Missing White Woman Syndrome

This article on the BBC web site is an interesting observation on the dreadful cases of abduction in Cleveland.

The trouble is that the media knows what stories are popular and will generate more advertising.

Although, the article is mainly about the United States, could we say honestly hand-on-heart, that the media would have taken the same interest in the Madeleine McCann case, if she had not been white?

Racist Behaviour In Serbia

The disgraceful racist and violent behaviour in Serbia yesterday, when England beat the country, is of course to be thoroughly deplored.

But the Balkans have in recent years not been a place where black footballers seem to be welcomed.

There is the story of how a teenage Titus Bramble, went to play for the England Under-21 in Albania around 2000. He was repeatedly racially abused during the match.

On return to Ipswich, he was interviewed by the East Anglian Daily Times about the match and stated that he didn’t know what the chants were, as he’d never encountered racism in his personal or footballing life.

In a way it shows how well and how early we started to get our act together over racism in football.

i have no idea, if the Albanians were punished for the behaviour of their fans, but the behaviour last night is in my view partly caused by UEFA’s and FIFA’s weak response to incidents like that match in Albania.

An Incident On A Bus

I was on a bus this morning, when a couple tried to get on without paying. They seemed to produce an old ticket claiming it had been issued earlier. But obviously, this didn’t fool the driver and he said no.

After a minute or so everyone on the bus started to get a bit impatient ringing the bell and rumbling about moving on. But the couple stood their ground.

it was then that the two biggest passengers on the bus moved forward to try to support the driver and sort the impasse.  One was a stockily-built, fifty year old or so,  white man in a suit and the other was a much younger, tall black man in jeans and a cotton jacket.

Faced with this irresistible force, the couple got off and possibly waited for another bus.

I was sitting next to a rather slight young lady and remarked that luckily you don’t see that too often. She agreed and we both wished each other well, as we got off a couple of stops later.

Perhaps we should have all cheered, but I think we thought that discretion was the better part of valour.

So, in the end, no-one or nothing was hurt, except perhaps the couple’s pride.

Coeliacs With West African Roots

One of the big differences about London, after coming back to live after forty years, is that now everybody tends to talk to each other a lot more.  A black lady and myself had a big laugh about it, after we’d walked up the road talking about our ailments and remarking that twenty years before we’d have been on opposite sides of the road.

One thing that has surprised me is the number of coeliacs, I’ve come across with West African roots.  I have written about the chef in my local pub from Sierra Leone, who is a coeliac, but several times, I’ve been asked in the supermarket about the gluten-free food in my basket, by shop staff and others, who are coeliac and have some roots in West Africa.

If it was just once or twice, I’d put it down to a random chance, but it is more common than that! Remember though that gluten has little part in the traditional West African diet, which is based on sorghum.

Hopefully the diagnosis of Michael Obiora; the actor, who was born to Nigerian parents, with coeliac disease, will help spread awareness of the disease.

 

Condolezza Rice Invited To Join Augusta National

Augusta National seems to have forgone it’s ban on women members, by inviting two women to join, one of whom is Condolezza Rice. It’s all here in the Guardian.

I remember a tale from a few years back, where someone in Houston, was employing a new secretary.  One of those who came for interview,said, that she was a woman, black and Jewish and therefore she ticked three boxes.  She got the job, as coincidentally, she was also the best applicant.

So did Augusta choose Connie because she ticked two? The other lady is white and blonde!

I have a feeling that Tiger Woods is not a member!

But then I’m very much in agreement with Groucho Marks on clubs.

 

I wouldn’t join any club, that would have me as a member.

But then, I’m a member of that dark club called widowhood.

Race, gender and sexual orientation are not restrictions as to membership.

Has London Got Friendlier?

Every Sunday morning, I take the Overground to Shadwell, where I switch to the DLR and go to Royal Victoria station, from where I get the Emirates Air-Line over the Thames to the O2.  From there, I go to Canary Wharf station, where I have a late breakfast in Carluccio’s.  This was my intension this morning, but I left my Oystercard behind, so I took the Jubilee line from Canning Town station to get to Canary Wharf. I’ve done it now perhaps six or seven times and it allows me to get a good view on the mood of London. Today everybody was very chatty and there was a generally friendly mood.

This wasn’t the first time, that I’ve noticed this upbeat mood on a personal level in recent weeks. One particular feature, is that I’ve had more talks with black people lately, than I’ve ever had in my past sixty-odd years. Could it be, that the Olympics is helping us to live together better, as in fact we all have more common interests, than those things that divide us?

In one instance, I walked away from a bus, with a black woman about my age, chatting about our health problems, both of us remarking that twenty years before, we’d have probably not said a word.

If this is the legacy of 2012, I’m all for it! Or is it just that finally we’ve developed a modern society?

Racism Is Less Of A Crime Than Bentner’s Underpants

At Euro-2012 Croatia have been fined €80,000 for racial abuse and throwing fireworks, but Nicklas Bentner has been fined €100,000 for wearing a pair of dodgy underpants. it’s reported here in the Daily Mail.

So I think that we now know where UEFA stands on racism!

Orient Fans Defy Racism

On Double Take this morning on BBC Radio 5, they interviewed three hardy Leyton Orient fans, who’d gone all the way to support England in Donetsk.  One was white, but the others were all or part-Bangladeshi. They were having a great time and had been made very welcome by the locals.

Let’s hope it all stays as peaceful.

Luckily for England, it seems most of the trouble  so far is down to old problems with Russia, like these when they played the Czech Republic last night. Hopefully UEFA have got it in hand.

When I went to Belarus, there were no problems, but a Russian lawyer, I met who supports England, talked of the problems between Russia and its former satellite states.

The Racism Has Started

Why did the old farts in charge of UEFA take the tournament to Poland and the Ukraine, when they knew it might happen?

This incident involving the Dutch is actually in Poland.

I don’t think that the Dutch govenment will take this lying down.

The Netherlands are playing their first match against Denmark tomorrow.

I wonder what the odds are that we don’t through the first round without racist trouble.

It’s Backs to the Wall Lads!

England at Euro-2012 are starting to look like the last time we fought a war in the Ukraine.  And I mean after the Charge of the Light Brigade. At least though the medical services are very much better.

I was listening to Sportsweek on Radio 5 Live and John Barnes, who probably knows more about suffering racism than most, was advising  the players to concentrate on the football if the chants got bad in the Ukraine, like they might do.  He advised against what Mario Balotelli had said he would do and walk off. He said “Let the referee and UEFA decide.” It might be difficult, but there are some strong characters in the England team. Remember too, in the first match against France, both teams will have quite a few black players and all of the players probably know each other well and will all stick together, if it turns ugly.