Rixy

I don't really have an opinion on this as I've been in Canada for 14 years and it's been at least 5 years since I've been back to visit.
But it seems like there is a lots of comments on social media these days that we are racist as island and I don't remember people being that way. Maybe its a Brexit thing (although the EU do run things crappy so I get it).

Pollyana

Doesn't seem any more racist than it used to be, really. There will always be fekwits, in every country. Doesn't mean the whole place is the same.

christmasoompa

I think it's a lot less racist, and far more diverse.

The difference is social media, which gives the idiots an outlet and somewhere to publicly spout their hate, whereas before they'd only be able to share it with their family/the blokes down the pub etc. So I think it's just more noticeable now.

dbd33

There are popular figures promoting racism now in a way that hasn't been acceptable for a long time, that's how they got Brexit done, and now there's a racist television station. Football supporters haven't changed but more of society has adopted their attitudes.

spouse of scouse

Is it even possible for an entire nation to be racist?

christmasoompa

What's the racist television station?

Rixy

That's what I thought exactly.

Rixy

All the comments make sense. It's mostly social media I see, people from mainland Europe and Africa.
I gave up facebook ages ago and now I think I'll give up Twitter, etc. Just too much hate on those platforms
I know we are not perfect nation in the past look at the stuff with John A MacDonald in Canada but I believe we have come a long way since then.

Atlantic Xpat

GB News aka Fox/Breitbart lite. Any TV station with Nigel Farage in a Union Jack waistcoat is inherently racist...

To the OP's question, I think UK is still considerable more diverse than Canada, or at least many parts of it and not inherently racist. There has been a government in power for some time that has encouraged and amplified racist tropes ("How dare those footballers take the knee, keep the politics out of sport" etc etc) for their own means. It's no surprise then, for the echo chambers and amplification of social media to make it very visible.

Fred Drifting....fun fact, if you post the pic of an England supporter bent over with a lighted flare stuffed up his arse which was doing the rounds on twitter yesterday to Facebook it apparently contravenes FB rules on nudity and you get a stern automated warning. Ask me how I know....

christmasoompa

Never even heard of it. Won't rush out to watch it then.

Moses2013

Apart from social media and everything else, it probably feels that way because the nation is so diverse. Redheads were always bullied and it wasn't seen as racism when a white British person made fun of them. Because the nation is now so diverse the chances are even higher that other ethnic groups will bully that person, so today it would be seen as racism (It always was in reality).

Paul_Shepherd

Totally agree with this. It is more diverse and attitudes have changed towards race.

The problem is social media...as you say its a much bigger platform to broadcast it. Its toxic. and it is a major problem to modern society, I have never had anything to do with it because its full of imbeciles that post rubbish like that.

Rixy

Wow that paints a great picture if we didn't have a bad england fan rep as it is. One of the reasons I brought up the topic is that I'm getting a bit home sick and was thinking of moving back. When I first came to Canada I lived in St. John's, NL and it was just enough english/irish mix to quell the homesickness but last 6 years I've been just outside Ottawa and the people are cold to talk to.
Maybe I'll go back to Newfoundland instead of England.

dbd33

Er, this talkboard is an example of social media. Paulry is an example of an imbecile who posts rubbish like that.

Jingsamichty

Of course the nation isn't racist. But there has been a marked increase in xenophobia, which was stoked quite deliberately by pro-Brexit campaigners. Add to that the current 'culture wars' being waged by reactionary groups - including by members of the government - against anyone or anything they deem "woke", and it seems as though large parts of England* are indeed very angry about, well, everything.

*It appears to be a uniquely English phenomenon, not the UK as a whole.