You may have gone to bed last night with a vague awareness that someone connected to the British Royal Family had asked a black woman where she’s “really” from at a charity event. To most sensible people of every background, an incident of this nature is, at worst, a mildly unpleasant misunderstanding. On learning the questioner is 83 years old and has since been forced to resign, most people would conclude that while we live in hypersensitive, unforgiving times, the matter is now closed.
Konstantin needs to be writing for a major mainstream newspaper...fast. He’s one of the very few people who actually speak common sense, without this incredibly sensationalised emotional victimhood response. Someone, sign him up...Britain needs him. The world needs him.
From the alleged transcript it's clear what Lady Susan was trying to ask (albeit clumsily), and I would be extremely surprised if Ngozi didn't realise this immediately and saw a chance to cause embarrassment. Maybe Lady Sue was attempting to connect with Ngozi's heritage? Maybe she wanted to thank Ngozi's relatives for helping to rebuild the UK in the 50's? Maybe her intentions were both honourable and complementary, but because Ngozi decided to take offence for what I believe were political reasons, Lady Sue's reputation (established over 83 years!) is now tarnished forever.
We are told how we must acknowledge people's heritage by feeling guilt for the sins of our ancestors, about white privilege, about reparations, about black oppression, but asking about a person's heritage in polite society is somehow wrong? You can't have it both ways. Either heritage is important or it isn't.
I'm sure white people are the only ones with the gall to question someone of a different race about where they're "really from." I'm sure no white person in a majority nonwhite country is ever peppered with questions about where they're from or in any other way ever made to feel like an outsider or a foreigner in the country of their birth. Of course, even if that was to happen, it could not be racist, since by definition (per online dictionaries and print dictionaries published after 2019) only whites can be racist (of course, all whites actually are racist, as St. Robin DeAngelo has proved somewhere or other).
Every single word you wrote, KK, I said myself on hearing of this nonsense. These absolute wet willies want shaking up and told to grow up. It's sickening. My 91 year old dad would say exactly the same thing and, indeed has as there are a number of black people who work at his home and he hasn't got a racist bone in his body or thought in his head. Just ridiculous.
Here is a suggestion for Ms. Fulani, and any other easily offended person. I've moved around quite a bit in my life, and at the moment do not live where I was born. So, whenever someone asks me where I'm from I immediately respond, "do you mean originally, or now?" It injects a little levity into the situation and clarifies matters at the same time.
I wouldn't expect someone like Ms. Fulani to be nimble enough to think on her feet like that, but maybe she can try. I'm not holding my breath for that either.
Having an interest in languages, I regularly play the 'Enry 'Iggins and try to guess where people, or at least their accents, are from: just outside Manchester with a hint of the Punjab, perhaps? In some 30 odd years only one person was ever offended; a white post-grad student from California.
Well said KK! I agree with the comment below - you so should have a regular column in one of the main newspapers, so your common sense and clear thinking will be available to a wider audience.
Konstantin needs to be writing for a major mainstream newspaper...fast. He’s one of the very few people who actually speak common sense, without this incredibly sensationalised emotional victimhood response. Someone, sign him up...Britain needs him. The world needs him.
From the alleged transcript it's clear what Lady Susan was trying to ask (albeit clumsily), and I would be extremely surprised if Ngozi didn't realise this immediately and saw a chance to cause embarrassment. Maybe Lady Sue was attempting to connect with Ngozi's heritage? Maybe she wanted to thank Ngozi's relatives for helping to rebuild the UK in the 50's? Maybe her intentions were both honourable and complementary, but because Ngozi decided to take offence for what I believe were political reasons, Lady Sue's reputation (established over 83 years!) is now tarnished forever.
We are told how we must acknowledge people's heritage by feeling guilt for the sins of our ancestors, about white privilege, about reparations, about black oppression, but asking about a person's heritage in polite society is somehow wrong? You can't have it both ways. Either heritage is important or it isn't.
I'm sure white people are the only ones with the gall to question someone of a different race about where they're "really from." I'm sure no white person in a majority nonwhite country is ever peppered with questions about where they're from or in any other way ever made to feel like an outsider or a foreigner in the country of their birth. Of course, even if that was to happen, it could not be racist, since by definition (per online dictionaries and print dictionaries published after 2019) only whites can be racist (of course, all whites actually are racist, as St. Robin DeAngelo has proved somewhere or other).
Every single word you wrote, KK, I said myself on hearing of this nonsense. These absolute wet willies want shaking up and told to grow up. It's sickening. My 91 year old dad would say exactly the same thing and, indeed has as there are a number of black people who work at his home and he hasn't got a racist bone in his body or thought in his head. Just ridiculous.
Here is a suggestion for Ms. Fulani, and any other easily offended person. I've moved around quite a bit in my life, and at the moment do not live where I was born. So, whenever someone asks me where I'm from I immediately respond, "do you mean originally, or now?" It injects a little levity into the situation and clarifies matters at the same time.
I wouldn't expect someone like Ms. Fulani to be nimble enough to think on her feet like that, but maybe she can try. I'm not holding my breath for that either.
Having an interest in languages, I regularly play the 'Enry 'Iggins and try to guess where people, or at least their accents, are from: just outside Manchester with a hint of the Punjab, perhaps? In some 30 odd years only one person was ever offended; a white post-grad student from California.
Well said KK! I agree with the comment below - you so should have a regular column in one of the main newspapers, so your common sense and clear thinking will be available to a wider audience.
It's yet another example of distract, divide and conquer.
Royal family, political criminals and complicit corporations (news, military, pharmaceutical, financial, construction, legal) OUT.