Amelie said:
No, that wouldn't change anything- thats my point- i would already know them, i would have got to know them (and rightly so) as simply the people they are.
Its all great saying you don't have a problem with something, but you know- unfortunatly nurture is deep rooted eh- i was brought up in a house where it was deffo seen as wrong, and although i make no consious choice to find gay people slightly, i dunno, different i have only the last 10 years or so of my own thinking to back that up. The rest of my mind has that deep rooted notion that my parents gave me- even though i disagree with it now. Thats what i mean by subconcious, you might think you have a certain view on things, but sometimes the way yu have been brought up, or any influence for that matter can sneak in without you even thinking about it.
I don't class myself as racist, far from it- yet i was brought up to think that Indian people were some homogenous group of 'dirty paki's' as my dad calls them. I have always hated this, yet a few months ago when i was trying to make an insurance claim and i was trying for ages to describe sheet to an Asian lady, i must admit i thought, just for a second that i couldn't be arsed with the breakdown in lang, that, infact she was a bit stupid for not understanding- why couldn't we just have bloody English staff. This is wrong, but again its slight bits of your upbring, and the pressure form media etc that surley play some kind of role in the way you view individuals (rightly or wrongly).
Sounds like I would get along well with your dad
.
Seriously though, I disagree with you here. To have English staff, or indeed British staff with a clear spoken English language who can understand what youre saying in such a job isnt 'racist'. 'Racist' has to be the most over used word known to mankind in this country. To say that you wish that these telesales type jobs were in this country, which avoids this problem for the most part, or wish that its staff were more accustomed to our language and dialect isnt a 'racist' thing, its perhaps simple common sense, common sense thats thrown out the water cos of the spondulix of corporate greed and people forced into thinking its 'racist' to suggest it should be otherwise. Racist? I dont think anybody in here knows about issues of racism or what its about.
Ive gone opposite to my parents, things which Ive discovered about what I value are nowhere to be seen in my parents, and certainly not due to thier influence growing up. Both are/were Labour supporters, never outrightly said a critical word of asians in the town, which believe me, can often takes some doing at times. I, on the other hand have gone totally opposite.
My dad doesnt really feel too comfortable with the idea of gays. He is/was a practicing Christian, and perhaps he see's it wrong for people to be so blase about homosexuality and people thrusting it as something to be overtly proud of. I, on the other hand, again go the other way, and think that its not really an issue aslong as its kept quite 'normal' and not held as a role model to aspire to, promoted, celebrated and thrust at you. (Sorry). Dont condemn it, but dont promote it either.
Two gay women or men, whatever, fine, but theres no need for parading around with zips on the ass of your jeans (yes, Ive seen it), and camping it up to excess, and banging on about 'gay rights', having gay celebration days and whatever. Just get on with it, simple, its not 'special'.
Therefore, its not a case of being 'around' people.......sure, you get perhaps more subdued about it, but the notions and principles are still there whether you are surrounded by gays or asians or africans or whatever. Being 'used to it' doesnt mean its RIGHT. Being used to living in a high crime area doesnt make that right, being used to living in a society of paedo's doent make that right even though it was all around you and youve seen 40 year olds kissing 8 year olds in the shopping center all your life.
This individualism of 'knowing' somebody who is asian or gay (or selective immediate wider society) and thus applying your whole mentallity on that somewhat tunnel vision isnt really viable. It serves the purpose of making people feel more guilty for things which they shouldnt necessarily feel guilty about, cos they are told its wrong, supressing it, suppressing thought, and hence become more under the thumb, being so sure to prove you arent a 'whatever' label that you expouse to everybody else on your moral highground on the whole topic.
I could work with gays all day long and still find them irritating, I could have friends who are asian and still want to stop immigration for race and culture reasons, even deport people! lol. If you believe in something, you should stand by it and assess a general situation, not a one to one basis account. My mate says 'well, if nobody does owt to me, I dont care'......but what sort of an attitude is that? Its on the one hand commendable, taking people as they are, but on the other hand, he is prepared to let things potentially go to hell, or allow society to change simply because it wont affect him personally - sod the future, sod anybody else.
There is a balance there to be found, and people should stop being so scared to speak up, whether you dont agree with gay adoptions, or somalian migrant workers, or whatever the topic, just cos its deemed as 'homophobic', 'racist' or whatever. To have an opinion on gays which isnt all bad but not necessarily all praising doesnt make you a nasty 'homophobic'. Its like people are in a vacuum of debate in this country.
Anyhow, thats something for you to get your teeth into and rip me to shreds about lol. Kinky
. hahahaha.
Sirius.
(unless I'm being nonced up)
Still love you tho x 
