...watching 'Make Bradford British' and I've got mixed feelings about the experience. It definitely had a purpose, perhaps you could say it was a socio-sophical (made that word up!) exercise. What I mean by that is, it posed a question "Can people from different 'segregated' communities integrate and live together side by side?" and sought to answer it. I can't help but feel that there was ultimately an agenda behind it as the program overall ended on a positive note, with lots of smiles and laughter and what seemed to be some genuine friendship but I'm under no illusions that this was a television show and not real day to day life. It seemed to come to the conclusion that is surely what informs our so-called modern, multi-cultural society and always has i.e. that we can integrate and live peacefully side by side despite the increase in anti-immigration, nationalistic and sometimes racist ideas.
There was one casualty, that of one of the Muslim participants storming out of the whole shindig after being asked the question "What if your daughter came home with a...?". The question itself didn't even get finished! It could have been "What if your daughter came home with a White Muslim?". It obviously wasn't going to be that though and unfortunately gave the impression of intolerance which no doubt the right-wingers and extremists will be jumping all over now but on reflection it was an emotional reaction to what was probably considered to be an invasive question. Is this indicative of the Muslim community and Asian community at large? Perhaps, but then again that question could be posed in a variety of different ways to a large variety of different people and result in similar pre-reflective reactions, "What if you son came home with a man?" or "What if your daughter came home with a bin-man?" etc.
My initial feelings were that this program was going to be sensationalist and the tv equivalent of half-baked tabloid journalism and in many ways it was. It was designed to be controversial and stir up emotions which it did successfully but I guess it's also stirred up debate which can never be a bad thing. It is only through debate that a clearer path forward towards more peace and respect and tolerance can be discovered but I've grown up believing and largely experiencing this society to be very peaceful and very respectful and very tolerant (at least in relation to many others) so a program like this didn't do much to change or challenge my idea about that, I'm not naive but I am idealistic. However, there obviously is real racism in this society(in all directions), there always has been and we're in a phase where we can't keep saying it's not a thing of the past, nor is it as easy as it once was to just sweep it under the carpet as we do with most things! One thing that I think might disarm the far-right, of whom we should be wary but not afraid, is to reclaim the British and English flags for all people who live here peacefully and contribute. They have unfortunately become symbols of the uninformed and thoroughly ignorant and nationalistic sentiment of the likes of the EDL, BNP, NF, etc. It seems a shame for people to feel that a simple flag can be a racist symbol or have unpleasant connotations although I feel conflicted about the British flag with it's colonial-era connections, but times change and so should we with them.
Anyway, in conclusion I felt the program confirmed something that I used to believe and have wanted to believe again about this country but it did it by ignoring some harsh realities that mustn't be skirted over or swept under anything. I'd like to see some more in-depth and balanced investigation into this 'issue' in the future...but hey that's just my virtual two pence! What do I know?!?
There was one casualty, that of one of the Muslim participants storming out of the whole shindig after being asked the question "What if your daughter came home with a...?". The question itself didn't even get finished! It could have been "What if your daughter came home with a White Muslim?". It obviously wasn't going to be that though and unfortunately gave the impression of intolerance which no doubt the right-wingers and extremists will be jumping all over now but on reflection it was an emotional reaction to what was probably considered to be an invasive question. Is this indicative of the Muslim community and Asian community at large? Perhaps, but then again that question could be posed in a variety of different ways to a large variety of different people and result in similar pre-reflective reactions, "What if you son came home with a man?" or "What if your daughter came home with a bin-man?" etc.
My initial feelings were that this program was going to be sensationalist and the tv equivalent of half-baked tabloid journalism and in many ways it was. It was designed to be controversial and stir up emotions which it did successfully but I guess it's also stirred up debate which can never be a bad thing. It is only through debate that a clearer path forward towards more peace and respect and tolerance can be discovered but I've grown up believing and largely experiencing this society to be very peaceful and very respectful and very tolerant (at least in relation to many others) so a program like this didn't do much to change or challenge my idea about that, I'm not naive but I am idealistic. However, there obviously is real racism in this society(in all directions), there always has been and we're in a phase where we can't keep saying it's not a thing of the past, nor is it as easy as it once was to just sweep it under the carpet as we do with most things! One thing that I think might disarm the far-right, of whom we should be wary but not afraid, is to reclaim the British and English flags for all people who live here peacefully and contribute. They have unfortunately become symbols of the uninformed and thoroughly ignorant and nationalistic sentiment of the likes of the EDL, BNP, NF, etc. It seems a shame for people to feel that a simple flag can be a racist symbol or have unpleasant connotations although I feel conflicted about the British flag with it's colonial-era connections, but times change and so should we with them.
Anyway, in conclusion I felt the program confirmed something that I used to believe and have wanted to believe again about this country but it did it by ignoring some harsh realities that mustn't be skirted over or swept under anything. I'd like to see some more in-depth and balanced investigation into this 'issue' in the future...but hey that's just my virtual two pence! What do I know?!?
