Beast

I personally didn't but I know quite a few who did and most of them were effected pretty badly from it, which scared the daylights out of me. I also know some people who have had relatives die from it due to health complications.

This is weird you say this because I was genuinely thinking the same thing last week. I found myself scrolling through my old posts from years ago and wondering where Dannyboy-the-Dane, Coolness Bears, Haggis, Paj and Diageo had gone. I thought of other ones too. It's crazy because I've literally gone through my teenage years through to adulthood with you guys and it's like you're friends I've never met and yet when someone goes, they go. It's mad. I find this forum a little harder to use but I've been trying to find the Mafia games and stuff we used to play. I miss the playground days!

This is a good point and is something I've brought up myself IRL. Everyone who is saying stuff like "YOU'RE A RACIST!" or "SACK THE RACIST!" or what have you is not being progressive. Instead of rowing, try to level down and ask why they think this is. There's no clear ending to this and to me, I feel it's more divided than ever. Personally, I'm starting to feel people think it's black v white and not everyone v racism.

So I've lost 4lb after doing a week of Wii games and eating healthy. Good start!

Do it, haha.

I know but I'm more of a Disney Classics nerd, haha. I love Muppets and obviously Animal is my favourite but I thought about changing my name and decided to make the jump. Besides, I kind of wanted a bit of a change and Beast is my favourite Disney character so it's a little personal.

Thanks. Might be changing it soon if my name change goes through, haha.

I wanted to change my name to Beast because...y'know...Disney nerd. Would this be okay?

Thanks @S.C.G

How do I edit my signature? I can't seem to find it anywhere?

Yes! I hate this too! It's like saying "You don't have my view, you must be this!" and it just doesn't work that way!

@Nicktendo, I'm glad you've decided to carry on with the discussion. Genuinely. It's been quite interesting to me to read everybody's points because I'm actually getting a lot of different people who I've discussed this topic with saying the same thing as you (of black and white colour) saying they're all for anti-racism but against Black Lives Matter as a movement. If I'm speaking freely, I really don't see the point of the marches because there's no unified voice, which I believe is something I spoke about before here. I shared stuff such as anti-racism stuff for all races and stuff about injustices and what have you but when it came to the marches, I didn't believe in them because I didn't believe it was the way to go. The marches needed a unifier- a strong, solid voice stating what should be done and how to be better and from that, you can agree or disagree. The many people I spoke to who went to these marches didn't honestly know why they went. All they said was "I'm going because your life matters too" and when I asked them to elaborate, they just said "We want equality". I asked "Ideally, how would you want that to happen?" and they couldn't answer. And that's my problem. People want equality and people want justice but don't know how or what to do to enable that. As I've stated, for me, it's more the people than police or businesses (I'm not stating it doesn't happen but I'm talking through experience) and you can't change people through marching aimlessly. You change them through open, honest and respectful dialogue. I think the issue for me is something @Nicktendo brushed on earlier. Everyone is very quick to "cancel" everyone because of something they did years ago. I'm talking shit that happened 20 years ago, not shit that happened in today's society, which I think is so fucking stupid. The person you were 20 years ago could very well be different to the person you are now. The thing that I keep seeing is people bringing the same shit up from the past and people apologising for the same shit again and again and not letting it lie. For instance, Shane Dawson, a well-known YouTuber, has apologised quite a few times for making really offensive jokes (like using blackface quite a few times) and for saying "nigger" in a few videos that contained Shanna Malcolm, a black Jamaican YouTuber (which, I may add, she had encouraged him a lot to say it to her and she had even addressed it recently saying she didn't see it as an issue and still doesn't). Now, the issue I have with this is that he's apologised quite a few times before in the past for doing it as people keep bringing it up and it's now got to the point where people have actually slated his constant apologising for his past. For me personally, I was fine with him apologising the first time because it seemed he was genuinely sorry and that's fine. The majority of people who had an issue with it was fine with it and moved on...then it's brought up again...and he apologises again...people accept it and move on....then it happens again...you see where this is going. I always do wonder about cancel culture and just how damaging it really is. How can we expect people to grow as a person and learn if you're constantly placing them in a category of them being a bad person because of the stuff they done in the past? Was it shitty? Yeah, it was. Did he recognise it and apologise? Yeah, he did. Should it be brought up constantly if he's already recognised his faults and apologised? Absolutely not.

