Task The Windrush Years Part Four..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CyADD0ARLo&feature=related
-They were the Colonial dream of what England was.
-England was thought of to be much more prosperous and better looking than it was.
-People did not get along even in the pubs, due to different manners.
-Personal habits got it the way of the two races integrating, such as washing.
-Many felt a growing sense of isolation.
-Many felt like they were an intruder, an outsider.
-Many felt lost, could go days without seeing another black person and were friendless.
-Network of people grew via places such as the church, domino's and the pub.
I got from this just how disappointed England was to the them and how their opinion changed quickly to Britain. As it states the indifference and antagonism of the people, is what i got most from this clip. As people were ignorant towards the West Indies, it was the beginning of the segregation in what they thought was their "Motherland". I got things such as personal opinions, as people thought the West Indians had "unpleasant habits". This shows the differences in personality and mannerisms and they let these separate them more. As coldness turned to hostility, they weren't people they were "darkies". I got the idea that they all just stereotyped and became very ignorant. No one bothered to get to know them, this is a massive part of what i got from this clip. They blamed pointless things such as washing as getting in the way to talking to the West Indians, it was just mindless hearsay and nit picking at people they just did not want to get to know.
The Windrush Years Part Five..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jayl87RAv98&feature=related
-London's Bassins Street, where the West Indians meet up, favourite musicians meet up and played calypso, they had their own celebrities, most where young and male.
-Then became the mixing of races, the two races would go out together and court each other. Primarily white women would date black men. It was only a few women, but they were pioneers.
-Mid 1950's hit highest peak, 20,000 a year made the trip across the Atlantic.
-They found employment easily but housing was the hardest part, they were not allowed to go in BnB's.
-First thing on British television on race was a documentary following around Ben Bousquet and his journey on trying to get a room. It wasn't due to money they couldn't get rooms it was due to their colour.
-New arrivals forced in to overcrowded and unsafe rooms.
-Many were charged a lot for rooms, too much.
-Ratmen and his middle men were terrorises, they were the only people to let you live their and they exploited them. Made sure people didn't talk to people who didn't pay their rent.
-Many kept their heads down and were fearful, that if you created a scene then you could be kicked out.
-People had prosecuted as to were they got money to buy their own houses, raising money for housing buy prostitution was one thought.
What i got from this clip was that the youth had a better understanding and acceptance than their elders. The two races mixed and the youth found it fine, i found the behaviour of the family to be that of outrage. In which they would became ashamed, I got from this that the age gap meant a lot in this matter. I got that it was far better for the West Indians to be around the youth and that this would happen through the new waves of music. I got the point that they wanted segregation, they rejected West Indians due to ideas of them, ideas that were not true. Mainly i got that no one bothered to give them a chance and realise we are all human beings.
The Windrush Years Part Six..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYNfi4YyEp0&feature=related
- People from the Caribbean brought certain things with them, a system where a circle of friends would put a certain amount of money in each week, made up of a lump sum from the money they all put in. This is how they paid for houses.
-Speculation began prostitutes selling dope was supposedly the reasons behind them having houses, by white people.
-Resentment against West Indians rose and violence rose also.
-People would fight, if a white woman went with a black man she was taunted and also beaten up.
-An age of cruelty to black people.
-They did the dirty jobs that nobody wanted.
-1958 summer in Nottingham West Indians fought back after all their abuse, a West Indian named Roy fought back and it was classed as defiance. After two weeks of running battles, it settled down, then days later in London's Notting Hill. It was a white riot one that would shatter relation between black and white for a generation.
-The West Indians brought a vibrant edge to England.
-Notting Hill riots lasted six weeks started by a domestic argument, a black husband and white wife had a fight white people did not like this tried to help her out but she turned on them and started to fight them. They blamed black people for setting their own people against them. Next night was white anger, walked to where the black people were in a club the black and whites and even policemen (trying to break them up)began to fight each other. Blood was everywhere, this was just the opening scene.
I got from this clip the idea that the "immigrants disillusionment" were coming to an end of what their "Motherland" would actually be like. I got that the speculation grew to what was really just useless facts, people believed as excuses in my mind just so that they could get at the black people. To make them feel better that they were not earning another, it comes down to jealously with the housing situation. Jealously that stemmed from themselves, the black people should not be blamed for trying to help each other out and better their lives. I mainly got that they had a very strong black community which is a good thing that they could support one another especially as the white people were being ignorant and severely unnecessarily violent.
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