Racism

[Robert_Brenchley]

My wife, who's West African, went to the local Post Office, run by Asians, this morning to renew her car tax, and didn't have all the documents with her. So she had to come back for the MOT, since they wouldn't issue it without. We found it, back she went, and a while later she was back; they wouldn't issue it without the logbook. So we found it, and off she went. Then she came back again; they claimed it wasn't the logbook. Unfortunately, it was. At that point, I wanted her to go into town and do it there, but she insisted on going back to the same place, this time with bundles of documents. I followed five minutess later, and found her being assisted by another, white, customer. By that time he was issuing the tax disk, and trying to insist that she 'hadn't had the logbook' last time. He shut up quick when I told him that I'd seen it with my own eyes, but we won't be going back there again. Fortunately, there's no lack of Post Offices round here.

It's not the first time by any means that we've come across this sort of rubbish; people see that Namissa has an African accent, and doesn't always understand the bureaucracy, and they make difficulties. As soon as a white person gets involved, all difficulties mysteriously vanish.

[Robert_Brenchley]

[agapanthus]

Some people are just plain ignorant!!! :(

[Mrs Ava]

I agree agapanthus.  You should contact the postmaster/mistress and let him/her know what happened Robert.


p.s.  Next time, renew it online - we have just done ours, needed no paperwork, type in reference that comes with the renewal notice and everything was there, insurance, mot, logbook.  2 days later, today, tax disc arrived.  Very efficient.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'll get her to do that next time, thanks. I'm pretty sure everyone there is from the same family, so there's probably not much point complaining at that level. The others may even have enjoyed watching him put her through it, but he went very quiet at what I said to him, anyway. He won't forget that in a hurry!

[LauraB]

There does seem to be a lot of racism locally. It surprised me when I moved here - I grew up in a very multicultural part of Greater London which didn't suffer this much racism.

Hugs to your wife, she shouldn't have to shop in a different post office or buy online. She must feel crap  :(

[manicscousers]

hope she realises they're just a load of pillocks..some people just get a kick out of making difficulties, cyber hug for her :)

[Blue Bird]

Big hug for Namissa from me too - why cannot people be helpful instead of always making things difficult.  It makes me so angry  >:(

[Robert_Brenchley]

It makes me wild, and we've had so much of it. When we were trying to get her status sorted out after the wedding (this was a nightmare), she'd go down to the Neighbourhood Office for something routine like a letter confirming our tenancy, to be told that they didn't do any such thing. Then I'd go down, and they'd send it straight out. The worst thing was the moron dropping cockroaches through the letterbox. Things are easier now, but we still meet it pretty regularly.

[okra]

Good luck to both of you - why can't humans be more like animals - has anybody ever seen a cat, dog or any other animal attack a fellow species for having different fur colour

[louise stella]

I think that is worthy of an official complaint!

Because you do not need the logbook to renew your tax - just the renewal notice, MOT cert, and insurance certificate!!!

I did mine online this time - easy peasy!

I'm sorry to hear you have come across this stupidity - it makes me ashamed to belong to the same species!

LOuise

[mc55]

Robert, how terrible - this is a very sad reflection on our society.

[manicscousers]

it makes me ashamed to belong to the same species! by louise

no, Louise, not the same species at all, they're morons  :)

[Hyacinth]

I'm really sorry to read this Robert. Pleased that you were there to back her - does she  have this sort of battle regularly? And the girls, do they?

And absolute rubbish that a logbook's needed - it says quite clearly on the renewal notice what's got to be produced. So this was a b. wind-up by the post office peeps?

But also goes to show that 'racism' isn't confined to WASPS v 'the rest'. I despair.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Africans in particular have a hard time of it from other ethnic minorities. It's a really complex area, which gives loads of room for those who want to deny that it's happening, unfortunately. Namissa's now in London, and heading for Freetown for a month, which unfortunately ,akes it a little hard for her to make a complaint. We'll do what we can.

