You’d think that the one thing the British government would not be doing would be wasting spending its time pondering whether PC labels could help battle terrorism on its soil — but think again:
THE Government is proposing to rename ethnic minority groups along US lines in an attempt to strengthen and highlight their British roots.
Minorities could be described as, for example “Asian-British� rather than simply as “Asian� under proposals being considered by Hazel Blears, the Home Office Minister.
The plan to adopt the American practice of identifying ethnic heritage will be controversial with some British ethnic minorities likely to claim that it is racist. The idea was condemned as fatuous and retrograde by critics last night.
Ms Blears’s idea, outlined in an interview with The Times, would introduce “double-barrelled� nationality as a way of giving people pride in both their ethnic background and their Britishness.
“In America they do seem to have this idea that you are Italian-American, or Irish-American,� she said. “We don’t do that here.�
It is unclear whether Irish, Scottish or Welsh people would be part of the exercise, which will be put to Muslim leaders in the next few weeks.
Ms Blears, head of a new government commission on how better to integrate minorities, said that she would ask whether they would rather be termed “British-Asian�, or “Indian-British� rather than “Muslim� or “Asian�.
“I am going to talk to people and find out, how does that feel?� she said. “It is about your identity, and I think it’s really important.�
That’s right: “How does that feel?” is the response to terrorism.
Only ask that of the grieving families.
So there have been terrorists attacks that blew up innocent men, women and children…and the part of the response shows some government bigwigs thinking:”You know, if these minorities in our countries would just FEEL better about their labels, maybe this will help ease our problem!”
Note to Ms. Blears et al: the folks who murder innocents and who’d off you, your husband and any kinds you may have in one second could care less about labels.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.