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

[JazMerkin]

It depends on the job too.

A local solicitor's, builder's merchant etc etc won't have these in place but The Fire Service/City Councils have to fill certain quotas of 'backgrounds' to receive full funding from the government.

Obviously they don't want this to be mass public knowledge but anybody else who has worked in these places will tell you the same.

Of course there are also loads of advantages to being a white male, but we're talking about our personal experiences of discrimination etc.

You can go on tyne and wear's fire and rescue service recruitment site and see if in plain English "The Fire Services of the North East are looking for Wholetime Firefighters, particularly ethnic minorities and females.'

Imagine the UPROAR if it had said particularly white males.

I'm having to miss the most recent recruitment drive for the fire service, despite the fact that I passed the whole process last time there wasn't a job at the end of it and after 18 months you have to be retested.

- They knocked me back at the application stage this time. The carry out 'positive action' days leading up to recruitment... basically anybody can come to them except white males... you get to speak to the people running the recruitment process about what it entails etc.

My recruitment application gets knocked back because I put down 'self employed' under current employer (this was 'incorrect' so they didn't even read the rest of my application ).

A friend of mine... we'll call him paul... is mixed race and has been to several of these positive action days, like me he didn't recieve a letter telling him to do the written tests which take place during the period of a week.

Paul rings up... we'll call her sue, she runs the whole show... same as I did (confused as to how I could pass EVERYTHING with a high score last time yet not even have my application accepted this time) and asks "I haven't had a letter, has there been a problem". The differences is I don't know the women, having went to several of these 'positive action' days he's met and spoke to her several times.

I'm not saying he's done anything on purpose or knowingly etc but all I get told is 'no letter, no pass'... he gets told that she'll look into it and gets phoned back and given a test on the very last day and time of testing (but never had a letter sent out). If the Fire Service don't fill the quotas they don't get full funding... he's not half Indian/Pakistani etc... he's from a minority minority... not easy to find.

Now I could be wrong... but that just reeks of bullshit to be honest.

Even if it's just my paranoid little mind (his kid's my godson, I want him to get in...) and there's nothing going on... the fact that they're holding days to teach people how to prepare properly for the tests (as long as you're not white) and have a message on their own website that basically equates to
"we're particularly interested in you if you're an ethnic minority or a female" (ie: if you're not an ethnic minority or female (a white male basically) then we're not particularly interested in you) is pretty shitty.

During the interview you have to demonstrate occasions were you have acted sensitively and fairly to those of a different background... yet this organisation is segregation everybody into little boxes and is putting off putting messages on their website and billboards insensitive and off putting to people of a white background... equality my arse.

Again there are loads of advantages to being a white male, I'm just talking about a personal experience of it being a disadvantage.

I agree, that is pretty stupid. I guess in an area that's overwhelmingly white they probably try & fill quotas that are unrealistic of the wider area of something. Especially for the Fire Service, it should be the best person for the job. Affirmative action is a bullshit way of people getting out of hiring the best person for the job & usually doesn't help all those people are discriminated against when looking for work. It usually does little to curb employers of any racist beliefs anyway since they aren't hiring someone for their skills, but to be PC.

[AdamGB]

It depends on the job too.

A local solicitor's, builder's merchant etc etc won't have these in place but The Fire Service/City Councils have to fill certain quotas of 'backgrounds' to receive full funding from the government.

Obviously they don't want this to be mass public knowledge but anybody else who has worked in these places will tell you the same.

Of course there are also loads of advantages to being a white male, but we're talking about our personal experiences of discrimination etc.

You can go on tyne and wear's fire and rescue service recruitment site and see if in plain English "The Fire Services of the North East are looking for Wholetime Firefighters, particularly ethnic minorities and females.'

Imagine the UPROAR if it had said particularly white males.

I'm having to miss the most recent recruitment drive for the fire service, despite the fact that I passed the whole process last time there wasn't a job at the end of it and after 18 months you have to be retested.

- They knocked me back at the application stage this time. The carry out 'positive action' days leading up to recruitment... basically anybody can come to them except white males... you get to speak to the people running the recruitment process about what it entails etc.

My recruitment application gets knocked back because I put down 'self employed' under current employer (this was 'incorrect' so they didn't even read the rest of my application ).

A friend of mine... we'll call him paul... is mixed race and has been to several of these positive action days, like me he didn't recieve a letter telling him to do the written tests which take place during the period of a week.

Paul rings up... we'll call her sue, she runs the whole show... same as I did (confused as to how I could pass EVERYTHING with a high score last time yet not even have my application accepted this time) and asks "I haven't had a letter, has there been a problem". The differences is I don't know the women, having went to several of these 'positive action' days he's met and spoke to her several times.

I'm not saying he's done anything on purpose or knowingly etc but all I get told is 'no letter, no pass'... he gets told that she'll look into it and gets phoned back and given a test on the very last day and time of testing (but never had a letter sent out). If the Fire Service don't fill the quotas they don't get full funding... he's not half Indian/Pakistani etc... he's from a minority minority... not easy to find.

Now I could be wrong... but that just reeks of bullshit to be honest.

Even if it's just my paranoid little mind (his kid's my godson, I want him to get in...) and there's nothing going on... the fact that they're holding days to teach people how to prepare properly for the tests (as long as you're not white) and have a message on their own website that basically equates to
"we're particularly interested in you if you're an ethnic minority or a female" (ie: if you're not an ethnic minority or female (a white male basically) then we're not particularly interested in you) is pretty shitty.

During the interview you have to demonstrate occasions were you have acted sensitively and fairly to those of a different background... yet this organisation is segregation everybody into little boxes and is putting off putting messages on their website and billboards insensitive and off putting to people of a white background... equality my arse.

Again there are loads of advantages to being a white male, I'm just talking about a personal experience of it being a disadvantage.

I agree, that is pretty stupid. I guess in an area that's overwhelmingly white they probably try & fill quotas that are unrealistic of the wider area of something. Especially for the Fire Service, it should be the best person for the job. Affirmative action is a bullshit way of people getting out of hiring the best person for the job & usually doesn't help all those people are discriminated against when looking for work. It usually does little to curb employers of any racist beliefs anyway since they aren't hiring someone for their skills, but to be PC.

All it does is breed ill feeling and stigmas towards ethnic minorities who do get such jobs.

Recruit the best person for the job regardless of ethnic background etc.

Bingo - instant equality.

[Master]

I worked supporting victims of racial attacks, harassment and discrimination in Birmingham. It happened at schools, work place, police and council estates. Also had to deal with some murders in prison and night clubs. All whites on Blacks.

If it happened to me I would ignore their ignorance and laugh it off. They have the problem, not me.

[Andre]

I worked supporting victims of racial attacks, harassment and discrimination in Birmingham. It happened at schools, work place, police and council estates. Also had to deal with some murders in prison and night clubs. All whites on Blacks.

If it happened to me I would ignore their ignorance and laugh it off. They have the problem, not me.

Good thing to think in most circumstances.
If youre effected even within they get the friction they are seeking to continue.

[Master]

I worked supporting victims of racial attacks, harassment and discrimination in Birmingham. It happened at schools, work place, police and council estates. Also had to deal with some murders in prison and night clubs. All whites on Blacks.

If it happened to me I would ignore their ignorance and laugh it off. They have the problem, not me.

Good thing to think in most circumstances.
If youre effected even within they get the friction they are seeking to continue.

Yes, younger days I would have reacted but now, it is not worth it and in fact they are looking for a reaction from you and when they do not get it, that annoys them even more.

[Andre]

Ewe must be married too.