Yeah, a vast number of people are racist thru ignorance, and you can't really hate them for a single attribute, just put it aside and try to ignore the tirade of utter arse that falls out of their mouths occasionally.
I know I was racist when I was growing up in the 80s, thought jokes about wogs and pakis were hilarious, and then I grew out of it.
I think a lot of it is peer pressure, and how old you are, older people grew up in a time when it was acceptable, or they actually felt they had a reason, being told that 'the darkies are stealing our jobs'.
I remember Stewart Lee talking about a political campaign by the Conservatives when he was young, and the leaflets were 'If you want a ****** for a neighbour, vote for Labour'. That was just fine about 30 years ago, no-one would see any problem with that. Even now the Daily Mail would print surveys that proved black people lowered house prices if they could get away with it.
My parents aren't really racist, but they do believe every word they read about immigrants, and I think 'Immigrants are the new black', no I'm not talking fashion. Honestly, they can't see any problem with the 'facts' they read, that British people will be a minority in the UK in 2012, or that 98% of the world's foreigners now live in hotels in Dover. I wouldn't mind so much if I'd seen for myself any evidence that we're filling up, all I've seen is that our old Big Issue seller is now a wailing Romanian woman who seems to have totally failed the Big Issue training course. I know homelessness is horrible and no fun at all, but generally, Big Issue sellers try to be positive, and have a smile, and you kinda get to take away a part of that when you buy a copy. (honestly I'm not trying to sound as smug and condescending as that reads). I don't like to be 'guilted' into buying it, and end up avoiding that corner.
