When you ask right-wing individuals about racism in the UK, they roll their eyes and tell you, 'THERE IS NO RACISM IN THE UK!' It's as if, as soon as someone starts talking about the racism that still exists in the UK, they lose their temper and refuse to listen. Of course, they don’t seem to care, as it appears they are indifferent to ethnic minorities or any kind of minority.
Given the current unrest in the UK, with far-right extremists marching on the streets and attacking ethnic minorities, I honestly question the intelligence of anyone who believes racism isn’t prevalent here. Most polls and research studies highlight various areas where ethnic minorities face discrimination. However, don’t mention this to right-wing individuals, or they will get defensive and label you as a snowflake or SJW, because they are still stuck in 2016.
Finance Discrimination
According to a YouGov poll (The extent Brits feel ethnic minorities are discriminated against in getting finance (yougov.co.uk)), many Brits feel that ethnic minorities are not discriminated against in getting finance:
and when you break it down by conservatives, 63% believe they don't, and only 9% think they do.
However, they are wrong about this, according to research from Fair4All Finance, conducted by Ipsos, 22% of individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds have faced racial discrimination when interacting with financial service providers. Additionally, those who are more financially disadvantaged tend to encounter discrimination more frequently. ( source: Levelling the Playing Field: Building inclusive access to financial services for people from minority ethnic groups | Ipsos , 1 in 5 people from minority ethnic groups experience discrimination due to race when dealing with financial providers finds new report - Fair4All Finance )
Although labour and Lib-Dem supporters also highly believe that ethnic minorities aren't discriminated, its comparatively not as bad:
2. Job Discrimination
According to another poll (The extent Brits feel ethnic minorities are discriminated against for jobs (yougov.co.uk)), a lot of Brits admit ethnic minorities face discrimination for jobs.
But once again, conservatives:
So what does research say about this? Well, study reveals that ethnic minorities in Britain face higher rates of unemployment partly due to racial bias in job applications. Researchers, including Dr. Wouter Zwysen, Dr. Valentina Di Stasio, and Professor Anthony Heath, found that applicants with names indicating they are from ethnic minorities are less than half as likely to be invited for interviews compared to those with names suggesting they are white British, despite having same level of qualifications and experience. This disparity is evident in employment rates as well, with groups such as Pakistani, Bangladeshi, black African, black Caribbean, and Middle Eastern minorities experiencing significantly lower employment rates. ( britsoc.co.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2020/december/ethnic-minorities-more-likely-to-be-unemployed-because-employers-reject-applications-from-non-white-names/ )
3. Discrimination at Workplace
The poll ( The extent Brits feel ethnic minorities are discriminated against in the workplace (yougov.co.uk) ) shows that majority of brits believe ethnic minorities are not discriminated against in workplace
And what do conservatives believe?
Which is ridiculous considering the fact there have been so many studies done to indicate ethnic minorities face discrimination at workplace. According to Race At Work 2021 report from Business in the Community’s (BITC), Employees from Black, Asian, Mixed Race, and other ethnic minority backgrounds are twice as likely as their White counterparts to experience or witness racist harassment from managers, clients, and colleagues. ( Race At Work 2021: The Scorecard Report - Business in the Community (bitc.org.uk) ). Furthermore, according to UK Gov 2019 report, 15% of NHS staff in England from ethnic minority backgrounds reported experiencing discrimination at work from a manager, team leader, or colleague, compared to 6% of White NHS staff. (NHS staff experiencing discrimination at work - GOV.UK Ethnicity facts and figures (ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk) )
Conservatives often deny that racism is an issue in the UK. Why is it so difficult to accept that one can love their country while acknowledging the challenges ethnic minorities face? Instead of dismissing discussions about racism or white privilege with eye rolls or whataboutism, it would be more constructive to address these issues. This denial reflects a troubling, cult-like mentality.
It is evident that conservatives are either racist themselves, or don't care about racism at all.
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