Have you ever been subjected to Racial/ Cultural Abuse/ Discrimination?

[AdamGB]

Being mixed-race, I tend to get it from everybody. I've been called pretty much every racial insult pertaining to mixed-race, black, Asian & Arab people & had racial abuse for the white side of me. So I'm kind of used to it. Truthfully, most of the time people come out with stuff, it's generally because they're ignorant, e.g. use of the term 'half-caste' which is very racist, but many people think is the normal term for mixed-race people, hell I did when I was little.

I used to have no problem beating on people for racist abuse, whether they were black, asian or white, but that was mainly when I was in my teens. Nowadays I get very little of it, mainly because being a bit older & bigger, I'm not perceived as an easy target. It's more general stereotypes that piss me off, like people always asking to buy drugs off me when I'm out in a club or when I had a job interview & the interviewer kept calling me 'man' & doing weird shit with his hands, as if I was a some ghetto stereotype in a string vest with a 40 oz rather than a double graduate in a suit.

Oh & for the record Adam, being a white male isn't what's holding you back. It's no easier being a non-white male, although I'm not saying it's harder. I think it generally boils down to class & who you know. A guy I did my Masters with, who was a considerably weaker candidate than me was able to get a job straight off the course. He didn't get jobs ahead of me because he's white, he got it because he's middle-class & his dad has a production company, cue connections. My old man has a small company that takes care of sewage maintenance. Sadly won't get me a job at the BBC

In most jobs that's the case, the areas I've found it in have been goverment jobs... there's strictly no canvasing.

The last one I went for before going self employed was in a Newcastle City Council Gym.

I had more qualifications than they wanted, I had experience and knowledge of everything on the person specification for the job and displayed this on my application form... I even had experience in working in newcastle city council (one of the specifications was 'able to work within and represent a local body). Ticked and exceeded every box... everything they wanted.

Like I said I live in a pretty nice area at the moment, so in terms of 'class' that's all they've got to go off on an application form.

They also wanted to know my ethnic background, maritial status, disabilitys and sexuality....








The application closed about 6 weeks ago and I've yet to hear a thing... I met literally every part of the person specification and my qualifications exceeded the minimum. Experience preferred but not necessary... I've got a shit load.

Not even an interview.