I agree with @will' on not dropping out of discussions. I genuinely find them interesting when people have different views and opinions and it was what I wanted in the first place when I created this thread- to discuss such a sensitive subject with respect for each other, with no fear of judgement and no insults being thrown around. @Nicktendo, I would honestly like to know your views.

Okay so basically it's like having one thing in common but being treated differently? Okay, I think I get it. So a black gay man and a white gay man would face different issues but both could face homophobia?

I am in love with my Wii Balance Board. I've just bought a ton of Wii games for it and I'm loving them all (well, not Jillian Michaels, that sucks a little). The Biggest Loser USA- I love this one because it's quite simple and I can just switch on the board and crack on with what I want and create routines. The Biggest Loser Challenge- I love the fact they've added equipment like resistance bands but it's not as straightforward to do workouts and play games, which annoys me Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum- This SUCKS! It's not that great and doesn't at all respond well. My Fitness Coach: Cardio Workout- It's mainly a boxing one that teaches you how to box. Honestly, it's great. It responds well. My Fitness Coach: Get in Shape- It's great but you may as well get a fitness DVD and do that instead. My Fitness Coach: Dance Workout- It's like a low-grade Zumba/Just Dance game. It's not bad...but it's not great. Wii Fit/Wii Fit Plus: I love the games and the muscular exercises and yoga exercises BUT I'd have liked a workout regime instead of having to singularly pick the exercises.

I'll be honest with you and say I was entirely against Blue Story in the first place because of that reason. I had watched the YouTube video before and knew what to expect and I thought it would be problematic. I was all for banning the film because I thought the message wasn't clear at all. I just believed that it would depict people of colour in such a bad light- and it did. I believed in the message it was trying to send but after seeing it, I felt like it glorified that kind of lifestyle. Same with 1 Day. They tried to take an approach saying "this world is dangerous" but I didn't think it did it so well. I honestly feel like progress is being made with movies like Us and Get Out, showing it's possible to make an interesting movie without having to depict black people as thugs or involved in street gangs in anyway. I wouldn't mind seeing a rom-com involving black people or what have you but I also think that this would be the way forward too. I end up rolling my eyes every time I see a movie like that and I always wonder why they couldn't do it. Even with comedies such as My Wife and Kids, they're a black family that hardly (if at all) bring their colour into it and it's a funny show. I don't know why the UK can't do that and take a chance on it- I'd want to see a musical or something like that where gangs aren't involved because that's just a minority in itself. And even then, weren't they a kind of gang themselves that went around stealing stuff? (I haven't seen the film in years but I'm sure they were commiting crimes or something). I'm going to take my leave at this point. Thank you to everyone for allowing me to freely express my views. Thank you for disagreeing and sharing your concerns. Okay, I'll freely admit I'm not exactly the sharpest tool in the box. Can someone explain, in layman's terms, what that actually is?

