English & white - not good if you live in London

And if you can't understand that then you shouldn't be taking part in internet debates with a tool such as the "quote" feature which is apparently too difficult for your adorable little head to understand.

I'm not English, but I grew up in N.Ireland and I've heard it's been a culture shock for some English people coming here because of the lack of ethnic minorities. When I was growing up, for a long time it was just White people and Chinese people, but more recently there's been an influx of Eastern Europeans, Black people and Muslims, and honestly, I think it's great! I work in a restaurant where all the staff are either locals, Eastern European or Southern European. There used to be more Chinese people working there, but not so much anymore.

I grew up in a very predominantly white area (as in, there were literally no ethnic minorities in my street) and my school was almost 100% white middle class students, but we did have Asian and Chinese students, they were probably the most popular kids actually, and everyone got along fine. Maybe there's a different feeling towards non-white people in England, because there's more of them, but here most people get along fine. I went to London a few weeks ago, and at no point did I ever feel like "Hey, where'd all the white people go?" maybe it was because I was staying in Piccadilly, but for me, the more ethnically diverse, the better. Being around your own race and nationality is nothing but a bore - there's so much to learn from non White people or non UK people and their cultures and I'd much rather have a group of friends who are from all over the place than from the same race, same country and same background. But that's just me.

No, you don't get it. It's for a reason. Commercial businesses don't just set up shop in random areas - they place them in strategic locations after studying the demographic, racial and economic factors affecting such areas. For example, the Primark in Catford stocks up cheaper stuff; whereas whilst the Bromley Primark stocks up some of the same things, it also stocks up much more expensive (as in, expensive for Primark) stuff. It's all planned well, because Bromley retains more higher income residents than say, Catford or parts of Lewisham. By the way, I'm talking about near the Glades Shopping Centre here.

I find London to be a bit of an enigma. On one hand I love how big it is, the anonymity of it. The endless things to do and places to see. To an EXTENT, the cultural aspects and meeting people from different backgrounds etc But having lived abroad in my life I've never had a problem meeting people from other backgrounds. I've known people from all over the world from a young age as I lived abroad.

But then I think to myself how it's difficult to fit in as a white working class English guy sometimes. Honestly, unless you mix in middle class circles you simply don't get the chance to meet groups of white people. The polarisation of rich/poor means you have middle class enclaves mixed in with the poverty, council estate type of areas.

I've just grown tired of not being able to meet hardly any white english people at all. It seems the only way to meet them is by joining a sports team. But I'm tired of going to school or college or work and being a 10% minority. In my last 2 jobs there were hardly any white english people, and these are big retail companies. At school literally about 90% of the school was just catering for ethnic children and unless you go to a good/bordering middle class/bordering private school - it is always like that.

If you go into places like Subway and so on, you'll see an Asian manager and 9/10 it's full of Asian workers. I've seen this countless of times in places like Sainsbury's and Poundland etc They'll literally just employ Asians and some Poles.

It's really affected my social life and my chances with girls. Let's consider that I only really like white girls in general, and I don't have any middle class friends or circles - therefore it's very very hard to meet white english girls who aren't ghetto. The people outside of London are very different to the types in London. You only have to compare the types of white people in unis outside of London, compared to the white people in London unis to be able to see the social differences between them. To the point where having lived both in and inside of London, I can look at a group of people and tell whether or not they are from London. The people outside of London will be more kind of traditionally English.

I don't see why I should have to move out of London to meet white people. Also I've been moved around in my life so much that I just want to settle now.

I just think it's a big shame. I'm also pissed off at the idea that black/asian people think they can call white people like myself racist just because we want to meet some of our own. I mean, we are now a minority according to the latest census figures. Why shouldn't we meet some of our own? Asians and black people congregate together in their own communities and neighbourhoods and jobs and so on, why shouldn't we? It's like you have a group of 20 people with 2 white people - that is multiculturalism. Everything is fine and dandy. Have 18 white people and that group is perceived to be potentially racist by other ethnic minorities.

Sadly, I know I'm not the only white person thinking this exact same thing. Noone really wants to talk about it in fear of accusations, but I know that many white English people feel the same. White English people will become extinct certainly in London within about 15 years.

