'Eastern European' debate - my two penn'orth: Motoring Non-motoring forum

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Thread Author: Alanovich	Replies: 56

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Mon 7 Jun 10 14:39

'Eastern European' debate - my two penn'orth - Alanovich

To carry on from a locked thread in the motoring section regarding a warning to peole driving in France, I feel like I should reply to a post from “ifithelps” (on this occasion it doesn’t, sadly). I don’t sit at my computer on Friday evenings and weekends, so didn’t get the chance to respond before it was locked. I’ll follow the convention of imitating the pointy things which indicate the passages of text which are being responded to (hope it works, it's moments like this when I realise I need to learn HTML).

>>. ...It seems to me that there is often an Eastern European dimension....And???????...

>> Alanovic,

>> And nothing.

>>It is worthwhile intelligence to pass on the fact this type of scam is often carried out by >>Eastern Europeans.

It is worthwhile intelligence to point out that this type of scam happens, full stop. People must be alert to criminals. To try to make out that it’s only one nationality of person who is doing this is actually counter productive and confusing. We should simply be telling people to be alert to danger, not to look out for anyone who they think looks Romanian, whatever “look” that is. You can not tell that a person is “Eastern European” just by looking at them, so to look out for them seems somewhat difficult. Also, it’s remarkably irresponsible to tell people that they should not stop to help people in a Romanian registered car, as was implied in the original thread, as this can give the impression that it’s fine to stop for a French, or German, or Austrian registered vehicle and may well end up with someone coming to grief.

>>It is political correctness of the worst sort to deny or somehow seek to censor facts of >>this nature.

I seek to stop people being directed to distrust particular groups or nations, when what is called for is vigilance against certain situations developing, not vigilance against a group of people who can not be identified just by looking at them. People need to avoid the scam, not just an arbitrary group of foreigners. You can’t just scream “political correctness” to win the argument. You’ll have to do better than hiding behind slogans.

>>I will give you another fact or two.

>>In the past couple of years I have been at about a dozen court cases involving the >>'skimming' or 'shoulder surfing' of cash cards at hole-in-the-wall machines.

That’s one anecdote, then.

>>All of the defendants have been Romanians.

>>Now what conclusion do you draw from that?

That in all the cases you have attended, the defendants have been Romanian. No wider significance can be drawn from that, especially not demonising a mythical, extended “Eastern Europe”. Of all the people who I know who have been robbed in the street in the UK, it’s always been by fellow British people. Now what conclusion do you draw from that? None, because you can’t. Just as with your statement.

>>Don't tell me - the conclusion you draw is that I'm a racist. Doh!

Please don’t patronise me, and if you’re going to try that on then get a grip of the English language first. Romanians are part of the same race as us and the rest of indigenous Europe. I couldn’t possibly accuse you of racism in light of that fact even if I wanted to. I’m merely objecting to the knee-jerk anti “Eastern European” campaign which is going on here.

MODs, lock this, bin it, do whatever you like. I just wanted to say my piece, which comes from years, decades in fact, of positive, personal, intellectual and professional involvement with the varied people and cultures of so-called “Eastern Europe”.

And, in case he's still looking for his bite, I'm not even going to dignify Zero's transparent and tasteless attempt at a wind up in the original thread with a response.