I agree with this but I do think that there may be judgement based on people's names too. I'd like to see this go though. It would be so nice to finally be rid of it and not tick two boxes and be questioned about it. I totally agree. I think we shouldn't abolish history at all and we should, in fact, do the exact opposite and tell the good, the bad and the ugly and dissect it. I find that to be far more interesting than to forget it all by scrapping it. We learn more and grow more as people and as a country by doing this. With this one, I'm completely split because of seeing the effects it has. Whilst I do understand absolutely the points you're making, I don't think it's as simple as food vouchers and living on the bare bones of your arse. More would come in to it. The people I know don't like being on welfare systems as it is but also struggle on finding a job whether it's through lack of qualifications or lack of experience, which creates a big problem. Although there are people who are genuinely disabled and rely on disability money to entirely live on. I've never been on benefits but admittedly, nobody would hire me until I lied on my CV and trained myself to be believable. Nobody would hire a guy who sold underwear on a market stall so I pretended to work in a clothes shop. After a couple of attempts, I got the job. The problem isn't so much being dependant (although there are people who are) but just not getting the chance to be hired in the first place. I do disagree entirely with this last paragraph though. Situations happen where the father can't really support their family due to job losses or purely because they don't earn enough, which makes them turn to crime. You could expect a baby and be stable and then suddenly lose your job when you have a baby. I think help should be there when you need it. I do agree with this. I feel like we need to be taught things like how to pay tax, registering to vote, how to pay bills, fix everyday household things, etc. I believe it would be more useful than doing something you absolutely hate. For me, I never understood Geography at all (mainly learned about volcanos and not about other countries) but I think there should be at least a choice to change one of the lessons that aren't Maths, English or Science for something they don't necessarily click with. I do think that people need to learn how to take responsibility and that things have repercussions, which is something I fear the youth of today don't necessarily understand and think that prison is seen as something cool to add to their reputation. I agree with this too because you don't see newspapers describing a white man as "white". Though I did notice that they seem to do the same for gay people as well I agree with this but with absolute extensive training to make sure they are absolutely correct for the job with no bias. I'm not saying there would be or that there is but the last thing you would need is for this country to end up the way the U.S. has in that respect. The lack of respect for the police right now is bad and youths run riot everywhere, stabbing people, carrying knives, filming abuse on TikTok and Instagram, threatening people, robbing people, etc. A presence from police officers would definitely stop it but right now, I think there's no respect for them. ===== Another thing I would love to add to this discussion to throw it out there is something I've noticed today. Why is it, in the UK, black movies are seen to be hood films where they talk street slang? Blue Story, for instance, is about two rival gangs and features a black-oriented cast. Same goes for films such as Kidulthood, Adulthood, Brotherhood, etc. You never see a black-oriented UK cast doing a comedy or horror film. Recently, the U.S. have done it through Jordan Peele doing Us and Get Out so it's possible. I would love to see more of that because every time I see films relating to gang wars and street crimes, they always seem to mostly have a black cast.

I think it can exist but maybe it's not as bad here as it is in other countries. Like I stated, I think "officially" it may not exist using the Equal Opportunities form but being hired to avoid trouble because of your skin colour and to add to the diversity count within a company is another thing and it's not even with white people either. There are people about who truly do not trust others outside of their colour/race and is more seen as a threat and that's honestly kind of terrifying. I think it does exist because you can find other people who will think the same way. Most friends will find something to have in common. I would hang out with mainly geeky people and I would see it as normal. Racists can find the same thing too. When you hear a racist talk, the way they are against you and how they judge you, it's so normal to them. I do think it exists but maybe not as massively as it does in the U.S. Honestly, this. Like, it's starting to become a thing for me where I feel a little...annoyed? It's great that people are finally wanting to do something but this falls back on what I originally said: I would want to get a job fairly from my "ability, ideas and intelligence" but I don't want to use my skin colour as an advantage because it's not. It just so happens that the colour of my skin is brown. Same can be said for white people. I would want them to get the job fairly judging from their "ability, ideas and intelligence" but I wouldn't want them to use their skin colour as an advantage. I'm not asking people to "not see colour", I'm asking people to not judge me from it and give me extra benefits from it. My skin is not a Morrisons More card.

