Challenging racist slurs

Sir, – America 1955, Pete Seeger wrote the song Where have all the Flowers gone, and it soon became an anti-war song for the Vietnam War.

The flowers were picked by young girls, who also picked husbands, who then went to war. War is a human tragedy, where the least resilient are affected the most.

Today, the USA is engaged in another human tragedy, a pandemic, taking more lives away from friends and family than ‘that old crazy Asian war’, to quote the late Kenny Rodgers.

It is ironic the same age group of mostly men who took part in the Vietnam war are now most affected by Covid19.

Again now, the BAME communities are most affected by Covid-19. Add to this the aggressive and brutal police treatment of BAME people daily in the USA and you can see why there are protests.

In Scotland, we should focus on our collective ‘White Silence’, the people that say I am not a racist, but remain silent when one of their friends or family vent little jibes against the black and Asian and immigrant communities.

It used to be the Irish, gays and lesbians, but not so much now as change has taken place.

We Scots can also change for the better for BAME and immigrants.

Confession time. When I was young, many years ago, I made and told racist jokes.

It was the done thing then, at the time it was fun, people laughed.

How I regret this now, knowing and seeing the harm it has caused.

We are fortunate that Police Scotland are not trained to arrest every suspect as though they are terrorists, as it seems the case in America.

Police Scotland are not ‘perfect’ and can always improve, but remember neither are we the general public.

Let’s not waste this difference, let’s capitalise on it. Use our common sense, so if racial abuse is taking place, don’t remain silent, speak out.

It’s the ‘little’ stuff, the jibes and jokes in the office or workshop that are the starter.

It is hard to intervene in the street with ‘unknowns’.

As a start, intervene with your friends and work colleagues.

It will make a difference, it will make them and you think. Alistair Ballantyne. Birkhill,

Angus.