We can lead the way in fighting racism

[WA Toffee]

It's offensive in the US because of the treatment of Asians during late 1800's

Due to the amount of Asian slave labour the Americans used to build the western cities and railways the word became synonymous as being a derogatory term.

But other parts of the world including Britain and i guess parts of Europe don't consider it as being because the word Orient means east. So it's seen as a literal description of the part of the world they originate from.

Sorry to stray off topic.

Good post by OP

I think it is important to remember the context of why things are deemed racist or offensive. Black face is widely accepted as offensive and I can easily see why as I understand the relation to black and white minstrels, which while being an American creation also extended to the UK. But Australia doesn't have that same cultural reference, therefore it is not generally considered quite as offensive. There was a case a few years ago where a kid dressed up for school as his favourite footballer, who happened to be black (from one of the pacific islands) and has a distinctive hairstyle. The papers decided that should be offensive because of blackface, but when interviewed about it, even the player in question wasn't really sure why he was meant to be offended.
Another example would be the use of the word "wog". (Hopefully no one is offended by me typing it, I am just using it for illustration) In the UK, that would be just as offensive as the N word, and rightly so, however in australia, it refers to someone from around Greece, Italy, Balkans etc and is considered no more offensive than calling a British person a Pom or a New Zealander a kiwi.

 

[APN_EFC]

UPDATE:
Recently, the PL has taken a stand, and the players too, against racism, and hopefully it is going to make an impact.
It's been a good discussion on this page, and what's really more important than thinking about what we're like as a club is to think about what we would do if faced with racism at our club or ground.

First issue: How do we make sure that ethnic minority / those with a different skin colour / overseas visitors feel comfortable coming to the match
Second: How do we make sure our players feel protected? If we experienced monkey chants or some sort of horrible behaviour would we condemn it : I hope we would make sure our fans shout anti-racist chants or sing. Supposing, say we are in the Europa League and DCL, Zouma, Lookman or someone get racist abuse. We have to do something to support them.

Our club is fantastic and I think we can do something to make sure that we fight racism at every level!
Nice to see people engaging with this debate a few weeks ago.

 

[SerenityNigh]

UPDATE:
Recently, the PL has taken a stand, and the players too, against racism, and hopefully it is going to make an impact.
It's been a good discussion on this page, and what's really more important than thinking about what we're like as a club is to think about what we would do if faced with racism at our club or ground.

First issue: How do we make sure that ethnic minority / those with a different skin colour / overseas visitors feel comfortable coming to the match
Second: How do we make sure our players feel protected? If we experienced monkey chants or some sort of horrible behaviour would we condemn it : I hope we would make sure our fans shout anti-racist chants or sing. Supposing, say we are in the Europa League and DCL, Zouma, Lookman or someone get racist abuse. We have to do something to support them.

Our club is fantastic and I think we can do something to make sure that we fight racism at every level!
Nice to see people engaging with this debate a few weeks ago.

Take your kids to the match. I can't speak for you and your family, and you've got to fight racism/exclusion in a way that others can't see (so continue to be protective), but you've also got to fight it head on. Ignorance is not bliss. Every "white Scouser" who gets to know you and your kids is one less gent/lady who'll be likely to say or do something racist or exclusive by accident. As for those who're overtly racist, it's up to the community to put them out.

As an outsider, and a Yank (yes, we've got our own issues to take care of), it's been interesting to me to get to know and watch Scousers/English/Brits/etc and how you interact, but England, and Liverpool specifically, is un-diverse a place as I've seen. Maybe this is how Europe is, and maybe this is just another dumb Yank speaking (honestly, so few of us can tell the difference between Irish, Scots, Welsh, and English to begin with), but your demographics are telling:

All of England
White 91%, White British 87% (2001 est.)
White 85%, White British 80% (2011 est.)

Liverpool
White 90%, White British 86% (2009 est.)

So obviously don't do anything dangerous for yourself or your family, but keep up the work. Sadly, you can't expect others to come out and solve the problem for you, but with a few likeminded people you can make good progress. Because racism can GTF.

To your questions: On how to make minorities comfortable attending the match--I would be surprised if many realized minorities may be uncomfortable. It would take a lot of worthwhile effort to get through this. Not sure if this is what EITC does, although I know the club tried to make some inroads years ago with the basketball team and minority neighborhoods, but the club will need to lead in this effort.

On the second: Seems like you can only respond to the events that happen, and maybe this us up to players, coaches, and club staff.