Yeah, it's so weird. It's like I never actually sat down and thought about it properly before until very recently. I was talking to them and I was like constantly saying "Oh and there was this other time when..." and "Oh yeah, then there was this time when..." and I kept remembering more stuff. It was like a box in my head just suddenly opened and I sat there like "Oh shit, this is a lot, really". I actually really like this place. Everywhere I talk, whether it's social media or in real life, people are very quick to jump and defend and you find yourself saying "It's not an argument, it's an open dialogue" but you can tell by their tone that they're so fast to be offended and they feel the need to defend. But here, I do actually feel like it's very different and I'm actually grateful for that. Like even with BLM, I was talking to one of my white friends about it and he was wondering if I was going to the BLM march and I said "No because Covid is a thing and I honestly don't think it would solve anything at this current moment in time" and he was saying stuff like "You, of all people, should be going!" and basically preaching to me how I should be marching alongside him for change and stuff, basically making me feel bad and I'm like "Look, there needs to be a unifier, a spokesperson with a clear message on how to change things and there isn't one. There's no Dr. Martin Luther King, for example, who lead peaceful marches. This is just holding a banner saying Black Lives Matter with, let's face it, what feels like people are doing it because it's different, because they've spent months cooped up in their house with nobody to interact with and it's a day trip. No doubt there's people there for genuine reasons but you'll find that people marching will be like "We want change!" and when they get asked how they could do it, they're stumped. Also, I haven't stayed indoors for months to then go out and risk my health alongside people who may not follow social distancing" and then he just carried on by saying I should fully support it and commit to marches. We also had a big disagreement with Bo Selecta and Little Britain. He didn't understand why I wasn't offended. I'm like "Humour is subjective and it was different 20 years ago to what it is now. For me, I like humour that takes the piss out of stereotypes. I like White Chicks too, why is nobody mad about that? I'm not offended at all. Bo Selecta is taking the piss out of celebrities, there are black celebrities. If they were black, how can he portray them as a white, ginger man? In that respect, I don't completely understand why he should feel like he has to apologise. With Little Britain, they took the piss out of absolutely everybody including the lower class, fat people, etc. I'm not offended at all." and he said "Well, I'll be offended for you", which is my absolute pet hate. I know people will say he means well but it pissed me off because it made me feel like I can't have a brain or an opinion of my own or something. I think it's getting out of hand a little, for me. A couple of my friends say "All Lives Matter, including Black Lives" and for me, I honestly feel that's fine. People tend to disagree with me on this but it's purely because they're being equal. They don't dismiss anything that has happened and they want a change too. I think, for me, it's about listening to other people's perspective on things. If they come from a good place, I'm all for it. If they started arguing saying "We have it bad too" and "This is false" and stuff, then I can see there's a problem and it's their choice whether they'd want to discuss it or not. But even like you've said, people pointed you in the right direction through discussion, showing that dialogue can change people's minds, which is something I think would be far more effective than defacing and destroying statues. Exactly. There's good and bad in history but no matter what, it's history and we are here, in the place we are now, because of history. Are we going to stop learning about Henry VIII for his sexist attitudes towards women because he killed two of his wives for being bored of them? No! Are we going to stop learning about Adolf Hitler because of the stuff he done? No! Shit rolled like that back then and it's important for us to learn about how everything had happened, why it happened, how lives were lived back then, etc. I think shaping and changing the future is one thing but to try and change history is another and can be dangerous.

OH! Okay, that would've made my life a thousand times easier, haha. I was like "WHY CAN'T I SEPARATE THEM?!" and getting so mad, lmao. I'm too used to the reply boxes from before! Thanks for telling me!

