Условие:

A. Answer these questions. What is racism? Do you think it exists in Britain? B. Listen to the text then read it and explain what is BNP’s idea about immigrants and why it is wrong. Racism About thirty years ago in Britain there used to be not so many blacks and Asians in local governments or on TV as newsreaders; now it is very common. The culture of these people is becoming more and more part of the British lifestyle. But can we say that racism has become a fact of the past or does it still exist? The British National Party (BNP) , an extreme right-wing group is supported by about 4% of the population. The leaders of the party say that they are a respectable party wanting to “preserve the future of Britain by sending ethnic minorities back to the countries they come from.” But their deeds speak louder than their words. The BNP’s members take part in attacks on Asian and black people. They and their supporters claim that the blacks and Asians are stealing their jobs. But black and Asian people are two and a half times more likely to be unemployed than whites. At the same time, there are a lot of Asians and blacks in medicine and law. The only way they are stealing white people’s jobs is by getting better qualifications. As the British law allows all British citizens to get their education free, blacks and Asians get these job places in a fair competition with whites. Many blacks and Asians were invited to Britain after the Second World War and in the 1950s and 60s when Britain needed working hands. Immigrants were prepared to do the jobs white people did not want. The BNP’s idea of repatriation sounds especially strange if you remember that blacks and Asians are just as British as any other citizens of the country because most of them were born in the UK. It is natural that this problem worries British teenagers and they feel strongly about it. This is what some black and Asian teens said about racism. Dhara: I feel half British, half Indian, torn between the two cultures. Jaskiran: I don’t think I could ever live in India. I can’t speak Punjabi very well and I feel like an outsider there. Sheridan: About ten years ago people threw bottles at my uncle because he was dating a white girl. Dunjhaise: I don’t think the BNP will get into power because Britain is so multicultural and I don’t think the population will support them. They don’t make me angry. I just think they’re stupid.

Развернуть