NORMAL LIFE: Asian Anti-Britishness

Just as much as the British dislike of Americans has become enhanced over the last few years, it seems we have a dislike within our very own borders which needs to be addressed as quickly as possible. Or should we even bother?! This blog entry might be controversial to some readers, but I would like to point out here and now that the purpose of this entry isn't to promote racism or to create divisions. If anything, I'm proud of the UK's internationally recognised reputation for being a relative harmonious multinational society.

That is why I got annoyed yesterday when I read an article about how 'Over a third British Asians don't feel British'. Why should they even feel British? More to the point, how can we even expect Asians born in Britain to feel British under the influence of non-British parents? I don't need to remind you that, in India especially, the caste system is still very much alive; women know their place, men are superior and parents still organise marriages. This is light years away from the norm of British life.

I am assuming that this poll was conducted in a way so as to minimise bias. To even measure WHY respondents should even feel British, they must have gone to school in England, they must have participated in after-school clubs with fellow pupils from different backgrounds every now and then, perhaps enjoyed a spell of university life and gone on to undertake meaningful employment. In the meantime, they must have read a reasonable amount of British newspapers and, from time to time, watched some good old British telly! If more than a third STILL feel un-British, then we have to ask ourselves who is to blame? When I was at school, I was one of very few white kids in some of my classes and, from memory, I can say that teachers treated us equally. I can't help but feel that Asian home life just isn't aligned to the day-to-day life of that in Britain.

Let me use an example. This is an extreme one, but one which I thing will serve the purpose. South Africa had a long period of racial conflict, which came to a head with the ending of apartheid in the early 90s. The ending of apartheid was meant to herald the start of a more equal society. Instead, the natives have literally regained control of the country in every sense of the word and, since then, the country has been slowly disintegrating. It may be at peace, but public services have gone to pot and crime has gone through the roof. The same can be said for Zimbabwe. The point I am trying to make is that the ending of apartheid in South Africa was the right thing to do - Africa'belongs' to the black people and, conversely, England 'belongs' to the white people.

Taking a 21st Century approach to the claim I just made, globalisation has taken hold. The multicultural society of modern day England is perhaps the greatest legacy of the Empire; we have all proven that we can live alongside eachother in a relatively harmonious manner compared to other attempts at multiculturalism, but there's still work to be done. Nearly half of Asians feel that they aren't treated as British. Is this any surprise when nearly every suicide, bus or train bomber is portrayed to be of Asian origin? I went to school with Asian children and, unusually, I had more black and Asian friends than white friends.

What was laughable was that half of Asians felt that it's too easy for immigrants to settle in Britan. Isn't this a bit of a contradiction? If immigrants - no different from the parents of most of today's young Asians living in the UK - can 'settle' easily, isn't that a good thing? Surely with that bit done, all that remains is adaption in order to truly mingle with the locals.

When I read that 'only half feel that Britain offers more opportunity than South Asian countries', it was starting to show that these Asians clearly don't know what living in Asia is actually like. Nor do I for that matter, but in some Indian cities, cows and rickshaws still dominate the roads while, in China, human rights are virtually non-existent and pollution is so bad in the major cities. And when it comes to opportunities, I can relate to them. How can I possibly relate to them? Well, let me tell you a story.

When I returned to the UK for a brief spell with the intent on leaving Finland for good, I returned as an unemployed citizen on the dole. Two hundred job applications later, I had only been to three job interviews. Anybody who has read my CV will see that my work experience is somewhat superior to other applicants my age. The attitude I was getting was: you only worked in Finland. It's hardly Tokyo or Washington, is it? I mean, the number of times I had to point to a map to show prospective employers and agencies WHERE Finland actually is! This, combined with the filling in of job applications where I was asked to declare my sexuality, religion, skin colour, disabilities etc. I couldn't help but feel I had no chance in getting a job. My homosexuality combined with the use of a cochlear implant to aid my hearing would put me among the same ranks as an immigrant applying for a job, surely? My sister once joked: it's a good thing you're not black! Unfortunately, that's the way the 'system' works in the UK. The concept of asking someone their sexual orientation in return for a salary is ludicrous!

A third of Asians believe that you need to be a "coconut" (white on the inside) to get on in Britain. This is so not true and now I'm starting to sense the lack of self esteem instilled into those who responded to this survey. Asians are no different to Caucasians nor black people: it's up to each individual to develop him or herself, to network and 'create' opportunities. Just look at how many Asian doctors, dentists, lawyers and other highly regarded professions there are in the UK. Nothing comes to anybody on a plate. To further illustrate my point, I worked for more than fifteen companies in the UK before I moved to Finland and only two of my superior were white.

The dilution of cultures works both ways. Just as three-quarters of Asians feel their culture is diluted by living in Britain, I have sensed a dramatic change in our very own culture withn my first thirty years. The concept of Britishness that the world outside of the UK so lovingly clings onto is no longer in existence. I feel the British have sacrificed more than the Asian's have - by living in the UK, there is security, equality and opportunity if you're willing to earn them. Nothing is bestowed automatically. The most pleasing result from the poll was that 85% are satisified with life in the UK. I'm pleased for you, because I weren't! It looks like life for Asian's ain't so bad after all!