I find this reply thing hard to use because I don't know how to separate the quotes to talk about the different parts of it nor do I know how to put this text on the top because it won't let me so I'm just going to label the points as clearly as I can for each line. This is going to be lengthy but I also believe it's important and didn't want to completely ignore the points and posts being made so if you don't want to read this, I totally get it. There's simply no offence meant to be caused by this so don't read it that I'm writing this in an angry or defensive tone because I truly ain't. Also, I'm going to try and explain myself as best as I can so forgive me if you can't understand it too well. "This is nonsense. Class, culture and work ethic have far more to do with how well you do in society, not colour." I agree and disagree with this. I think it depends entirely on where you do, it's a grey area. I don't know if you've read it before but I have genuinely worked in a place where a staff member higher up than my position treated me differently because of the colour of my skin. To be quite honest with you, even though I've said I've always had a fair chance at everything, it is quite possible that the reason why I never got the promotion to assistant manager was because of my colour (referring to "GOT YOU, YOU BLACK BASTARD" incident) mentioned above as I was quite dedicated to the job (as I am with any job- even though it was a crap job) and I was the best in my shop at selling stuff and training the staff whilst the other guy, who was white and the racist one I was talking about, who got it even admitted he wasn't as good and didn't understand why. Now I'm not saying that this is true, which is why I simply dismissed it, but I am saying it's a possibility but then it could also be a possibility that the manager wanted me to focus more on sales. I don't think there's a clear cut reason for anything but it's under a grey area and I think it's that grey area that needs to be addressed- as in I think it's the fact that there's even a possibility of it in the first place that needs to be addressed. "Institutional racism in the U.S and the U.K has been over for years. That doesn't mean that people can't be racist, and many certainly are. But compare that to the 50s. Progress is being made, and there is still a long way to go, but you can't end it in a day. I think this whole movement is going to end up having the opposite effect that it desires" I wouldn't say it was absolutely over. Is it better than the 1950s? Yes it is but that doesn't mean it's entirely over. Some parts of the country are worse than others. These things can go on in secret. You can hire a POC because of the whole "Equal Opportunities" thing to make it look official but then be treated completely different when you have the job, off-the-record. "Maybe before handing out a special day to people to make them (and white people by proxy) feel good about themselves, we should actually get to the root of the issue of poverty, be it white, black or any ethnic group. Of course that would require undoing 30 years of telling people to "just do whatever you want, screw personal responsibility", rewriting marriage and benefit laws and would most certainly be absolutely, 100% racist. Just like celebrating people because of the colour of their skin." I'm going to try and explain myself as clearly as possible but I'm afraid of coming across this the wrong way. I'll give it a shot. I totally agree that we should get to the bottom of the issue when it comes to poverty as I think it's very bad for someone to live under such conditions. However, I do think it's important to celebrate our skin colour and also different cultures because that's what makes us us. I'm not saying to celebrate my skin colour but if I were to have a different belief or culture and I had the choice in celebrating it, I don't see the harm in it because it's where you can learn. It's like I've always said, I don't want people to celebrate my colour, not because I'm not proud (because I'm White and Black Caribbean and I love it and I believe everyone should love themselves too) but because it's literally part of who I am. It's like getting a medal for being something I can't help being. However, I do 100% believe that people can learn more and grow more and I do believe that talking it out with other people about their experiences and their past and listening to them is the way forward to change their views. You won't change everybody but even if you change a few minds, that's better than changing no minds. This is why I think it's important to have things such as Black History Month or spread awareness for anti-racism. "I would say the issue you run into is having a massively wide definition of what racism is, with a huge overlap on prejudice and I’m not sure you can easily work on either of them like this. By putting power on the other side of the equation you get a clearer delineation between the two and don’t have racism being something any joker can pull up as something they’ve suffered from" This is the thing- there has to be a fine line of balance. I know several black people who don't trust white people at all because of slavery just like I know some white people who don't trust black people because of stereotypes that have been spread about such as selling drugs, being nothing but troublemakers, they all carry knives, they're on the rob, etc. I honestly think that there is racism around and it shouldn't be like that but it's going to take a very, very long time for that to be completely gone. Dare I say I won't even live to see true equality. "Wouldn’t it be better to acknowledge these differences but for that to be totally OK and not something to judge the character of your person by? If we wipe out recognition of all the differences we have we may as well all go about wearing grey suits being totally boring. At the extreme end I think it would marginalize people even more to get to a point where we just ignore all differences and consider everyone the same" This, entirely! I think it's good to acknowledge differences and be okay with that but we live in a world where people judge others very easily. For instance, I've had people ask me about racism, my encounters with it and what they could do to help. Whilst it's good that they're interested in anti-racism, as I had stated before, I can't help but feel like it's this latest fashion thing. I see hashtags floating about everywhere, especially on a few people's pages where they "jump on the latest trend" to do with changing the world (you know, like if there was suddenly a month dedicated to saving the whales, they'd set up a JustGiving page even though they've never mentioned anything about it before) and I can't help but wonder if they are authentic. I think, with something like this, it should be handled correctly. Whilst I do think Black Pound Day can be beneficial, I also do think it can create issues in diversity in such a way that people would see it as unfair and would want a day dedicating their small businesses due to their skin colour and would be seen as "handing money to someone based on them being black and not because of their skill", which I understand. The way forward, for me anyway, is to talk and to actually give a shit about their experiences. At least, for me, that's all I want. For people to listen and see I'm the same as you. I don't want special treatment. "Sorry to hear about how you feel over the past month, @Animal. Do you think the current highlighting of these issues is at least working in a positive way?" For me, honestly, it's just absolutely highlighted my skin colour more to a point where it's hit home. This sounds super weird, I know. I knew I was mixed race and that I had different skin colour and I've been through a