Hey!
Just thought I might share an outsider's story on this topic too!
I'm an Indian, and I spent my middle school years in India. There isn't much racism there, although some of the darker people (usually from the south) are often teased, but its all in good faith. I say this as I came from a well-educated middle class family, went to a good school in the capital, and had a decent amount of friends.
Now, I am currently living in the UK, as I came here for high school, and I must say, I am certainly surprised by the amount of racism prevalent in the society today. When I first joined, I was called the 'curry-man' of the class,asked if I had to defecate in holes in the ground and then eat in it, asked as to how begging felt like, and other more hurtful things that I choose not to state. Initially, I was more surprised than offended, as I had no idea this is the British thought of other countries! I then tried giving them comebacks, or should I say, 'defending my country'. I realised this was very ineffective, as it just agitated them more.
Bear in mind that most of these jokes were made by white teenagers.
I then took a different approach to the situation, and one that I would highly recommend to anyone facing similar issues.
Humour.
If you can make a joke out of something that hurts you, it instantly defuses the tension, while simultaneously helping both parties. For example, I never fought back. I stood and took their insults and then cussed them out behind their backs. I was thus easy to pick on. They could say whatever they wanted to me and then get away with it. But then one day, I stood up, and made a joke out of it.
One day, I was late to class, and this kid said, 'What took you so long?' (Not that any of us were particularly missing each other), and I replied with a smile, 'Sorry, my elephant just wasn't walking fast enough today.'
This way, I effectively put him down, without stooping myself. Now face it, everyone is going to pick on the lame kid who can't stand up for himself, but nobody's going to pick on the lame kid who's funny, because thats just mean. And I am happy to inform you, these remarks are nonexistent now, and I have made some great friends.
Another thing I'd like you to bear in mind is that not all the people I met were racist. Some were nice to me. Not a single black person bothered me. Among the Asian populace, they didn't mind either, except I had a 'special place' among the Pakistanis.
All in all, I hope not all Brits are like this, and I'd like to let people know, that racism is purely a superficial matter created by people who don't have enough melanin in their skin.
