“I’m not racist, I’ve been to India”

“I’m not racist, I’ve been to India” – Quote of the day from a man in the Café.

I work part time in a very small café-come-shop which only has enough room inside for a couple of small tables. On miserable cold days the inside of the café often fills up very quickly, usually with a pair of couples, occasionally with one party of four. Recently a party of four middle-aged tourists were eager for tea and scones and they decided that two of them would take the remaining unoccupied table-for-two, whilst the other two stood and perched at our recently installed fold-down shelf which operates as a sort of bar to rest drinks on. Feeling sorry for my two original customers, and fearing that they might feel pressured into rushing their own coffees in order to give up their seats for this new party of four, I attempted to accommodate the new arrivals by offering to set up a third table-for-two in the ever dwindling space of the café. “It’s a bit of a squeeze, but I’ve managed it before”, I told them. They refused and were happy to perch at the bar and I was happy that the new shelf was finally being put to good use. Shortly after, however, when the original couple got up to pay, jokes were made and it was revealed that the intention of the standing newcomers was to commandeer the occupied table all along.

After I served their food and drinks it then became obvious that the four friends wanted to include me in their conversation about the contentious, divisive issue that is Brexit. Not wanting to be guilty of living in a political echo-chamber surrounded by people who share the same views as me, I put down the book I was reading and listened to what they had to say. They asked whether I was a ‘Leaver’ or a ‘Remainer’ and I told them that I voted to remain in the EU; despite becoming more aware of and sympathetic to some anti-EU sentiments recently, my standpoint hasn’t changed since the referendum in 2016… A short while later, seemingly out of the blue, one of the more outspoken members of the group felt it necessary to let me know that he’s “not racist” as he’s “been to India”.

This came as a massive relief to me. Previously, when they were ranting about ‘the rise of the far-left’, and citing their annoyance at immigrants failing to integrate themselves and embrace British culture, seeds of doubt were starting to grow in my head as to the plausibility of their tolerance towards ethnic minorities. Luckily those doubts disappeared upon learning that this chap had in fact been to India. As most of you will know, traveling to India exempts you from being a racist!

What’s more, not only had he been to India (so defo wasn’t racist), he also seemed to be aware of the importance of covering his back against the accusation that he might be racist …an accusation that his paranoia had dreamed up of its own accord there and then (another revealing give-away that he is definitely not racist). Any doubts I had about this man prior to his interjection were definitely now gone. Such was his enthusiasm to discuss his travel history (which clearly proved his infallibility on the moral issue of racism) that I felt bad about allowing myself, even momentarily, to make assumptions about him.

Despite definitely not being racist, the four friends did maintain a firmly fixed far-right position on the issue of immigration. It turned out that they didn’t like the idea of outsiders entering what they perceived to be an already over-populated, small area without much room, resources or facilities in it…

I couldn’t help but be sympathetic to their frustrations for obvious reasons.

-S&tG