 |
| Sound of Music is currently on a Curve, leicester |
The British culture is admired for it's awareness and sensitivity to the needs of minorities. But politics is about control and management. Minority politics is generally about appeasement, maintaining peace and communal good order. I make no significant judgements, just thoughts and observations open for further discussion.
Who are the minorities?
We are all in minorities to some degree. The key to the politics of minorities is who holds the power, and how they hold it. Also the nature of differences, no matter how symbolic.
What are my minority statuses? I have dyslexia (thank goodness for spell checker). The world I live in is not dyslexia friendly. The database at my work is very difficult to read, and I live with a constant floating anxiety that I will miss something crucially important. Reading off screens and erratic Wi-Fi add to the sense of 'word blindness'.
I am a male working in a predominately female field. There are very few occasions when this is noticeable. Some girls do not want to work with a man, and I respect this. Soon I will retire, and am aware that there is a steady shift in society away from older people in terms of focus on what is important. We older people sort of accept this.
The main differences that define minorities are seen in culture. Some differences are very subtle, such as visiting a friend and realising that they are Jewish. I notice their menorah candelabra, and perhaps some different arrangements in the kitchen. I have never discussed this difference before (presuming that it is a difference). The general rule is that we subconsciously assume people to be part of the majority culture, until proved otherwise.
Other differences are more significant, such as religious observance, diet and preferences in entertainment.
Last night we went to the theatre to see 'The Sound of Music'. The audience was largely white, though the cast where appropriately mixed. I pondered that in our community there are a group of Leicester Asians who are interested and a part of European culture, and also feel included in this culture. But the same is true the other way round. When a Bollywood star comes to Leicester and the De Montford Hall is packed out, it is mainly with Asians, though you will see some others there too.
What are the potential issues for the UK? We have had an Asian prime minister, (though he was not elected to that post). The conservative fell to one of their worst positions after the last election, and although they have a very competent black female leader now, how much is her position affected by her demographic status? Being a good conservative, she will point out that like Margaret Thatcher, you have to prove your worth just as you are, everyday (the person centred approach). But I think minority politics is a powerful thing, and needs to be pointed out and discussed, because otherwise it can cause problems.
The touchstone of community relations is 'fear'. Fear of gradual changes in my culture. Fear of shifting power dynamics. Fear that the shoe might swap over to the other foot, and other 'non European centric' powers will gain control over 'us'.
For me the changes we see must be seen in the context of reality. Just as the law of gravity states that the mass of two bodies are attracted to each other in proportion to their mass (we fall to the earth, rather than the earth rise up to us) so too minority cultures are greatly affected by the majority culture about them. They are far more likely to be diminished, restricted and controlled. In a similar way there seems to be an anxiety about the 'role of men, and the threat to masculinity'. Women are not taking over the world. The slight adjustment to a more equal balance is just that. 80% of secondary head are still male. Continued balancing is still needed.
Where might the contentions come? Northern Ireland is our case study. This very sad situation comes from hundreds of years of mistrust and violence. The issue of the teaching of Gallic in schools, and on public signs may seem petty on this side of the Irish Sea. In Leicester you can study Gujerat, Panjabi and Polish at GCSE. In Northern Ireland it is symbolic of who is in power, or top dog. Things can alter when the minority becomes the majority, as will happen in Northern Ireland. This is why minority politics is so important, because we all live in minorities. and we may become one just through chance. This is why accommodating to minority needs is so important. Feelings of injustice when not in power need rectification, not revenge.
The advent of Free Schools was both a blessing and a curse of the City of Leicester. Community groups were able to set up their own schools. We now have Sikh, Muslim, Hari Krishna, Catholic and Anglican state schools. I think it is good that minorities can show that a good western education can be central to their culture and religion, but these schools have further segregated the city's population. This model can only work so long as I can send my children to the school of my choice, and not be forced to send them to a school where I have to dictate the lessons and activities I don't want my children to join in, such as a morning meditation. (JWs have long lived like this.)
For me, the key to minority politics to to try in every area of society, to ask the question- can we do this together? What can we do together? and let's find things we can do together. this does not dilute the unique character and qualities minorities poses. In Leicester we are all minorities.
