Who are the "very people they're trying to include", then, if they're not Britons or BME people?
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Who are the "very people they're trying to include", then, if they're not Britons or BME people?
Manfred Belheim
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BME always makes me think of Bug Eyed Monsters. Which is probably unfortunate.
I have no idea what BME is. And the fact that I'm not their target for enlightened inclusion does not mean that I can't find it patronizing. That's like saying that only the victims of abuse can have an opinion on what is abusive.
For me, this cartoon (and similar ones) are patronizing and and an insult to the intelligence of the people they are trying to "include". If you don't like my opinion, sue me.
Akka
Moody old mage.
Why would you care that one guy among the tens of thousands that moved at the time had black skin ?
If it's about a significant cultural exchange (like Marco Polo's trip to China), yes it's interesting. If it's about a story of a specific guy ("Abidemi's incredible adventure in the Roman Empire") yes it's interesting. If it's about statistically significant informations about the make-up of populations at a select period in time, it might be interesting and it's at least knowledge.
If it's just "there was at least one guy with a different skin colour in Britain" ? No, I don't care, and I don't see why anyone not obsessed with skin colour should care either. It's neither statistically significant, nor specifically interesting in itself. At the very best it means "at least one people walked around ". Woopsie doo, big news ?
Borachio
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I don't care about it.
I find it interesting, that's all.
And since people did generally get about by walking, walking across the Sahara, North Africa, Spain, and France takes some doing. Just to get to the British Isles.
But yeah, you're right. Cosmologically speaking there isn't anything about humans at any time in either the past or the future which has the least bit of significance.
Ever.
I find it interesting, that's all.
And since people did generally get about by walking, walking across the Sahara, North Africa, Spain, and France takes some doing. Just to get to the British Isles.
But yeah, you're right. Cosmologically speaking there isn't anything about humans at any time in either the past or the future which has the least bit of significance.
Ever.
You're on the Internet. Finding out that BME means "black and minority ethnicities" is only 30 seconds away.
Manfred Belheim
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Google. The death of conversation.
I refuse to let Google kill the conversation!
I suppose it's because blacks could be from multiple ethnicities, but then again so can the Chinese. Still puzzled.
Weird term. Aren't blacks a minority in the UK? Why the need to separate them from the more general "minority ethnicities"?
I suppose it's because blacks could be from multiple ethnicities, but then again so can the Chinese. Still puzzled.
Funnily enough, Owen and I had the same exchange recently on different sides.
I don't know. That's just the current term in the UK.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
The term BME is new to me too. But I take a TIL approach to local pecularities.
Manfred Belheim
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It's particularly weird in light of the fact that they aren't even the largest non-white ethnic group in the UK.
Indeed, that was what i meant to post. Aren't black people in the UK far from the largest minority (indian?) and likely not on par with other asian minorities numbering considerably? Afaik black people in the UK are usually from Jamaica, and some west african coastal countries like Nigeria (?).
Wouldnt' be surprised if even some continental (or other) european minorities in Britain number more.
You mean "east-asian"? That would make sense too, yes. I recall that in the near past the Indians were the largest minority group, though.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Indians are asian
Manfred Belheim
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In US speak, not UK speak.
Edit: Well, at least not until recent years when people started living on the internet more and got fed up of Americans calling them racist for saying "oriental".
Edit: Well, at least not until recent years when people started living on the internet more and got fed up of Americans calling them racist for saying "oriental".
As of 2011, Asian (predominantly Indian and Pakistani, but including Bangladeshi, Chinese and others) ranked higher (7%) than Black (3%). White counts as one category here, so can't compare European minorities.
In 2015 it was estimated the largest foreign-born minority in the UK was now Poles (1.27%) having recently overtaken Indians (1.22%). However obviously this is only useful for first generation migrants.
So it's true that in the UK, south Asians constitute the largest ethnic minority by a decent margin.
No one said language had to make sense though. I imagine the term "BME" originates from US-centric discourse phrasing everything as white and black, and British organisations suddenly remembering about Asians and throwing them in as an afterthought.
In 2015 it was estimated the largest foreign-born minority in the UK was now Poles (1.27%) having recently overtaken Indians (1.22%). However obviously this is only useful for first generation migrants.
So it's true that in the UK, south Asians constitute the largest ethnic minority by a decent margin.
No one said language had to make sense though. I imagine the term "BME" originates from US-centric discourse phrasing everything as white and black, and British organisations suddenly remembering about Asians and throwing them in as an afterthought.
In UK parlance, Asian generally refers to India/Pakistan, given that we have so few east Asians that we can refer to them by their specific ethnicities. Chinese takeaways are sometimes not even run by Chinese people!
That said, in my corner of the UK, the 2001 census revealed that the largest minority ethnicity were the Irish, but that's what you get for living somewhere that is (was?) 97% white British.
That said, in my corner of the UK, the 2001 census revealed that the largest minority ethnicity were the Irish, but that's what you get for living somewhere that is (was?) 97% white British.
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