Thread by @HalilMrT4Real

Unconscious bias / casual racism - a real encounter!

🧵

1)

A few colleagues and I were recently watching a demo of an app that children can use to browse the internet safely - it basically filters all the bad stuff

2) The person leading the demo explained that children can find facts about the world through this one safe space.

The person went on to state that:

"children can browse anything 'controversial' and it won't bring up anything untoward in the search"

3) In order to prove this they asked one of the demo team to type in something into the search bar...

"Let's type in something controversial...I know...type in ISLAM please"

I'm not going to lie ... As a Turkish Cypriot, Muslim I felt sick to the pit of my stomach...

I felt attacked. I looked around and saw nodding heads from others watching the demo and I looked to the floor...I had to take a few deep breaths before I leant in to a couple of colleagues to say "why is Islam controversial? This isn't right...is it?"

4) One colleague said to me "why don't you say something"

Look, I've been here before - racism isn't something new to me whether it be casual or directed.

I knew I couldn't say anything in that moment. I had to wait.

Why?

I was emotional and I know I would have been deemed..

5) ..as "aggressive" or "problematic" bringing this up. I would have been seen as "disrespectful".

It would have turned on me.

I would be the issue.

I know how it works!

Those of you reading this who have been in similar situations..will understand!

So I decided to wait...

6) Let me tell you...the feeling of having to articulate to someone how you have been made to feel from a point of race or ethnicity isn't easy.

Would I have appreciated others to have said something...probably.

But..

I'm glad I did.

Of course they tried to reason it away ..

7) but I said my piece rationally and privately to those that did the demo.

However, it's done nothing but play on my mind. It's done nothing but make me think of what the perception is of Islam and Muslims.

The media in all it's forms has a huge part to play in this..

8) But as educationalists we have to break the cycle.

I wish this was a joke seeing as it is April 1st...

But unfortunately it's not....

It's just what we have to go through.

#racism
#Islam
#unconciousbias