But
none the less, there’s always been a rich history. So I thought I'd go into my
own personal history of the pick and mix of ethnicities that is London
Growing
up in London, it was hard to notice my differences with others, although I
could tell that I was different from my multi ethnic friends I did not for the
most part feel like I didn’t fit in because there was no said “norm” to fit
into, seeing that my closest friends were Bangladeshi, English/Irish,
Spanish/Jamaican/English/, Turkish, Malaysian and more.
However,
whenever I have left the city I can’t help but feel different. I can always
feel the stares, I always get the peculiar questions about my hair, the
“exotic” comments because I come from multiple countries that people can’t always
place on a map and/or because my family speaks languages that are seen as “cool”
simply because they aren’t English. However, I’ve never felt left out or
offended by these experiences rather perplexed.
Being a Londoner also gave my adolescence
a sense of confusion. Although I was surrounded by a mix of ethnicities, being
in a white western country, I was presented a certain beauty norm that I could
not relate with personally nor necessarily see within my friends. I found
myself searching hard for the blonde with the blue eyes that fit the European
beauty norms within my social circle but yet felt self-conscious that I did not
reflect this mirage of a perfect image.
London
has been a melting pot to this country for decades. As of the 2011 census London is home to 59% of the English population of Black or
Black British people and 50% of Bangladeshis – most ethnic groups have a greater representation in the capital than
other parts of the country [1]. So it’s no wonder that being a minority never really
felt like a minority here, something I think a lot of other people can relate
to.
I wonder how it is now for today’s youth
in school with the current social climate, when I was younger I feel like race
was always a hushed subject. It was something we could all see, we saw it in
cases such as the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the obvious systematical
racism in the metropolitan police force however we didn’t speak about it much,
we would shake our heads in disgrace and tut at how awful it was and that was
that. I look at my younger cousins now and even though at the most being 14
years their senior, I can see how different how generations are by the contrast
on how closed and open the topic of race and diversity is.
To try and make a significant point
to this ramble, it would be that I highly recommend exploring London if you come
from a place that isn’t as diverse, I think it would be a real eye-opening
experience. To walk down a small street
and hear various languages spoken is honestly such a beautiful thing because
despite coming from so many different backgrounds, this city is able to function
at such a high working pace. When you come to London you’ll see how crowded the
streets are and how fast the transport is and how everyone seems to have
somewhere important they need to be.
But then look closer, you’ll see how
intermingled cultures have become, how people’s others native languages have become
entwined into everyday slang among the youth, how every friendship circle seems
to have a least one person from an ethnic minority or non-Christian religion.
To some, this may be shocking in a bad way and to others, it may seem like
another world of its own. However to me, I think it's amazing, you put 50 workers
that have been trained in different industries, different methodologies and
different languages and expect them to operate a system smoothly and you’d be
dreaming. But somehow, same way you can see that here. It’s not perfect, definitely
rough around the edges but I think the diversity London has to offer is pretty
damn impressive.
Feel free to comment on any of your personal experiences with diversity in your own cities or maybe cultures shocks you’ve felt in different countries
-
Jess
Check out the first part of this series to see some places I enjoy that I think reflect the diversity London has to offer link here
Sources:
*gifs and photos do not belong to me, copyright is entitled to original owners of artwork*
