I'm so sorry, United Kingdom

It’s not really accurate to say the UK voted for independence. Young people, the Scots and the Northern Irish voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU. It was primarily older, white Brits in England and Wales who voted to leave, and we’re already hearing from them that many regret their vote. There is a move for a second referendum, a do over of sorts, with more than two million signatures.

We’ve also learned that Google searches for EU rules, regulations and how this impacts Britain skyrocketed hours after the vote. As if they were, oh, perhaps, maybe lied to about what this all entailed, and frantically tried to learn how it actually does work.

In reality, the EU doesn’t dictate economic policy in Britain. The British government does. And it’s been imposing austerity and neoliberalism for some time. The EU didn’t make the Brits elect Thatcher, or any conservative party MPs. That’s on the electorate.

And, yes, the EU has some major problems and needs radical reform. No question. But the radical reform of the EU, IMO, is a far better option than ceding control to far-right, racist, xenophobic forces who really won with the Brexit vote. The racist, xenophobic forces won. Immigrants and refugees, especially brown and black, lost.

Waterfield,

You’re correct about the term, “Mick.” I’m Irish as well. The English thought of the Irish as subhuman. Treated them as a different species, often like dogs. And they were treated that way in America when they first came over, too. Like dogs. Or worse. Some people treated their dogs much better than the Irish they encountered.

And it took many decades for the Irish in America before they were even considered “white” by the Anglo-American establishment.

Definitely a racist term.

Billy_T wrote:

Waterfield,

You’re correct about the term, “Mick.” I’m Irish as well. The English thought of the Irish as subhuman. Treated them as a different species, often like dogs. And they were treated that way in America when they first came over, too. Like dogs. Or worse. Some people treated their dogs much better than the Irish they encountered.

And it took many decades for the Irish in America before they were even considered “white” by the Anglo-American establishment.

Definitely a racist term.

The only work the Irish could get was usually on the railroads. When my wife’s ancestors sailed from Ireland even before the potato famine the only sea going vessels were by sail. Hard to imagine the courage it took to pack up their entire family, kids and all, and sail to a strange land they knew little about. They arrived in New Orleans as opposed to Ellis Island and began working along with the black slaves on the railroads leading to the west coast. They eventually settled in San Francisco and yes generations later they all became rabid 49er fans. Barb’s dad was the golf pro at Pebble Beach and she was born in Carmel. But we plan on returning to Ireland again for more research into her ancestry via the church records-which are apparently the most accurate.

And while I love my Brit neighbor and respect his knowledge of beer and formula one race cars I do sense quite a bit of superiority in his views of those who are “different”.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by waterfield.

Can’t be racist if they share the same morphological variations. In regards to race-

English = Irish.

Mick is an “ethnic slur” according to Wikipedia. An ethnic slur is a term designed to insult others on the basis of race, ethnicity, or nationality. However in your case waterfield it also goes on to say-

“However the complexity of the issue of the listing and usage of such terms needs to be noted. For instance, many of the terms listed below (such as “Gringo”, “Yank”, etc.) are used by large numbers of human beings in many parts of the world as part of their ordinary speech or thinking without any intention of causing offence, and with little or no evidence that such usage does in fact cause much offence.”

That certainly describes the usage of those by nationality I listed as used where I was raised and undoubtedly by your neighbor too.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by bnw.