Azizi - you do not appear to have addressed why - having stated here how draining you found being in company where you were or felt you were expected to speak as some form of authority for your racial grouping - that you appear to have willingly volunteered to adopt that very role on our forum?

I think it is fair to say that sadly outside of our forum the choice to always avoid being included or excluded from social groups on racial grounds was perhaps not open to you or any of us. But when posting your words as a fully equal member of our forum - no one would know your racial grouping or expect you to be a spokesperson for anything.

Is it interesting and it does appear a little strange to me that having had that choice on being welcomed to our forum - and where I think you may accept that there was no stated need or request made for you to adopt this role - you freely chose to put yourself in the role of spokesperson for your racial grouping? A role that you admit you found draining outside of our forum and tried to avoid by not joining company in which this occurred.....   

Individuals are members of groups. IMO, group esteem is an important part of self-esteem. I believe that people should be concerned about how groups are treated, not just how specific individuals in those groups are treated as a result of personal and institutional racism.

I think this touches on something that others have mentioned. The assumption is made when this group approach takes precedent over the individual one - that an offence is generally made TO the group. And more importantly it then follows that the offence is made BY another group. Would you accept that individuals who would never dream of causing that offence are then included in this offending group?

For example - Seeing the playing of banjo music as causing offence to your ancestors is one thing and a personal taste of yours to which you are welcome to express and others to disagree. The implication in this thread and under this title - that all of your racial grouping would perhaps feel the same as you do - is quite another.

For on purely practical grounds the reaction as we can see is that many of the banjo players get twitchy and defensive at the thought that they are part of a group that is accused of causing offence to the group you have volunteered to be spokesperson for. Can you see this?