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Which uni is best in terms of diversity?

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KFC yum

Original post by tanyapotter

Are you against these culturally homogeneous communities?

I am when they're as deliberately homogenous as they usually are.

Also, did you know that British people are not all white? Since when did this become about nationality and immigration?

oh god, here we go. attempting to represent me as saying that british = all white...

Reply 102

RedHawk123

@sleepysnooze
Diverse=a mixture of different ethnicities/races.
There are areas of the UK that predominantly are white (I would know, where I live it is 98.5% white british people according to the 2012 census data). Being non-white (so, african, pakistani, chinese, indian, japanese etc etc) in these places, you don't meet a whole lot of people like you, and you normally get a little racism atleast being quite the rare sight.
I personally never got to anyone the same ethnicity as me growing up (aside from family), so I thought it'd be cool to go to a uni were I would meet said people.

This is only my own experience on being part of an ethnic minority, but just because the OP wants to go somewhere "diverse", it doesn't automatically make her racist...

A white (or any race/ethnicity) person could even say they want to go somewhere more ethnically diverse.
Imagine this scenario: A white guy is specifically attracted to asian girls and so wants to go somewhere he can meet more asians.
Is he racist against white people now? lol

Being more ethnically diverse can also mean more international students. Forget british people alltogether here. You might just be curious about getting to know people from other cultures.
Being at Uni, I've met people from so many different countries. It's interesting hearing about their experiences from where they grew up.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 103

tanyapotter

Original post by sleepysnooze

I am when they're as deliberately homogenous as they usually are.

oh god, here we go. attempting to represent me as saying that british = all white...

If you're against homogeneous communities in the UK, then how can you condemn OP's desire not to go to a homogeneous university? And I hardly attempted: that's exactly how you came across. It's your words, not mine.

oxbridge

Original post by tanyapotter

because universities aren't deliberately homogeneous until somebody starts actively looking for the uni with the biggest amount of said demographic and then it snowballs from there. unless there's an area of the country where a certain racial group congregates. and surely you had the sense to understand that I didn't meant that...

Reply 106

sleepysnooze

Original post by RedHawk123

A white (or any race/ethnicity) person could even say they want to go somewhere more ethnically diverse.
Imagine this scenario: A white guy is specifically attracted to asian girls and so wants to go somewhere he can meet more asians.
Is he racist against white people now? lol

depends on your definition of racism

Reply 107

tanyapotter

Original post by sleepysnooze

How do you know there aren't white people who actively look for a uni with the biggest amount of said demographic, making that university deliberately homogeneous? Do you have any evidence that this only happens with ethnic minorities?

And in this case, if OP is trying to avoid a deliberately homogeneous university - something you yourself are against, then what exactly is it that you disagree with? Could it be that you only condemn deliberately ethnically homogeneous communities when they are non-white?

Reply 108

sleepysnooze

Original post by tanyapotter

well, there could be - I never said there weren't. but they wouldn't need to do that because the UK is a pretty white country, so there will obviously be overwhelmingly more non-whites doing that.

And in this case, if OP is trying to avoid a deliberately homogeneous university - something you yourself are against, then what exactly is it that you disagree with? Could it be that you only condemn deliberately ethnically homogeneous communities when they are non-white?

"racial active-mindedness", like I already said. people shouldn't be conscious of race. they shouldn't even really see it as an identity. it is an arbitrary trait that means nothing in this modern globalised world. what the OP was doing was actively thinking about race, and not only that, but being racially hierarchical - suggesting that they prefer some races over others.

Reply 109

Another

Original post by sleepysnooze

so you treat different cultures as if they're like a zoo or something? wow. I mean, if you're going to engineer your kid's upbringing, something like *this* is just going to make matters worse. my parents never did anything like this - they never even talked about race. they gave me the impression that there was no reason to be prejudiced against people of different races, so funnily enough, I never became a racist. aiming to probe them into a "culturally diverse community" (and trust me, there are very few genuinely "diverse" communities in this country) is just going to make them think about race too much, if your intention is as obvious as it is.

Oh dear. Talk about reading between the lines too much.

People I've met who grew up in areas with a very small south Asian population tend to think that Hinduism is retarded, all muslims hate women and constantly smell of curry. People I've met who grew up in areas with a very small black population, tend to think that black men are dumb and violent and don't get very far in life.

Misconceptions about race begin at an early age, and tend to go unchallenged until someone personally proves them wrong. I just don't want my children to grow up to be that breed of idiot. Just because you personally never thought about race, doesn't mean that no other child in the universe will. Ie - my 3 year old niece caught on quite quickly that her parents weren't the same colour. There are other mixed kids who would have never noticed/cared until adulthood, no two children are the same

Reply 110

RedHawk123

Original post by sleepysnooze

depends on your definition of racism

lol. Well you didn't mention the earlier part of my comment, so I assume you can understand a little bit now why wanting to go somewhere with more african people doesn't inherently make her racist right?
There can be other motivations behind it.

