http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6921534.stm
I lolled a little at first because of the use of what i thought was just an internet slang / london / poor person word in a BBC article.
Still, its interesting. As usual its an issue fraught with contradictions; not least -
"Three-quarters feel their culture is being diluted by living in the UK and nearly half believe white people do not treat them as British."
Well - surely nationalism (Britishness in this case) is defined by culture; and if you dont follow British culture you're less likely to be treated as British?
I cant help but agree with something my dad said to me; he suggested that if he were ever to move to France, he would have to speak french and follow to a public degree at least, french customs and practices - in essence, become french. I think the same thing applies in the UK.
Now obviously some blanket covering of what culture does entail is ridiculous; but sometimes its easier to tell what it doesnt entail. With a growing muslim population in the UK, should we have courts that practice Sharia law? Should we begin redoing road signs to read in Urdu as well as English?
Basically what i'm trying to say is the tone of this article is there shouldnt be pressure on immigrant communities to become 'coconuts' - white on the inside - if we got rid of colours and creeds for a minute and replaced 'white' with 'moderately liberal, western, passive, and tolerant', then i really dont get the problem at all. Thats exactly what you want in your immigrant communities, surely.