ABSTRACT
Alec owned his discomfort as a white man. And whilst he was self-aware enough to know that the racist attitudes and behaviours that were frequently seen in the news, and thinly disguised by some political movements whilst others were quite openly racist - strange that, he thought, when inciting racial hatred was an illegal act - were those of others, he just happened to have the same colour skin. He didn’t need to be personally ashamed, but he felt a certain sense of feel ing oppressed into a sense of shame because his skin colour would mean that in the minds of some he was like the rest. And, yes, he did want to prove otherwise and that meant perhaps being more outwardly visible with his wish to encou rage racial tolerance, respect and understanding. Strange, he thought, but like people from a particular ethnic group feeling they have to do better than white counterparts to be recognised and valued, it seemed he had to do more to feel that his non-racism was recognised and valued.
