Interfaith marriages-do they work?

seven-day-weekend

I can't make you believe me but I absolutely resent being called a liar. I do not tell lies.

I don't know how she know they did not apply, but that is what she said.

marisco_2

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I always remember the headmistress at my son's infant school, who was Barbadian, being hauled over the coals by one of the parents for not having any other black people on her staff. She just said to them, 'where do I get them from? Am I supposed to drag them off the streets?' If they do not apply she can't appoint them!

I have worked in education for years and heard some comebacks in my time, from head teachers attempting to get themselves out of sticky situations. The above takes the biscuit though and I amazed that any intelligent, logical thinking adult would be naïve enough to swallow that one :rotfl:

Dunroamin

marisco wrote: »

I have worked in education for years and heard some comebacks in my time, from head teachers attempting to get themselves out of sticky situations. The above takes the biscuit though and I amazed that any intelligent, logical thinking adult would be naïve enough to swallow that one :rotfl:

In many areas, members of ethnic minorities have been unlikely to apply for certain sorts of jobs which is why there is nowadays people from minorities are encouraged to do so. The police, in particular, have frequently found it difficult to recruit from the communities they work with.

Thirty years ago, there may well have been few black graduates willing to work in the West Midlands, particularly in a school where they would be the only black member of the staff room.

ETA

Has the situation actually changed that much? From http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/your-council/about-suffolk-county-council/news/taster-course-announced-to-promote-teaching-to-members-of-black-and-minority-ethnic-communities

"A TASTER course is being run by Suffolk County Council in March to encourage more people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities to become a role model for young people and teach in one of the county’s secondary schools.
Currently in Suffolk, only 1% of teachers in maintained schools are from black and minority ethnic communities."

Brighton_belle

Surely the sort of pride seven day weekend is talking about is the sort you see on St Patrick's Day by the Irish? And no one has any problem with the Irish doing that do they? Just simple everyday happiness to be 'who I am and the culture I was born into'.

I think the word 'pride' means different things to different people.

And I don't think for a moment seven day weekend is a liar - what a strange accusation. That conversation would have taken place over 20 years ago - of course there was a time when there were fewer ethnic minorities in some professions - hence the need for proactive campaigns of encouragement to apply as quoted above.

Tropez

Soooooo.... are we still discussing interfaith marriages?

Because I'm an atheist and my partner is a "don't care" so I'll let you know if it works

seven-day-weekend

I agree with what several people have said above about the amount of ethnic minority people who were willing to go into teaching thirty years ago.

I would also like to point out that the Head who was accused of not appointing enough black people was herself black, from Barbados.

seven-day-weekend

Brighton_belle wrote: »

Surely the sort of pride seven day weekend is talking about is the sort you see on St Patrick's Day by the Irish? And no one has any problem with the Irish doing that do they? Just simple everyday happiness to be 'who I am and the culture I was born into'.

I think the word 'pride' means different things to different people.

And I don't think for a moment seven day weekend is a liar - what a strange accusation. That conversation would have taken place over 20 years ago - of course there was a time when there were fewer ethnic minorities in some professions - hence the need for proactive campaigns of encouragement to apply as quoted above.

Thankyou Brighton Belle, once again you have expressed my thoughts better than I myself have

margaretclare

I agree with BrightonBelle. No one bats an eyelid at the Irish displays on St Patrick's Day, yet if we English try to do anything of the same kind, the cry is always 'racist'.

Incidentally, when I was a teacher of midwifery back in the 1980s I had a colleague from Guyana who was a Hindu. I don't remember her ever commenting that there were no others like her where we worked.

wiogs

margaretclare wrote: »

I agree with BrightonBelle. No one bats an eyelid at the Irish displays on St Patrick's Day, yet if we English try to do anything of the same kind, the cry is always 'racist'.

Incidentally, when I was a teacher of midwifery back in the 1980s I had a colleague from Guyana who was a Hindu. I don't remember her ever commenting that there were no others like her where we worked.

Do you English not celebrate St George's day?

If not here are some suggestions
http://www.stgeorgesholiday.com/celebration/

Here is an interesting article on why it is perhaps not celebrated.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/22/st-georges-day-2013_n_3130723.html

The whole St Patricks day thing is now just a very successful marketing gimmick which gives people an excuse to get drunk.

mumps

Tiglath wrote: »

Surely you're showing prejudice and discrimination though, which is rather ironic given the rest of the post. Why assume they'd be a knuckle-dragging thug? Is it not possible in your book to simply be proud of one's culture and country, without being an extremist?

Is being proud of being English or British the same as being proud of England or Britain or English/British culture? I see them as different. I am English because this is where my mother happened to be when I was born, I think this makes me lucky as does being born in the 20th century. I count my blessings that I have never faced famine or plague, never lived under a dictatorship and the prejudice I have been subjected to has not been as bad as many people have suffered throughout history.

I am proud of some things English and ashamed of others.