I'll go into work tomorrow and meet my 15 odd work colleagues. I'm the only English person. They're a great bunch and we have a laugh. But it's alienating being in England and being the only white English person knocking about. You start to lose your identity. I mean it's only natural. If a black or asian guy/girl was surrounded by 14 white people at work in Pakistan or Nigeria how would they feel?

My life is too short to worry about these things.

I will flow where the waves take me.

Like I said I have no problems being friends with anyone from any backgrounds. I don't care where they are from. But why should I not want to meet some white English people, being one myself and living in the capital of England. This includes meeting girls for dating etc

You say start being more social but you're still not seeing my point. My point is that unless you went to a good school with a balanced student base, you will never really get a good opportunity to have a good social life as a white working class person in London. It's so much harder to create a social life from virtually scratch after school (I'm 22 now), and it's made even harder in London because the culture of English people isn't really present as it is so mixed up. The only place where white English people mix is through middle class circles.

I'm sorry to break it to you but the vast majority of inner London in made up of two types socio-economic circumstances. You have the poor areas and the Wealthy areas. Areas that are poorer are more likely to be occupied by ethnic minorities is because they are relatively cheap and so migrants originally and still do set-up in those areas. The rest of inner London consists of pockets on upper middle class and super rich which consist of British white (your bakers, investment bankers, accountants) and foreign city workers. Those caught in the middle generally move out of inner London to avoid living in these poorer areas due to not being able to afford living there. This is made worse for families where the cost of an apartment in Fulham can buy you a family home in the commuter belt. That's why people move out of London, and also why you seem to be able to find few white british people where you live.

I didn't realise making bread was so lucrative

I'm not English, but I grew up in N.Ireland and I've heard it's been a culture shock for some English people coming here because of the lack of ethnic minorities.

I'm not English, but I grew up in N.Ireland and I've heard it's been a culture shock for some English people coming here because of the lack of ethnic minorities. When I was growing up, for a long time it was just White people and Chinese people, but more recently there's been an influx of Eastern Europeans, Black people and Muslims, and honestly, I think it's great! I work in a restaurant where all the staff are either locals, Eastern European or Southern European. There used to be more Chinese people working there, but not so much anymore.

I grew up in a very predominantly white area (as in, there were literally no ethnic minorities in my street) and my school was almost 100% white middle class students, but we did have Asian and Chinese students, they were probably the most popular kids actually, and everyone got along fine. Maybe there's a different feeling towards non-white people in England, because there's more of them, but here most people get along fine. I went to London a few weeks ago, and at no point did I ever feel like "Hey, where'd all the white people go?" maybe it was because I was staying in Piccadilly, but for me, the more ethnically diverse, the better. Being around your own race and nationality is nothing but a bore - there's so much to learn from non White people or non UK people and their cultures and I'd much rather have a group of friends who are from all over the place than from the same race, same country and same background. But that's just me.

Well think about it. White people had their shops, and so forth. Then a huge influx of people from abroad - what can we do? We are powerless when we get a huge influx like we've done over the last couple of decades.

White people make up the majority of where I live in my part of London, probably cos it's Bromley. I suppose it varies from borough to borough. If you've ever seen Made in Chelsea, nearly everyone on that is white, and they all unmistakeably live in London.

thats in bromley, right?

Dude, go down Bishops Avenue, half the people there make bread! :L
Sorry, I'm not used to typing at 3am :P

I had to google Bishops Avenue. It sounds like the london version of sandbanks. I know virtually nothing about London, having never really spent more than a couple of hours there at a time and always travelling through it to get somewhere else.

Why do you think Australians will be any more happy for you to move to their country, than you are for foreigners to move to Britain? Do you not think that you're contributing to a dilution of Australian culture, just as you think foreigners do when they move to Britain? Do you somehow think that just because you're the same colour as Australians, you have the same culture as them?

Logic, you clearly haven't met it. Either that, or you're ignorant enough to think that Australian culture is just British culture with sunshine and kangaroos.

I'm the same, I only know about Bishop's avenue because of our A2 Geography work lol. I've been there 3 times to actually go to London :P the rest of times I've been to go to an airport.