few incidents but I've somehow always managed to put it to the back of my mind and not focus on it until now. I've actually sat down and spoke to people about racism and it's hit me hard. I remember the first time talking about it about a month ago when the protests started and it was to my friends on Xbox and we were having a talk. I remember saying "I've been lucky because I haven't really had a lot happen to me" and they wanted to know what I experienced. I started talking about it and I was halfway through it and they said "Wow, you've really been through it, haven't you?" and I remember sitting there for a silent minute and then answering "yeah and the weirdest thing is that wasn't even all of it or even the worst of it" and I carried on. After I finished, they asked me "I thought you said you were lucky?". The problem is that I could bury my head in the sand and forget this but I couldn't and I shouldn't. I agree with some things that are happening and I disagree with some things happening. It may be seen as attention-seeking, like "if it's affecting you, why talk about it on this thread/post about it sometimes/etc", but it's because it's just as hard for me to not acknowledge it as it is to dismiss it when people want to know, if that makes sense. I don't want to deny people communication because they're engaging in a dialogue with me to learn and that's a positive thing as I believe it's the way forward. So yeah, I've grown up in a white family who have treated me no different, been taught in a mostly white school where the majority haven't treated me different (it's been a handful of white kids and a black teacher who have) but it's when I left school is where it all started. I believe it's positive for people to talk about this and have different views, even if I do disagree with them. (This is NOT an attack on anyone but) a controversial thing for me is when people say "All Lives Matter" because they don't understand "Black Lives Matter" because they're not understanding the meaning behind it. Obviously some understand and hit back with "White Lives Matter" meaning it in a different way. I've had several friends who have purely seen "BLACK Lives Matter" as only black lives matter and nobody else does, which is obviously not the case. All it takes is to calmly and rationally explain to them and 9/10, they'll understand it. The problem I see, and it's common, is people are very ready to shout "RACIST" to anybody who disagrees with a view to a point where the word will lose it's proper meaning. I understand I'm in a minority here but I don't really agree with the whole Winston Churchill thing either and the removing of the statues thing. I may strongly disagree with their views back then but at the end of the day, you can't erase history. Edward Colston did make money from slave trading but he used the money to start schools and hospitals- the schools are still here today. Will parents who disagree with Colston now take their children out of the school and stop teaching about him? Also, Churchill was a man who led the country to victory in World War II and yes, he may have had racist views, but people are forgetting the era of when it was. I think to erase it and possibly not learn from it is dangerous. People would learn from this. If someone looked at a statue and saw Edward Colston, they may Google it and read up on it. Same goes for Churchill. Whether you like it or not, this country was full of men like this back then and they changed the country. "I think this is quite a common view, but imo wrong. Things were easier to ignore before because things were “fine” - now we’re talking about it and realizing everything isn’t “fine” and it’s quite difficult for a lot of people to come to terms with. All of the initiatives taking place are not about driving divisions. It’s about highlighting differences, educating people and allowing everyone to live together no matter their background or choice of life to lead. It’s very easy to say “I’m not a racist” or “I don’t see colour” or “I don’t judge you by your sexual orientation”, but actually working towards a society where these things don’t matter is not as easy as that." This is something I agree with. Whilst I understand what I have said is a bit baffling, it's also good to highlight a difference but realise that in the end, we are all the same. I might have different skin to you but I eat, drink, piss, shit, shag, breathe, speak and have thoughts and opinions just like you. The best thing everyone can do is to treat other human beings the same and base them entirely on their personality. If you hate me, hate me because you think I'm a cunt, not because of my colour. . Back to earlier stuff @Jonnas appreciate much of your response - but to clarify I was talking a bit lightly(no indians have really about faced me after finding out :p) and I had framed a lot of my post lightly conversationally to aim it towards @will' in part but also for other 'privileged white folk who feel they dont understand/see it'(as it were :p) - I imagine the bits of subtle racism both within and between ethnicities may not be something often seen/experienced by those in such a position." It's weird you say this because some of the racism I've faced has been from minorities. It's crazy how it happens. You'd think that they would be more understanding. "I don’t think anybody should be too proud of the progress that has been made on this. Personally I think if you take the 50’s as the example then the fact we’re as we are now, 70 years later, is pretty shit to be honest." It really is rubbish. The fact that it's this long is awful, especially when we're living in a world where things are more accepting now. You'd think that it would be a Hell of a lot more different to what it is now. "I think you’re just ignoring the issue. Just because we’ve got laws to stop these things doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I also think you’ve misinterpreted your data as for the most part it’s quite clear there is a huge advantage in being white in western society. It’s not about some particular race doing well, it’s about always feeling safe and having whatever opportunity you want - something white people benefit from every day." I do agree with this. As I've stated, all I really want is for people to see me as me and not as a brown person first. I don't think that will end any time soon though as I do think that there are people who will judge me for my colour before judging me as a person. Like I've stated before, I don't think (to my knowledge, at least) I've lost out due to my colour and I think I've had a fair go at most things but it's the way people are that I'd like to change. I get judged for being mixed race and because I sometimes get mistaken for being Asian, I get judged on that too. I just want people to not see a walking stereotype and to just see me. I expect everyone else feels the same way too. It's just a weird world. I totally agree with this. It's crazy how things are, isn't it? I think it's good to open dialogue and hear different views but only if they are respectful. I know people who agree and disagree with BLM and the way it's going and I respect that. If I'm honest with you, this conversation has been one of the few where there's so many different opinions but everyone is respecting it rather than shouting over each other or trying to "cancel" each other. I'm genuinely enjoying people's viewpoints, even if some do differ from mine. I genuinely do think everybody here in this discussion is coming from a good place and means well, which is such a welcome change. I agree that there isn't so much of a head start but I think everything goes back to different times. The times back then have paid for how it is now but I think change is coming. It's a slow burner but it's coming.

