but they account for 12% of the prison population). Prejudice in education, with black pupils three times more likely to be excluded than their fellow pupils. Prejudice in employment: an analysis of the 2015 Race at Work survey revealed that almost a third of the 24,457 employees surveyed had seen or experienced racism from managers, colleagues, customers or suppliers. |
| There is an impact at the bottom, in the middle and at the top. This week the Guardian/Operation Black Vote project The Colour of Power has shown the extent to which minorities still struggle to make it to the top of British companies and institutions. Of 1,049 key posts surveyed, just 36 were held by minorities. They aren’t victims of hate crime, but within those statistics we see the impacts of prejudice. | There is an impact at the bottom, in the middle and at the top. This week the Guardian/Operation Black Vote project The Colour of Power has shown the extent to which minorities still struggle to make it to the top of British companies and institutions. Of 1,049 key posts surveyed, just 36 were held by minorities. They aren’t victims of hate crime, but within those statistics we see the impacts of prejudice. |
| It’s there in the decisions that judge whether a person is merely chaotic or threatening, whether a challenging school pupil is merely boisterous or dangerous, whether someone who looks different would fit into the office environment, whether the executive cut from a different cloth really is the “right person” to run the company. It’s there as a guiding hand, like a computer program running stealthily in the background. It’s hard to address. We can call it out, train for unconscious bias, appeal to the better nature of the population. What is certainly wrong is to encourage it. That’s the saddest part.That’s what we have been doing. | It’s there in the decisions that judge whether a person is merely chaotic or threatening, whether a challenging school pupil is merely boisterous or dangerous, whether someone who looks different would fit into the office environment, whether the executive cut from a different cloth really is the “right person” to run the company. It’s there as a guiding hand, like a computer program running stealthily in the background. It’s hard to address. We can call it out, train for unconscious bias, appeal to the better nature of the population. What is certainly wrong is to encourage it. That’s the saddest part.That’s what we have been doing. |
| Look at two other elements of the NatCen research. Conservative supporters were much more likely than Labour voters to describe themselves as racially prejudiced – 33% to 18%. Cameron-era Tories – for reasons of self interest – tried to erase the perception of the Conservatives as the racially nasty party. By contrast, an empowered Theresa May, while mouthing lofty concerns about discrimination, actively tacked right to pick up Ukip voters. The thinktank British Future claimed yesterday that the tactic alienated minorities, and cost her 28 seats in June. | Look at two other elements of the NatCen research. Conservative supporters were much more likely than Labour voters to describe themselves as racially prejudiced – 33% to 18%. Cameron-era Tories – for reasons of self interest – tried to erase the perception of the Conservatives as the racially nasty party. By contrast, an empowered Theresa May, while mouthing lofty concerns about discrimination, actively tacked right to pick up Ukip voters. The thinktank British Future claimed yesterday that the tactic alienated minorities, and cost her 28 seats in June. |
| Then look at the stats as they relate to Brexit: 34% who voted leave admitted prejudice to NatCen, compared with 18% who voted remain. The Brexit campaign had many facets. Racism, certainly the prejudice fuelled by othering, was among them. | Then look at the stats as they relate to Brexit: 34% who voted leave admitted prejudice to NatCen, compared with 18% who voted remain. The Brexit campaign had many facets. Racism, certainly the prejudice fuelled by othering, was among them. |
| So this is who we are: a society that handles diversity better than most, and as time progresses becomes more liberal. But there are serious challenges to further progress. We know what they are; we self-diagnose. We can’t continue to shirk them. | So this is who we are: a society that handles diversity better than most, and as time progresses becomes more liberal. But there are serious challenges to further progress. We know what they are; we self-diagnose. We can’t continue to shirk them. |
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