These days it's not just asian youth that suffer from identity but pretty much everyone. After all isn't the very notion of identity something of a superficiality? No one has a fixed identity other than perhaps given ones. Of course there are some that will devoutly follow a cause rightly or wrongly and this is perhaps where we should begin.
Ignorance can never be bliss.
According to Roger scruton '(i)t is not a question of the actual history, but rather the history that is required to create a national loyalty' (1)(my italics). Now anyone can commit the odd faux pas, the odd factual error or emphasis, etc. but a sanitised history should be a non starter. To all intents and purposes official histories have always been cleaned up or spun although with greater access to information - book , TV, internet, etc - a much more complete view can be gained and that is to the good. Once the project of rewriting history starts where does it end? Buildings and Empires may be ground into dust but events cannot be erased.
Call me a pessimist but after initially being pleasantly surprised at the UK's successful Olympic bid the next thought was that of it being a target of sorts. And so it was. It would be nice to think that the world could be a nicer place but such things happen and not without reason. That a handful of individuals could cause such alarm with their misguided aims is telling as to how fragile society is cohered.
After the 7th July london bombings I went to discuss the issue amongst the asian community - a very loose term. Older men (50 years old or thereabouts), couldn't understand why asian youth are so disaffected. After all, today's relative integration and prosperity stands in stark contrast to what they knew at a comparative age. The overwhelming view was that they loved this country, counted themselves as British and indeed 'would fight for this country' (2). Although when asked whether the war in Iraq was justifiable there was as much difference of opinion as amongst my predominantly white colleagues.
Of course one or two went for the war for oil line - 'Respect' had been 'fighting the fascists' in the area (but not arguing for their ideas in mainly white areas where the BNP, their ideological foe, were standing). Many held an equally misguided view of ' if you bomb them, they will bomb you' which avoids the issue as much as saying 'not in my name'.
When the conversation turned to the tyranny of Saddam Hussein opinion began to diverge and it was remembered that many of the attrocities commited had been conveniently talked down when there was any sniff of western involvement at the time (3).
Asian youth were somewhat suspicious and more reticent in offering their views (but could take the mick just as good as any group of white lads). Outwardly it would appear that asian youth have similar problems as their white counterparts but with the added burden of being part of a 'community by default'. One youth stated that he had aplied for some 30 jobs in the past 2 months but had not received one reply back. Unless they are prepared to do a dirty, shitty job(4), go into the family business, taxi driving, etc., or, even worse, a job that is set aside for 'ethnic minorities' then they are caught between a rock and a hard place. Of course with the headlong pursuit into multiculturalism, and indeed the merits of individuals, there are more people of obvious or comparatively 'recent ' arrival in top flight jobs. Not a bad thing by any means but stands in stark contrast to the days of the token black face of the eighties and the even cruder stereotyping of earlier years.
Speaking to a white company director with recruitment problems I asked why he didn't employ any asians. His reply was 'the (white) lads just wouldn't get on with them'. When 'the lads' were asked why they had negative views I was told that 'pakis' (a catch all term) were dirty, ignorant, drug-dealers, treat their women bad, don't pay taxes, sponge off benefits and generally 'shouldn't be here'. Although much of the same could be applied to themselves if truth were told. Yet the same people were matey enough when meeting asians face to face - in the takeaways, taxis and shops. In fact one guy who espoused particularly backward views - generally mouthing off about the BNP and white power - was politeness personified in his local asian ran shop. What you see isn't always what you get.
Likewise, in a kebab house in deepest Savilletown, Dewsbury, where the owner and staff were all dressed in mufti and pictures of mecca adorned the walls I figured I'd get that bugbear of many whites that 'they would all speak their own language', yet colloquial english was the order of the day - one lad got a full on effing earbashing that would have done any off TV comic or sergeant-major proud. (There's also a Kosher-Halal fish and chip shop - something for everyone?)
Bradford city council was one of the first to ban the displaying of the St. George flag for fear of arousing underlying tensions yet the fact that asian taxi drivers were amongst those flying the flag seemed to escape them. Again, there are many asians just as likely to be seen wearing England football shirts as white people (although maybe not so after the Danish debacle).
(1)See Prospect (Subscription), April 2005 http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=6832&AuthKey=104793ed6d8a973ae04abfbd3e5ff03b&issue=503
(2)And not for the first time. See Asians in Britain by Visram, pp 169-195 and 341-353 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0745313736/qid=1123568219/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_10_2/026-0984041-7434865
(3)See Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halabja_poison_gas_attack.
(4)' I feel like a wog' by The Stranglers.
(5)See Fitzpatrick The price of multiculturalism
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