Singer Kelis has accused Britain of being racially backward after claiming she was abused because of her skin colour while queueing at a London airport.

She used her Twitter account to describe her ordeal which saw her clash with a “red faced sweaty man” and being called a “slave”, “probably a disgusting Nigerian”, and that an official behind the passport desk had laughed and said “Kunta Kinte”, the name of a slave in Alex Haley’s best selling book about the slave trade, Roots.

Kelis, 32, said none of the other passengers on the plane she had just flown with, who were also queueing, intervened.

She wrote: “I am in London all the time and today I’m gonna say that the racial issues in the uk are disgusting. It’s racially [d]ecades behind progression because everything is swept under the rug. People don’t talk about it. People don’t fight about it.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/sep/14/kelis-slave-insult-london

Now I’m not trying to deny that there are still some fairly horrific racist attitudes in this country, but……

Even as one of STW’s guardianistas 🙂 – something about this story just doesn’t quite add up to me. Would be interested to hear what the other people in the queue have to say about it. Do that many people in this country even know who Kunta Kinte is? I have also seen incidents of racism before where people did intervene and say something, so I would be interested to know why no-one did on this occasion.

Maybe I’m wrong, I just suspect there is a little more to the story.

She admitted to pushing in. I imagine something was said quietly directed at her and she threw a diva strop and on balance other people probably thought the mouthy woman was abit of a dick.

Appalling how she can attribute something she was probably 50:50 in with one person to a whole nation though.

Well, I’ve never heard of her until now so I guess her rant perhaps had one consequence.

Anyway, what does she have against red-faced sweaty men?

Sweatist

“She admitted to pushing in”

That’s all right then. And keep imagining everything else that happened to make it all OK.

I find it hard to believe that anyone could be naive enough to think British people aren’t just as racist/ignorant as any others, a lot of threads on here prove that without a doubt:

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/slaves-and-travellers

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/do-travellers-pay-their-taxes

I think maybe (assuming this story is true) that some people are just to stupid to argue with. Now, I have to wash my sweaty face again – these threads are so upsetting 🙁

As mentioned before, a lot of it doesn’t ring true though of course it’s bad if she was called that.

I have never heard of Kunta Kinte and suspect not many people have. Lets face it, probably just got called a c*nt?

She pretty much admits to pushing in so I suspect there’s more to it. Probably got pissed off when somebody actually called her out on it.

they should release the cctv of the incident

I can imagine that she mis-heard the words said due to their close proximity to other rude language 😉

if the official did what she said she should have complained officially

Well, I’ve never heard of her until now so I guess her rant perhaps had one consequence.

+1

I don’t believe that for one minute.

The bit about the passport desk jockeys having actually read a book, that is.

😈

iDave I think you have to do abit of reading between the lines. I’m defending the ’50 other people’ in the queue as its total bollocks that if he said something LOUDLY that no one would have said ‘excuse me fella what did you just say’.

In addition were there 50 WHITE people in the queue flying to the US? I doubt all were and all were ‘racist’.

Plus can you imagine ANY desk worker making a racist reference?!

Something doesn’t add up (cough Diva).

I imagine now there will be a flight-check and they’ll narrow down the worker in question who will say ‘bollocks’.

think she may have misheard ‘Kunta Kinte’

IIRC, the passport desks are monitored and recorded [audio & video] if she makes a complaint, I’m sure the truth will out

I’m betting she won’t make a complaint

think she may have misheard ‘Kunta Kinte’

😆

“Do that many people in this country even know who Kunta Kinte is?”

Nope, well I don’t.

Sounds South African, is it?

Where was the sweaty man actually from?

Lots of nationalities at passport control or is that not really the point.

“She admitted to pushing in”

That’s all right then. And keep imagining everything else that happened to make it all OK.

Bizarrely, I think Hora makes some reasonable points. 🙂

I can believe some people still harbour racist views, but 50 of them? And the check in person too? And as above, I really don’t think Kunta Kinte is a term with any kind of cultural resonance in this country. Just doesn’t quite seem to stack up to me.

Maybe the official said ‘who’s Kunta Kinte?’

And as Hora said ( 😡 ) the ironing of using this experience to claim the UK as a whole is racially backward…….

If you’ve watched Coming to America you know the term 8)

Constantly bringing up issues with travellers as being racist is getting a bit tired – the issue is not with people of a race, it is with people who live that lifestyle, which is irrespective of race.

Agree.

Should have called her Chicken George.

I guess some of you are quite young so you don’t remember ‘Roots’.

the issue is not with people of a race, it is with people who live that lifestyle, which is irrespective of race.

I agree, I think there is prejudice against travellers though, but it’s not racism IMO. There may be racism against Roma gypsies but AFAIK they are a very small minority of travellers.

Unless she’s got an EU passport she’d be in a different queue from any sweaty britishers, wouldn’t she ?

+another for no “a kinte” on the end of the comment

(though I suspect yer proper racists may know and use the name, as they might Gandhi or Gunga Din)

Read it in the paper and was a bit confused by the scene; if she’s American and in a line for passport control – surely she’s in a non-eu passport line and the other pasenger’s in this line won’t be British anyway (unless it was london city airport but you don’t get planes with 300 passengers there)?

She may still have a point about racism, etc though

damn beaten to it!!

Travellers are NOT the subject here. Please keep it on topic otherwise this thread will get closed. PLEASE.

Mmm and “parts” of America and at all racist eh 🙄

Do that many people in this country even know who Kunta Kinte

I know – I guess most people over the age of about 40 will.

I know – I guess most people over the age of about 40 will.

Fair enough, I thought Roots was a much bigger thing in America, didn’t realise it was well known over here.

if she’s American and in a line

And if she’s British and in a queue….

🙂

Fair enough, I thought Roots was a much bigger thing in America, didn’t realise it was well known over here.

It was very popular in the 70’s.

This is the part I remember!

Yup, I can remember Kunta, Kinte and Chicken George as characters, but that’s it.
I like retro83’s theory 😀

Part of Kelis appeal is that she’s nuts.

That other parts are her music (mostly superb) and erm.. (don’t want to get the thread closed)

Yup, I can remember Kunta, Kinte and Chicken George as characters, but that’s it.

That’s because in the playground in the 70s the former sounded rude (still does to some STW members) and the latter was said in your loudest black South American accent e.g ‘Heeeey Chiiiicken Geoooorge’.

Of course we also did Frank Spencer impersonations, to keep up racial equality.

Kunte Kinte was also very popular in mid 80s playgrounds after Eddie Murphy’s ‘Coming to America’..

well.. popular between me and my mates..

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbFCVw2plbQ[/video]

That other parts are her music (mostly superb) and erm..

Her milkshake?

Of course we also did Frank Spencer impersonations, to keep up racial equality. 😀 😀
And Joey Deacon too, just to show we were fully inclusive of all minority groups.

Belm.

Of course we also did Frank Spencer impersonations, to keep up racial equality.
And Joey Deacon too, just to show we were fully inclusive of all minority groups

Now I’m certainly aware of Kunta Kinte [Roots was massive here] and Frank Spencer but not Joey Deacon – Footballer?

Joey Deacon – Footballer?

Not as such, no.

That was Joey Barton – my mistake

Part of Kelis appeal is that she’s nuts.

Tbh her songs are okish but really don’t stand out and will probably fade away so she needs to keep her exposure up. Look at Amelie (hubba hubba)- catchy tunes but not really exceptional.

Now I’m certainly aware of Kunta Kinte [Roots was massive here] and Frank Spencer but not Joey Deacon – Footballer?

That’s right the famous centre back, played for the Blue Peter Allstars, seen here second from left.