It’s not an unusual reaction, but what do you do?
The answer is not to be silent.
It might be difficult to understand the meaning of that comment, but it is not a slur and, in many cases, it is the only way to get through.
For many years, I have been in a constant state of denial.
I’ve thought: “If I call you nigger, what does that mean?”
It means: “I don’t know what it means to be black in this country, what it’s like to be a white person.
What is it like to live in this society?”
The reality is I have no idea.
I was raised by my mother, who was a nurse.
I have never experienced racism in my lifetime, but I’m aware that some people are very sensitive to it.
I understand how people feel.
It is a human response, and it can be frustrating, and some people will take offence, but there is a sense of entitlement to feel good about yourself and your abilities.
If you have experienced racism, or if you’ve been a victim of it, you will tell yourself: “What’s so great about being a niggas?
I can do anything.”
And if you don’t have that, you won’t get through your day, you might feel hopeless and you might start to feel like you are worthless, because you are a nagging nigger.
But if you are white, then it’s your fault for being white.
That is where the entitlement comes in.
It is important to understand that, although many of us are ignorant of how racism operates, we can recognise how it feels and what it is like to feel that way.
I remember the first time I experienced racism when I was young.
It was in my family.
One of my cousins was very upset because I wasn’t wearing a kilt and she said: “Why don’t you wear it, because it looks nice and doesn’t matter.”
My response was: “It’s not my style.”
She just said: [She] was right.
I had never heard that remark before.
I thought: Oh, well, I’m going to wear it.
And I thought I was just going to be cool and be nice and wear it like that.
It didn’t matter what my cousin was saying.
It took a few years for me to grow out of my fear.
I did not realise that my mother and my cousins were so upset about me.
But I learnt to be an honest person.
The fact that I was a good-looking white girl was not a factor in my experience of racism, and I was able to put it behind me.
I learned that being good-lookin’ is not necessarily an indication of your worth.
As a result, I am more open to talking about my experience, to asking questions about what racism is and how it affects people.
I think it is important for all people, especially people of colour, to come forward with their experiences.
When I was 18, I was on a cruise with friends, when suddenly I was surrounded by white people.
There were many of them, some of them young, some older, and a couple of them were shouting at me and threatening me.
They were very rude and were shouting things like: “You don’t look black, you don
