I'm assuming some of you, especially the other Brits on here, will have seen the youtube video that sparked the #mytramexperience trend on Twitter. I was reading the Guardian online just now, followed the link to the video and . . .
I was almost physically sickened. Absolutely disgusted. I feel appalled that someone like her can claim to be 'British' and 'English' when she clearly doesn't know the meaning. British culture nowadays is based on the fact that we are a mixture of hundreds of other nationalities, and we should be proud of that and celebrate that. There will have been people on that tram that she claims aren't English or British, and yet they will have probably been born here, their parents and maybe even their grandparents have. And even if they haven't, so what? Obviously there are limits that need to be watched so we don't end up overcrowding the country, but if a person wants to come and live here for the job opportunities (admittedly not so good at the moment) or for the education system, or just because they like the idea, they should be able to do that without being criticized and abused just because of the colour of their skin.
And the kids? How can she go swearing like that and claim it's alright cause she's got a kid with her? How can she claim to be proud of anything when she can sit there, shouting and screaming and swearing and making herself look like a complete moron with her child sat there?
In my opinion, and I try to hold to this perhaps more than any others I might hold, is that you should never judge a person over something they can't control. Only judge a person by their choices, because that says something about that person specifically, and if you're going to judge a person you should be judging only them and not dragging other people into it against their will by using stereotypes. So what if a person's black or Asian or whatever else? That's just on the outside, everyone's organs work the same, everyone's mind works the same. It's just skin. So what if a person needs glasses? It doesn't mean they love computers and are geeky, or that they're thick, it just means that they have some problems looking at stuff. So what if a person needs to use a wheelchair or something else like that? You could end up in a tragic accident and end up unable to use your legs ever again, and you're not going to like it when people take the piss out of you then and call you pathetic and stupid.
If you're going to be horrible about someone, do it because they're a compulsive liar, or they stole your boyfriend away while knowing he was taken, or are a two-faced bitch who can only keep secrets until it suits him or her to tell them. That's a problem related only to that person.
As for the woman who spoke up against her, I would give her so many high-fives right now, or a medal or something. She is a wonderful woman.