[Marymary]

It never ceases to amaze me just how horrid some people can be. 

Good to see so much support for you both from people on this site though.

I hope Namissa has a wonderful time in Freetown & I hope you will pass on all our good wishes.  :) Bet you wish you were going with her.

[Froglegs]

It is so sad that in this day & age that this crap still go's on............shamefull. :(

[Robert_Brenchley]

It would have been difficult for us both to disappear for a month and leave the girls! At least the place is at peace this time. Last time she went was soon after the big rebel attack on Freetown, the girls had already been in the war at one point, and the situation was so dicy we didn't know what was coming next. She had to fly to the Gambia, then get a really dodgy air taxi up the coast, and we were all halfway to having breakdowns by the time she got back. Things are better now, but the bloody government ministers are still stealing most of the budget, illegal mining is still going on, and the future looks pretty bleak.

[kenkew]

I've been reading this topic and waiting for responses. Well, they came and it was as I thought it would be, lots of support for you, Robert,  (and people in you and your wife's position,) which goes to show what 'normal' people think when racism raises it's ugly head.
It is a fact; regardless of what's preached, racism exists in all forms, in all places and for all sorts of reasons and I believe it's the 'reason's' that are the biggest cause. I don't think it's a ..........................
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I've just wiped out about 300 words written in anger, (which is just as well)........I'm trying to express something I feel in words....Not easy........

Briefly and with control then....Racism. The word is used many times when people mean something else....They mean, 'You nicked my job, You didn't put into the system, why should have the same benefits as those who did, You got a house before me, you have a bigger car, you got your kid into a better school,' .....it's all sorts of things that are not based on simply 'A different race.' Unfortunately people of a colour other than white do tend to be 'lumped together' when it comes to voicing aggravation and discord. How stupid and naive, many Black & Asian people were here before lots of us were born!

What bugs me are people who move countries and then bicker about what's on offer or start to abuse the system. This upsets the natives, ( Black, Asian and  White) and understandably so. If you don't like what you moved into then the answer is, move out again, if you don't agree with your adopted country's politics then use the ballot box, demonstrate peacably or leg it!

In Richards case; For someone to have a go at his wife because 'I know the system and I'll show you who's boss', makes my blood boil. Asians are good shopkeepers, they work hours that many people won't work, they provide a great service when we want it and I applaude them for that......but in this instance, I have the impression that these particular people lorded their position over a vunrable person in a case where they knew they could get away with it and I don't care what their colour or origin may be, I just wish I could have been present when that was going on.
If Robert had been the man behind the counter at his local DIY store for instance, and he behaved like that, asking the Asian post office guy who wanted to re-new a gas cylinder or such... for documents he didn't need, or harrassing him, what word do you think he would have screamed....!

Me Racist?........I spent the first 3 months of my army career teaching my mate Raff Mohammed, English! I shared a bed, a tent and a fire bucket of water for washing with a great FiJi pal, Wacky. I put boil ointment on a pals rectum...he was an African...etc; etc.

The answer is; Racism...Jump on it, don't stand there when you see or hear racism going on.
  Intergration is the real way to make it work, and I do mean by all races, that's not always easy. But understanding the other person, accepting and respecting that person's personal way of life and yet still being able to be yourself, is really the only way to a true multi-racial peaceful existance. We all have to give and take to make it work.
(....and that's my bit....)

[manicscousers]

The answer is; Racism...Jump on it, don't stand there when you see or hear racism going on.
  Intergration is the real way to make it work, and I do mean by all races, that's not always easy. But understanding the other person, accepting and respecting that person's personal way of life and yet still being able to be yourself, is really the only way to a true multi-racial peaceful existance. We all have to give and take to make it work.
(....and that's my bit....)

thanks, kk I think you expressed it brilliantly   :)

[MrsKP]

and do some research and be prepared.

Next time Robert your wife will know exactly what documents she needs to produce.

Knowledge is power.