In this blog, Johann Taljaard explores examples and the impact of casual racism, stereotypes and unconscious bias on different minorities. He speaks of his own personal experience of antisemitism.
In previous blogs, we have shared examples and discussed outright racism and its impact. ( Discrimination’s Toll: A Reminder on Human Rights Day | TogetherInTheUK) In this blog Johann looks at prejudice faced by different minorities in every day encounters. Of course, direct experience of hate is awful and there is a worrying rise in recorded hate crimes:
Table 1 below presents data on the number of recorded hate crime offences in England and Wales over the past five years, highlighting the percentage change for each category and provides a context for Johann’s blog:
| Hate Crime Category | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | % Change (2019/20 to 2023/24) |
| Antisemitic Incidents | 1,805¹ | 1,668¹ | 1,921¹ | 1,662¹ | 3,282² | 81.8% |
| Islamophobic Incidents | 3,089³ | 2,703³ | 3,459³ | 3,432³ | 3,866² | 25.1% |
| Racially Motivated Incidents | 76,070⁴ | 74,785⁴ | 80,678⁴ | 80,133⁴ | 84,597² | 11.2% |
[Table 1]
Johann’s blog
My article looks at the impact of people only seeing the stereotype and not the person. I share my own expereience of anti-semistism.Many of us at TogetherintheUK have experienced the everyday prejudice faced by migrants. There is a chapter in our book: Hear Our Stories – an anthology of migrant essays and poems where the writers share their experience of discrimination and how it made them feel:
In her brilliant essay; ‘An Immigrant is So Many Words’, Farisai Dwenza describes name calling and prejudice. She describes it as torment to be met with ‘discrimination, racism, exclusion, minimisation and disrespect. She describes some of the names she/her group have been called: ‘thief, parasite, ignorant, hard-to-reach, loud, aggressive’. These stereotypes have real consequences – elsewhere she has described overhearing doctors being hestitant to pursue treatment for her as their opinion was the group she came from was ‘non-compliant’.
In her equally brilliant essay, ‘please question your misconceptions;’, Sisi Wang describes ‘the feeling of being an outsider cannot be understood until its felt”. She talks about the impact of stereotypes, ‘your individuality is irrelevant when they identify you with stereotypes, presumptions and genrealisations’.
So, all minoritised groups face some kind of discrimination and last year, we published this blog on Islamophobia Uncovered: Insights from Independent Reports | TogetherInTheUK
My own knowledge and experience of prejudice is set out here:
Antisemitism – a form of discrimination and hostility directed towards Jewish individuals, encompasses prejudiced attitudes, discriminatory actions, and violence against Jews based on their religious, ethnic, or cultural identities. This age-old prejudice has persisted across centuries and continues to manifest in various forms worldwide”.
The rise in antisemitism shown in the chart is not merely a series of numbers but reflects deeply unsettling experiences for many individuals.
Over the past three years, I have personally experienced antisemitism that was both distasteful and frightening. These incidents occurred multiple times during social gatherings (not online). When I challenged the comments, they often dismissed their remarks with excuses like, ‘but some of my best friends are Jewish, and they don’t mind.’ This rationalisation is deeply troubling and highlights the pervasive nature of such prejudices.
This narrative underscores the insidiousness of antisemitism and its impact on our sense of safety and belonging. It also mirrors the experiences of those facing Islamophobia, especially following significant global events that unjustly cast suspicion on entire communities.
The following are examples of Jews being stereotyped, asked to take responsibility for another country’s actions (Israel) and, of course, there are far more ways in which Jews face discrimination, particularly being a target of conspiracy theories.
Stereotyping
A friend attended a dinner party where a guest made a joke about Jewish people being “stingy.” When the individual expressed discomfort, the response was, “Oh, lighten up! It’s just a joke, and besides, I have Jewish friends who find it funny.”
A colleague remarked, “Of course you’re good with numbers; you’re Jewish.” When challenged, the individual laughed it off, saying, “Come on, it’s a compliment!”
In a shocking example of stereotyping. Jordan Peterson: my message to the Jews | The Standard, Jordan Peterson without citing any sources claims that Jews are 15 points more intelligent than everyone else. The idea that some ethnicities or races are more clever than others is deeply problematic. It is, in fact, part of a definition of racism.: ‘the belief that different races possess distinct characteristics, abilities, or qualities, especially so as to distinguish them as inferior or superior to one another’.
Mockery of Religious Practices:
During a discussion about dietary preferences, someone sarcastically commented, “So, do you have to pray to your God before eating kosher?” followed by laughter when my friend tried to explain the significance of kosher laws.
Comments on Global Events:
A friend was asked, “How do you feel about what your people are doing in Palestine?” implying personal responsibility for the actions of a separate nation-
Trivialisation:
In all examples, when the individual affected calls out the behaviour, they are met with dismissive responses such as “it’s just a joke,” “don’t be so sensitive,” or “I’m just curious,” minimising the hurt caused.
Deflection:
People often justify their expression of prejudice with excuses like “I have friends from your community” or “I didn’t mean it that way,” shifting the blame onto the victim for misunderstanding or overreacting.
Ignorance vs. Malice:
While some incidents stem from ignorance, such as genuine unawareness of cultural or religious practices, others are rooted in prejudice cloaked as humour or casual commentary
Addressing these issues require collective action. My motto and duty requires me to call it out whenever encountering any prejudices:
“We all have a responsibility and a duty to call this out whenever and wherever we find it! It’s only when we stand united against it that we will see a change.”
This call to action aligns with the mission of TogetherintheUK, which is dedicated to fostering understanding and unity among diverse communities. By acknowledging the rise in antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, and by sharing personal experiences, we can work towards a more inclusive and empathetic society.
Call to Action
In this blog Casual Racism – Why Are We Still Using This Term?, the EW Group set out why stereotyping and excusing inappropriate remarks is so damaging and how organisations and you can respond.
We may all make mistakes when interacting with different communities and make remarks that are insensitive. The best thing to do is to take responsibility, apologise and learn from the incident.
We also do not want to be so nervous of offending that we do not engage at all. In her blog Time to have a meaningful conversation | TogetherInTheUK Teresa Norman sets out ideas of how to connect across difference. Finally, if you are in the workplace, consider commissioning our course on ‘Supporting a culturally diverse workforce’ which will support you in communicating with diverse communities – action that will help everyone feel included.