And this is exactly how I feel about the whole situation right now with everyone making up different things. At the very core of it, I don't want people to see my skin colour as different and to not have a constant reminder that it is. Quite honestly, this past month or so has made me feel more different than ever before and honestly, it's depressed me a little because I've thought back on a lot of stuff that's happened to me over the years and realised how much people see my colour before seeing me. It's genuinely put me a little on a downer, which is not like me. (Also, by the way, one of my best friends who is a gay man hates Pride month with a passion because he finds it cheesy and, in his words, "overly stereotypical" so you're not alone). I am so torn with the whole Black Pound Day thing because I find myself agreeing with everyone's point. Personally, I find Black History Month and "Black Pound Day" to be two different things (although I haven't heard an awful lot about Black History Month in recent years). As @Ronnie has stated, one is educational and can be used to teach people and it would surely make more sense to have Black Pound Day in Black History Month (although I've just heard it's supposed to be happening on the 27th of every month?). Although I think it's great that local and small businesses would be getting exposure, I can't help but feel it's almost like it's out of pity because of what's going on or charity to make others feel good about themselves as opposed to helping a small organisation owned by a minority. I like the fact that people are starting to become more interested in anti-racism, of course I do, but the thing I fear (and the thing that has already happened) is that it's more of a fashion thing than anything. I mean, look at "how you participate" in Black Pound Day. You buy from the business, post a picture of the purchase on social media and hashtag "Black Pound Day". Whilst I understand that social media is made to share and spread the word and can help the business, I can't help but feel when I read about hashtags and stuff that it feels very much like a fad. It feels like one of those posts that says "Like if you're not a racist" or something. Maybe I've been reading too much into it or what have you but I just can't help but feel like it. I do also agree with @Goafer where he said about checking out black authors and such to support the community because I do believe it's important to get everybody's perspectives on different lives and how people feel. I'm not saying I'm against the whole "look for a black business" thing but I am against someone buying from them purely because they're black, if that makes sense. I don't know what to think. What I do know is that you're both coming at this from a good place, which genuinely makes me happy.

