The current climate in England is a lack of teachers. Good, bad, black, white.. It doesn't matter. We have too few teachers. I have wanted to be a teacher for 6 years. I could have coped with the excess of paperwork, the little money (comparitivly to other things I can do), the no respect, the lack of authority. I could have done that, as long as I was encouraged to do so.

But an employment fair was the final straw. Ethnic minorities make around 10% of our society. The adverts and material I picked up during this fair had about 10 caucasian people and one of those was male. Somewhere in the region of 85% of the images were minorities. Now, I'd like equal rights. This would mean that 90% of advertising should be aimed at 90% of the population. Right?

There were adverts for Black and Asian teachers. Courses promoting all minorities and very little for the majority. Who cares about the colour of the skin, it isn't important. Only skill is. There was nothing that encouraged me, there are all these stories in the news about male teachers being substandard. Of course they are, I can earn much more not teaching or even tutoring than by being in a classroom. I am not encouraged to teach or helped along that path, and as much as I despise saying it, it is because I am part of a percieved majority. I say percieved because I went to university with a 70% ethnic "minority". We are in danger of pandering to minorities.

I used to work in two stores, and have been on the recieving end of racism at both. I was not being racist. I treat people exactly the same no matter what colour they are. I have been accused of searching someone because they were black, and asking an address because they were black.

First case. I was working for a wholesalers and my job was to make sure that everyone left with what was on the reciept. This means stopping everyone and counting their items. I stopped one lady and she accused me of being racist.
Second case. Whilst working for a well known, international video rental company I had a man come in without his card. we (myself and collegue) gave him "the third degree" All we actually did was try to find out where he lived and his name, so we could let him rent. It didn't help that his details were entered slightly differently than he gave.

I was in a lecture involving genetic memory and someone said that they "sometimes feel the pain of their ancestors" Bullshit. I'm sorry, but there is no other way to describe the statement. My ancestors have suffered far more pain and humiliation than a black person. I am left handed. Left handed people have been obviously different from the majority for longer than we have known about the existence of other cultures. 2000+ years of pain, suffering, slavery (if we were lucky, otherwise death) Left handed people were forced to go against their genetic nature even as recently as the 60's. Lefties have suffered more than most minorities. You don't hear us complain/sue/demand preferential treatment. Even though it is an actual functional physical difference that needs a different approach.

The phrase you are only doing this to me because I am left handed is an absurd statement, leftism is more intrinsic to our language than racism. If we cannot say nigger then we cannot call someone sinister. Minorities have not got such enduring words to describe their levels of wrongness.

I digress. We are all equal, therefore a social group of 10% should get 10% of advertising. Imagine how stupid it would be to have a Goths only ad for a museum, (social and cultural, not just looks) White only lessons would cause outrage, gentlemens clubs have been effectively banned. Yet their minority equivalent lives. Because the majority is in power one cannot piss them off.

Democracy is one man one vote. Let's make that true.