Fighting Prejudice with Johnny Depp

Modern Britain has become a melting pot for international peoples to come together as one, intermingling with each other in a delightful rainbow of creeds and cultures moreso than any other country in the world. After centuries of colonial rule and global trade, a walk down the street of twenty first century England now reflects the world in which we live; connected not only by the glories of technology, but also by people coming together to form a multi-nationalised society.

As a teacher of English as a Foreign Language, I have the pleasure of meeting people from all walks of life on a daily basis; take just one of my classes and you'll be introduced to Korean animator a, Turkish teachers, Saudi Arabian dentists, Libyan IT consultants and Italian nurses within a one hour period. For me, this is one of the greatest perks of the job; not only do I get to meet a wide array of fascinating folk, but I also get to learn about cultures as to which I had no prior knowledge, and get to hear about the interesting ways that other societies live their lives.

Today, however, I heard some rather disheartening news. At a school in Carlisle, a Romani girl has joined a kindergarten class, much to the distaste of the other parents. Apparently they are so agitated by this five year old girl being accepted into the class that they are telling their children to stay away from her and not to talk to her during play time.

Now, I'm no expert on Romani folk, but I do know they have a rich tradition, and in my eyes to exclusion of this child, especially, may I point out, of a five year old child, who has no real idea that she is any different from the rest of her peers, is no different from a group of parents telling their kids to stay away from a child of any creed or religion. Tell a child to stay away from a Romani, apparently that's fine, but tell them to stay away from an Islamic boy and the papers would have a field day.

If and when I have children, I want more than anything for them to mingle with other cultures; they themselves are going to be a unique mix of English, Indian, Irish and Japanese, so why on earth shouldn't they revel in the opportunity to learn about how other children live? This young girl is probably more socially advanced than many of her peers; whilst they are playing with Barbie or Action Man (actually, let's face it, they've probably all got iPads already), chances are she is already an integral part of the family group, helping with chores and learning useful skills that most kids don't even touch upon until their preteens.

And, most importantly, they're kids for crying out loud! They should play together. They should learn about how other children live their lives, and at the end of the day, make their own choices. In excluding a child simply because of the way their family live, you are encouraging classism, racism, and all sorts of other "ism"s that should no longer exist in the world today.

So let the children play, and take your prejudices elsewhere. If you don't like it, leave the country, because who today can say they are 100% British anyway? And if you still have any prejudice towards Romani people, go and watch Chocolat, 'cos Johnny Depp'll melt your bloomin' heart!