Casual racism - when does "banter" cross the line?

Banter -

• the playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks
• chat that is playful, intelligent and original

I am a Leicester City supporter. It's the place of my birth, and I have grown up in the city. It is a city that has a relatively high ethnic population, and one that has been proud to promote cultural diversity and integration. Leicester is famous for this. Consequently, the football fans have been subjected to racist abuse from other fans over the years. One place I didn't expect racist chanting was in Bristol.


It was the usual kind of thing ("small town in Asia"), with a couple of new ones thrown in for good measure ("Leicester's a shithole, it smells of curry"). The section next to the away fans were united in voice, and probably couldn't stop laughing at the "banter". The irony is that some of these fans would probably have enjoyed a post-match curry themselves, after celebrating their victory over us. It's not as if there is a dearth of curry houses in Bristol. This is what makes this kind of chanting sad; when fans see it as "banter". "Oh, we're not being racist, it's just stereotypes/a bit of a laugh/pointing out the obvious/whatever...". Unfortunately, there are plenty of people out there who don't see a problem with what is casual racism. Okay, so it doesn't promote hatred - these aren't your stereotypical racist thugs singing this stuff, you know. This was the stuff of 1970s working mens' clubs.  


But isn't racism a form of ignorance? Supposedly harmless chants like the ones the Bristol City fans were singing against the Leicester fans are based on ignorance at the very least. Should this be tolerated? I don't think that it should. If you start to justify such comments, where do draw the line? There are people who feel that they can justify the most hateful and inciteful racist attitudes. Why should ignorance be allowed to stand?


At half time, I asked one of the senior stewards is anything was going to be done about the chanting, and was told that 8 fans had been ejected, along with 3 Leicester fans for retaliating with "small town in Wales". Speaking to some friends, there was a divide as to whether being associated with the Welsh was just as racist as being Asian. To me, there is very little difference. Again, I don't think it's borne out of malice most of the time, just ignorance and immaturity. It's disappointing and somewhat embarrassing that fans can't support their teams, instead of trying to insult their opponents.


More concerning, as a Leicester fan, are the songs directed towards our Japanese import, Yuki Abe. The Japanese do not eat dogs. How would these people have reacted if they were told that when Gary Lineker made his debut for Grampus Eight, the locals were singing "he only eats frog's legs" or "Gary'll eat your horse"? It's factually as accurate, after all.


It's not clever, it's not funny, and it certainly doesn't meet my definition of "banter".

When the going gets tough....

I haven't blogged for a while; I haven't really been in the mood. I've seen things and thought "that would make a good blog post", but when push came to shove, I just haven't been motivated.


The decision not to apply jobs until after our holiday looks to have backfired big time. On top of this, my failure (in my words) to secure pupillage compounds my own self-inflicted depression. I may be down, but I'm not giving up yet.


At this moment in time, my voluntary work is a shining light in these dark, bleak times. I am so close to completing my training, and have to complete assessed interviews with real people before I can be let loose. It's something that I'm looking forward to. Feeling like I'm doing something has lifted my spirits; it's a pity I have to wait two weeks, with it being unlikely that I'll be advising before the New Year.


One thing that has emerged today is the news that Sergeant Mark Andrews has successfully appealed against his conviction for assaulting Pamela Somerville. With the officers who were involved in the death of Ian Tomlinson not  facing criminal charges, these are worrying times. How can the police expect to gain respect from the public when they are permitted to use disproportionate means to deal with us? When a male officer can throw a woman half his size into a cell, causing her injury, and have it justified on the grounds that "she was drunk", then what other excuses could be used to defend similar actions? Mr Justice Bean did say that Sgt Andrews "could have done things better"; yes, by keeping within legal limits, for a start.