Reply 111

watchthisspace1

Original post by sleepysnooze

so you're discriminating against universities not on the grounds of quality/prestige and standards, but on the grounds of the skin colours of their students? and who said racism was dead? you're reviving it singlehandedly apparently - very ambitious

Woow this is a very closed minded statement.
Aside from Prestige/ standards there are other things to consider in a university and diversity is a very important one. that doesn't make the OP discriminatory/racist, they have their preferences and that's fine. Whilst you are gaining an education you may have to live with some people at your university for 3+ years.

I'm guessing you don't know how it feels to be the only black person in a class?

My advice for OP is to try not to stay within your comfort zone at your university and to pick a good university where you have the opportunity to be exposed to a range of different cultures. :smile:

My advice for you is to open your mind and try not to jump to conclusion without knowing the situation that a person is in. Okay?

Also...Racism cannot be "single handly" revived by O.P, because Racism is based on social actions, practices, or political systems. It is very serious and very real. It is not just a thing.

Reply 112

sleepysnooze

Original post by RedHawk123

again, it depends on your definition of racism.
if you define racism as the belief in one race being 'better' than another (which is quite a relative thing) then it would be racist, wouldn't it?

Reply 113

tanyapotter

Original post by sleepysnooze

well, there could be - I never said there weren't. but they wouldn't need to do that because the UK is a pretty white country, so there will obviously be overwhelmingly more non-whites doing that.

"racial active-mindedness", like I already said. people shouldn't be conscious of race. they shouldn't even really see it as an identity. it is an arbitrary trait that means nothing in this modern globalised world. what the OP was doing was actively thinking about race, and not only that, but being racially hierarchical - suggesting that they prefer some races over others.

You are very, very misguided in your thinking that racial active-mindedness is equal to racism, and if you truly believe that the desire for diversity is the same as racial hierarchy. If OP were being racially hierarchical, we'd know. They'd suggest things like "I want to go to a university where there are more non-white people because I believe that they study harder and that they are more deserving of education than white people as they are superior" or something despicable like that.

Reply 114

Akamega

Despite what people want to believe, it is absolutely difficult being the only person of colour (POC) in an academic environment. When you're the only black person in an entire room of only white people (yes, I go to a Russell Group university and yes, I'm the only POC on a course with more than 200 people), you begin to feel incredibly uncomfortable. I have had people on my course ask me if English is my first language (despite being born here and speaking perfect English) and tell me that they'd never step foot in the area I'm from. Whilst I didn't find that offensive, you quickly realise that you have NOTHING in common with the majority of the people there and that socialisation becomes an unnerving experience. It's even worse when lecturers and tutors expect less of you because you're a POC. So yes, I absolutely wish that there was more POC in my course and at my university. Yes, I would RECOMMEND you find a university where you feel comfortable with the diversity, because if you're worrying about it now, then it may genuinely impact your studies when you're at university. As for the people criticising you, with all due respect, if you're white you can never begin to understand what it is like to be in an academic environment where you're uncomfortable, alone and thought of as less (often subliminal so I'm not accusing people of being racist).

Reply 115

eden3

Original post by Akamega

very, very well said.

Reply 116

oli2tup

sleepy snooze, I don’t disagree with everything you said, but have you considered that maybe OP wants to go to an area with diversity ( or an area with a large amount of people of his own race) not due to colour but due to cultural similarities. You could have lived in England your entire life and find that although you share a lot of similarities in terms of hobbies with people not of your own race or upbringing (who have also live in the same country as you their entire life) the opinions and ideologies on general issues differ significantly and although this isn't a huge deal and having different opinions on some things doesn't mean you can't connect with someone it’s just nice to be around like minded people who see things from your perspective as we are social creatures and like to bond with people. I must add that I don’t disagree with some of the points you’ve brought up e.g. ‘I’m really fed up of this "I can't be racist - I'm not white" arrogance' I am black and have seen this a lot especially when it comes to stereotypes, ‘ white men can’t jump’ a funny statement when said by a person of colour but as soon as a white person says ‘ black people can’t swim’ they could be seen as racist but in this specific case I disagree.

Reply 117

oli2tup

sleepy snooze, I don’t disagree with everything you said, but have you considered that maybe OP wants to go to an area with diversity (or an area with a large amount of people of his own race) not due to colour but due to cultural similarities. You could have lived in England your entire life and find that although you share a lot of similarities in terms of hobbies with people not of your own race or upbringing (who have also live in the same country as you their entire life) the opinions and ideologies on general issues differ significantly and although this isn't a huge deal and having different opinions on some things doesn't mean you can't connect with someone it’s just nice to be around like minded people who see things from your perspective as we are socia creatures and like to bond with people and that is easier with people who see the world as you do, the general thinking is although not guaranted the odds are more in your favour to find those people ehrn they look like you. I don’t disagree with some of the points you’ve brought up e.g. ‘I’m really fed up of this "I can't be racist - I'm not white" arrogance' I am black and have seen this a lot especially when it comes to stereotypes, ‘ white men can’t jump’ a funny statement when said by a person of colour but as soon as a white person says ‘ black people can’t swim’ they could be seen as racist but in this specific case I disagree.