23% of people in N. Ireland "would have a problem with a gay, lesbian or bisexual person", 51% with Travellers.
Jun 24 2009 10:22
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jun/24/homophobia-racism-northern-ireland
These are figures from the Equality Commision who interviewed 1071 peaople aged 16+. Even me, the perpetual cynic, tends to think these stats are a tad high. I can see how there would be a corrolation between an economic downturn and prejudice against Travellers (not agreeing with such sentiments, but can see how such arguements could be peddled), however, the rise in hatred of gay people is particularly shocking/unexpected.
Jun 24 2009 12:21
#2
The sectarian troubles I'd always been led to believe were a natural result of the political history that created Ulster in the first place. These new prejudices seem far from natural. This makes me wonder if the sectarian troubles were not motivated by the same reasoning as these new prejudices and not the political history after all.
Then again an alternate view would be would be akin to the US, when a group of people have always defined themselves by their enemy, when their enemy dispears unless they find a new enemy they suffer loss of identity. The same could be for NI, unless they find a new sectarian prejudice.
Jun 24 2009 12:24
#3
jaocheu wrote:
The sectarian troubles I'd always been led to believe were a natural result of the political history that created Ulster in the first place. These new prejudices seem far from natural. This makes me wonder if the sectarian troubles were not motivated by the same reasoning as these new prejudices and not the political history after all.Then again an alternate view would be would be akin to the US, when a group of people have always defined themselves by their enemy, when their enemy dispears unless they find a new enemy they suffer loss of identity. The same could be for NI, unless they find a new sectarian prejudice.
Materialism, you are doing it wrong.
The sectarian troubles I'd always been led to believe were a natural result of the political history that created Ulster in the first place. These new prejudices seem far from natural. This makes me wonder if the sectarian troubles were not motivated by the same reasoning as these new prejudices and not the political history after all.
Then again an alternate view would be would be akin to the US, when a group of people have always defined themselves by their enemy, when their enemy dispears unless they find a new enemy they suffer loss of identity. The same could be for NI, unless they find a new sectarian prejudice.