Election Year or Fear!

[Geoff Parkstone]

Rather than listen to what might turn into the usual entrenched positions being excavated here, type ‘ Are non-whites over represented in uk tv adverts’ into Deepseek, which has no bias that I’m aware of

It’s funny the things people of a certain persuasion - Ms. Pochin and Co. spring to mind - get hung up about. Yet they seem reluctant to look at the other side of the ‘quota’ coin.
Some of my favourite things are, in no particular order, attending live sport, live theatre, live music events, walking in rural Derbyshire and country pubs.
Next time any of us are at Pride Park I suggest you have a look around at the crowd. Think I’d guarantee it’ll be around 90% white. The same was true at the Test Match I went to at Old Trafford last August and I imagine the international rugby match crowd I’ll be part of at Everton next Saturday will be much the same.
A couple of weeks ago I attended Nottingham Playhouse and, apart from a smattering of Asian pupils from Oakham public school, the audience was very largely white, while last Saturday evening my wife and I ran a bar at a Live ‘n Local gig. The star of the show was an excellent black violinist from Minnesota who fronted an equally excellent folk rock fusion band. The audience was universally white.
The same is invariably true when I’m out walking and calling in at a country pub and if all those are a tad too anecdotal, it’s a fact that, of all our representatives in Parliament, just 14% are non white.
Just sayin’…but maybe food for thought for those with open minds.

Interesting observations ...from a well heeled middle class rural dwelling retiree, to I admit another.

So why do we think there is an under representation of diverse groups sharing your (our) passions. Let's think and start with (1) age (2) capacity to pay. I believe it's true that the "elderly" are less diverse. Secondly the activities you mention require significant financial outlay - 100 quid plus just for a test match ticket, let alone getting there, food and the odd bevy.

Not to say that black or Asian folk can't all afford these pursuits but as they are usually in younger age demographics they have different financial priorities - family, mortgage, career etc and arguably less disposable income as a result.

As for the walks/country pub argument, that's ridiculous. That will be more down to the places people live. Ethnic minorities are, like it or not, more urban dwelling and are therefore more likely to be into urban pursuits than a bracing moorland stroll in the rain and 80 mph wind!

But to reverse your argument, I'm a huge fan of gangsta rap drill and hip hop and, **** me, you hardly see a white face at those concerts. So what does that say about the overall population: must I be living in a 98% black country. No. I love bhangra dancing but have spent years looking for a 65 year old white dance partner to join me but there always loads of brown faces there. I must be in Calcutta.

The country as a whole might be 15% (???) non white but that doesn't mean that the same mix have to have the same interests or attend similar events.