Absolutely hilarious! I love it so much. I've seen it countless times along with Only Fools and Horses. I love Harry Enfield and Chums. My favourites were always the randy old ladies and Wayne and Waynetta. Oh and the rich Brummies.

I would say the following are my favourites. I kind of like my comedy to be a little bit blue. - Gimme Gimme Gimme (Kathy Burke is an amazing comedian. She's just hilarious) - Harry Enfield and Chums (Harry Enfield, Kathy Burke and Paul Whitehouse making sketches. I love it) - The Inbetweeners (Follows the lives of four schoolboys. It's quite relatable- well, to me anyway- because you can normally find at least one of the lads who acts like one of your friends) - Only Fools and Horses (My absolute favourite. I love it so much) - The Royle Family (Definitely second favourite) - Phoenix Nights - Car Share - Citizen Khan - Little Britain (Controversial nowadays but I find it funny) - Come Fly with Me (Again, controversial now but I like it) - Peep Show - Friday Night Dinners - Gavin and Stacey - Fawlty Towers - Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (My third favourite comedy series. Frank Spencer is a legend) - Bottom - The Young Ones There's so many to recommend!

It's weird because I didn't actually know this was a thing until I saw it on here. I'm in two views about it but mostly leaning on it being kind of counter-productive. Whilst I think it's a positive thing, as @Goafer indicated, I can also see @Ronnie's point of view too. Obviously it would be great for businesses to have a bit of a boost BUT I wouldn't want anyone to hire me as a Personal Trainer purely based on my skin colour, I personally don't think that would be productive to what I want out of this world. I would rather them hire me because they want to, I'd want them to hire me because they may see my results and see that I'm capable and skilled in that area and I could possibly make an impact in their lives. I don't know, it just feels a little bit like people are participating in it to feel good about themselves rather than doing it because it would benefit them (if that makes sense...I really am trying to word this as best as I can). Basically, I just want to be treated equally by everyone with no special treatments. If a white/Asian/Indian/Chinese/Japanese man was better than me at doing my job, I'd fully expect you to go to him. I do think the same thing as @Ronnie in the respect that this whole thing can cause more division, which is honestly something I said could possibly happen since the protests happened here. Hopefully I made a bit of sense, lmao.