Rita Panahi: Curiosity about someone’s ancestry is not proof of systematic racism

It’s amusing to watch the activist class obsessed with racial identity be suddenly aghast that a woman was asked about her heritage.

Another day, another faux racism controversy, this time one involving the royal family. The headline in the once revered Time read: “Longtime Royal Aide Resigns After Making Racist Remarks at Buckingham Palace Event”.

Let’s ignore Time’s penchant for needlessly capitalising every word in its overlong headlines and focus on the opening pars. “The British royal family was roiled by another accusation of racism Wednesday.

Lady Susan Hussey, 83, longtime confidante of Queen Elizabeth II and godmother of the Prince of Wales, Prince William, has resigned from her Buckingham Palace duties after a black charity leader revealed a racist exchange that took place at a reception hosted by the Queen consort, Camilla, on Tuesday at the palace.”

Oh my. “A racist exchange”? Naturally, I was appalled but given my distrust of approximately 95 per cent of the mainstream media that have substituted leftist activism for journalism, I decided to have a look for myself at what allegedly occurred. Turns out there is a little more to the story than the headlines suggest.

Lady Susan Hussey has been accused of being a racist.

Firstly the accuser, Ngozi Fulani, is a woman given to histrionics and hyperbole, as evidenced by her claims that Meghan Markle suffered domestic violence at the hands of Charles and Camilla.

I wish I was kidding but this is what Fulani tweeted last year: “Our charity supports black women DV (domestic violence) survivors. I can’t stay silent about this. I admire Meghan for speaking out. According to clear definition, it seems Meghan is a survivor of DV from her in-laws.”

She also claimed this year that it was racist for Meghan and Harry not to be invited on the balcony for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Now, the reason why the ginger and the whinger weren’t on the balcony was explained by Buckingham Palace; only “members of the royal family who are currently undertaking official public duties” would attend.

But all Fulani could see was racism. She tweeted: “An all exclusively white balcony. The only black people, banned. RACISM!”

Even if you are willing to uncritically accept every word of Fulani’s latest claims, it’s twisted to interpret her encounter as racist. It was certainly awkward, clumsy and laboured, but racist? According to a lengthy post by Fulani she was repeatedly asked by Lady Susan about her racial heritage. She posted the transcript of the long exchange (perhaps she has a photographic memory) that began:

“Lady SH: Where are you from?

Me: Sistah Place.

SH: No, where do you come from?

Me: We’re based in Hackney.”

The blundering conversation continued with Lady Susan asking “but what nationality are you?”, to which Fulani responded “I am born here and am British”. Lady Susan then responded: “No, but where do you really come from, where do your people come from?” Fulani shot back: “My people, lady, what is this?” And on and on it went.

As a fellow woman of colour I am also used to people asking about my background, whether in Australia or the country of my birth, the US. It is rarely, if ever, done to offend or to exclude.

It is a question borne of curiosity.

Most ethnic minorities are accustomed to hearing that question, which makes me mightily suspicious about Fulani’s supposed confusion about what Lady Susan was asking.

But the media smelt a racism row and were happy to pretend an elderly woman’s asking about someone’s ethnicity was proof of systematic racism.

Financial Times news editor Matthew Garrahan posted about the incident: “Maybe people should have listened to Meghan Markle.” Chief US correspondent for the Independent, Andrew Buncombe, wrote: “Buckingham Palace racism outrage is more evidence that Meghan Markle was telling the truth.”

Even Piers Morgan was appalled, labelling the incident “awful”.

The bulk of the media couldn’t wait to paint an 83-year-old woman’s curiosity about someone’s ancestry as proof of systematic racism.

Prince William was also ready to throw his godmother under the bus.

His spokesman said: “Obviously, I wasn’t there, but racism has no place in our society. The comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect”.

Perhaps Lady Susan is a virulent racist, I don’t know, but this incident is neither racist nor deserving of widespread condemnation.

It’s amusing to watch the very same folk, the activist class obsessed with racial identity, be suddenly aghast that a woman was asked about her heritage.

They’d be outraged if she wasn’t asked; if there was no acknowledgment of her ancestry.

Racism once meant the belief that someone was inferior based on their race or that one’s race was linked with certain traits and shortcomings, but the word has been misused and overused so much that it has lost all meaning.

A terrible thing given it diminishes real cases of racism.