Dealing with unexpected racist and fascist remarks

[rednordman]

Not sure whether or not this is the correct forum for this or whether someone has asked this point before, but im wondering, how do you people react when your with someone who seems to think that it is the greatest thing in the world to joke about other 'races' and classes or groups of people and generally act reactionary. Don't get me wrong, i'm not uptight or anything, but i just do not find this things funny..at all. Sometimes you can tell that it was a bit more than a joke.
The real problems, that i am faced with is that this seems to be happening more and more these days and worser still, sometimes it comes from people that i'm close to (friends, familly etc.). Im not saying that they are facists or even racists for that matter, but I cannot help deep inside feel a little pissed of, as these are people whom I have known for a while and have known them to be rather socialist and or liberal in thought. I realise that this probly sounds daft, but i feel alittle bit ashamed and betrayed by them as when i was young and growing up, some of the same people where the first people whom would say that racists and fascist are scum. Now more and more they are jumping on the bandwagon of 'all immigrants should go back to their own country', 'muslims are all bad/hate uk/terrorists etc' bullshit. Proper believing everything within the media.
Its like if i was to react badly they would probly be pissed off with me and think that i am too sensitive, have not sense of humour, and too politically correct. Basically, like i'm the one who is an arsehole and has a problem.
Has any of you people had anything similar?, if so, how do you deal with it?

[Hawk_]

I'm completely with you. I get so pissed off.. in my town, people are called Jews and Niggers a lot. It's horrible. When I know I can take someone and they say it,I make sure they know to shut their mouth.

A little off topic.. but, one time me and my mates were walking around at school. Some kid thought he was funny by yelling 'sing heil' and doing the Nazi salute in my face and calling me a nigger. He was probably 4 feet tall. I punched the little guy in the kidneys and he started to cry.

[Dr Mindbender]

ask them why they hold racist views, and challenge their rationale.

If they still refuse to recant, stop associating with them and other racist people. Simple.

[Mindtoaster]

Living in the South (USA) I hear comments about how we should line up all the immigrants at the border and systematically exterminate them (shoot them, make them run through minefields) every single day. Really, there is not much you can do about it.

[Hawk_]

Living in the South (USA) I hear comments about how we should line up all the immigrants at the border and systematically exterminate them (shoot them, make them run through minefields) every single day. Really, there is not much you can do about it.

Yes there is. Stand strong, debate them. Make sure they know how idiotic they are then beat their ass.

[rednordman]

Thanks for the responses people, i feel a little less alone in this now:).


A little off topic.. but, one time me and my mates were walking around at school. Some kid thought he was funny by yelling 'sing heil' and doing the Nazi salute in my face and calling me a nigger. He was probably 4 feet tall. I punched the little guy in the kidneys and he started to cry.

Funny you should say that, I saw the same thing at work only the other day, this guy did one (probably joking, but it still isnt on) while driving on his truck. The worst thing about it is i'v spoken with this chap on quit a few occasions and on the face of it all he comes across as rather genuine and a good laugh. Then one day i noticed him shout at an asian fork-lift truck driver, so as curiosity killed the cat, i went and asked what it all about and from nowhere he comes out with this racist lingo which im probably not even aloud to repeat on this board. Then he went on to ask me why i dont hate muslims and told me about a time that he had been at one of these nationalist protests (probly either BNP or NF). I just said to him that i dont believe in religion so cannot judge the driver by it and he seemed to accept that. But the shocking thing is that i'v heard recently that he is actually on leave due to injury from the British Army. To think that people like that man are fighting in the british armed forces (probably in Iraq or Afganistan as well.)

[rednordman]

Living in the South (USA) I hear comments about how we should line up all the immigrants at the border and systematically exterminate them (shoot them, make them run through minefields) every single day. Really, there is not much you can do about it.
I Shouldnt laugh but it actually sounds that there is a place that is more racist than the uk. Its funny as if you where to ask a conservative about most racism they would probly say that the only people today that are racists are the BNP and they represent a tiny minority (which I believe is putting ones head in the sand sadly)

@ Ulster Socialist : I very much accept what you say and do my best to do that but sometimes people are dead set on believing something and would rather believe it even if it is ridiculus. But sometimes the souce of comments is a painfull one like my mum and uncle .They are both Norwiegen and all through my life i heard from my grandad over there about him being a resistance fighter in WW2, I would think they should no better, but the sadist thing is that i can remember times when even he said 'shady' remarks, and he according to my English grandparents was very much in favour of the Soviet Union and Bolshevik revolution so i would have thought he would have been a bit more educated about what socialism actually meant.