WE HAVE all been in a similar situation. In a pub, in a workplace, at a dinner party, in a taxi, the conversation suddenly takes an unpleasant turn and someone starts espousing racist views or using derogatory language.
Whether they are blaming immigrants for "swamping" our schools or using unacceptable words such as "Paki" in our presence, the onus is on us to respond. The question is: do we merely shift uncomfortably in our chairs and change the subject or do we c
onfront them head-on and tell them we disapprove of what they are saying and the way they are saying it? And once we are home do we put it behind us?
When taxi driver James Young shared his offensive opinions with his passengers, Jane Ross, the wife of former Dundee MP Ernie Ross, and her daughter Karen Girolami, in just such terms, they told him his comments were unacceptable, asked him to stop and got out of the cab. Later they phoned the police. Young, 71, spent 12 hours in a police cell and last week was cleared of racially aggravated breach of the peace on the grounds that while his remarks had been "embarrassing, annoying and inappropriate", they did not constitute a criminal offence.
The decision to prosecute Young was met with derision by many politicians and campaigners. But the saga was given added resonance by a survey last week that revealed rising levels of racism among Scots, particularly towards Muslims; a finding that was particularly worrying because the fieldwork was carried out before the Glasgow Airport attack earlier this year.
Against this background, the taxi case has raised some uncomfortable questions for middle-class liberals. Are such views really confined to the older generation? Why do we so often let them go unchallenged? And can the vigour with which racism is pursued by the authorities sometimes prove counterproductive?
The argument during Young's case as to whether the terms 'Jocks', 'Kiwis', 'Brits' or 'Yanks' would be regarded as offensive also reawakened the debate over what constitutes racist language. Even within ethnic minority groups, opinions differ as to which words are offensive and in which context. In the US, some black rappers have "reclaimed" the word 'nigger' as "nigga", but this does not diminish its power to offend when used by someone outside the Afro-American community. And black US comedian Chris Rock has caused controversy by using the word as a derogatory way to refer to a particular class of black people, in much the same way that some Britons use "chav".
So uneasy were many of the people I interviewed for this article, they preferred not to be named. Although most white middle-class liberals would balk at any reference to going to the "Paki shop", I discovered there are still plenty of people across the country who – while aware such expressions are socially unacceptable – are not quite sure why.
"To be honest, I do say these words sometimes, but I don't mean anything by them and I would never use them in a context where they could offend," said one mother who lives in Glasgow's multicultural South Side. "I sit and chat to the Asian mothers in the playground, but at home I will use those terms because they are an easy way of saying who you mean."
But a shopper on the city's Buchanan Street denounced such terms as lazy stereotyping. "When people say: 'I'm going to the Paki shop', they do not mean 'the shop owned by Pakistanis' – for most of them know they could be Indian, Bangladeshi or Iranian. What they mean is those people who are not white," she said. "Also, for many people, I think these words carry with them the baggage of every time they have been used against them as a racial slur."
It is often claimed that Scotland has escaped the racial tensions experienced south of the Border – partly because religious bigotry takes up all our negative energy, and partly because the country hasn't experienced the same level of immigration as England. But last week's survey carried out for the Government by the Scottish Centre for Social Research showed 29% of us now believe there is "sometimes good reason" to hold prejudiced views, compared with 26% in 2003.
The factors fuelling this upsurge in racism are fairly easy to pinpoint. On the one hand there is the fallout from the terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport, while on the other an influx of Eastern European immigrants is perceived as a threat by those who fear their own jobs might be at risk.
"There has always been racism in Scotland – being Irish I have experienced it myself," says a man smoking a cigarette in Glasgow's Royal Exchange Square. "But, until recently, the country has not had a sizeable ethnic community. Now it's quite visible, and that takes a bit of getting used to for some people."
Another man standing on the steps of the Gallery of Modern Art says it is not difficult to understand how in areas of severe deprivation ethnic communities are perceived as a threat: "Recent statistics show one in 13 young Scots leave school with no qualifications and no hope of a job. When immigrants who are eager to reap the financial rewards of coming to this country take menial jobs for low wages that most people who were born here wouldn't consider, tensions flourish."
These simmering fears are not confined to Scotland and have recently been given prominence by famous figures from the worlds of literature and music. Earlier this year, academic Terry Eagleton accused Martin Amis of being a racist for expressing his view that "the Muslim community will have to suffer until it gets its house in order", while singer Morrissey has divided his fanbase with apparently inflammatory comments – which he has since denied – suggesting immigration has caused England to lose its identity. In Morrissey's case, the question of whether he was being racist or merely commenting on the changing nature of our society is still a matter for debate. But much prejudice encountered in Scotland is blatant.
Danielle McGarvey, 27, a youth worker, whose father is Pakistani, has first-hand experience of being racially abused. "Twice recently my friends and I have been subjected to racist comments in a taxi and have reported the driver to the taxi company and the police, although we've never heard anything back. But I am also aware of a teacher who uses the same kind of words in a staff room. Some people see cracking down on such behaviour as 'political correctness gone mad', but the thing is, if you don't challenge it then this attitude will pass down to the next generation."
Although the majority of people I spoke to took McGarvey's point, many said they found it difficult to be assertive when confronted by racism, particularly when it came from friends or even members of their own families. One student told me about racism in her college class: "There's one girl who is otherwise lovely, but she does tend to say things like: 'There's those Pakis over there.' I don't confront her about it because I think she would just talk over me."
Even a man who said he worked for an anti-racism organisation admitted he found it hard to take a stand: "I have been in a situation a couple of times where a taxi driver has made racist remarks and, to be honest, I have kept quiet, but when I've got back to the office I've really regretted it.
"I've also got two old aunties who come out with some embarrassing remarks. But I don't really try to change them. I just think: 'There's my batty aunties going on again.'"
The South Side mother said she believed people were reluctant to confront racist views because the minority who hold them tend to be vocal and aggressive: "If someone spoke that way in front of my children I would get us out of the situation and then explain to them why what the person said was wrong."
Add to this the fact that British people tend to be reluctant to make a fuss even when it comes to something as simple as returning a substandard restaurant meal to the kitchen and it becomes clear why so many of us lack the courage of our convictions. This is what makes the case of the taxi driver and his outraged white passengers so remarkable. Advocate Raj Jandoo believes the case against James Young should never have reached court: "Many people believe it is a crime to be a racist, but they are confusing what is socially unacceptable with what is illegal.
"The simple expression of racist views can only be criminal if they are uttered in a context where they are likely to lead to a breach of the peace, such as in a pub with Asians in it or a football match. The Crown should have considered whether what happened could have constituted an offence before they brought the prosecution, because the danger is if cases like this are brought too often it will dilute the point of having racially aggravated offences."
Having said that, Jandoo believes Jane Ross and Karen Girolami deserve a medal for taking a stand: "Their determination to confront the taxi driver is important because it shows that racism is something that offends the whole of society, not just ethnic minority communities."
It may be tempting to put Young's views down to his age; to dismiss his words as those of a man "who doesn't know any better", but, as last week's survey proves, such prejudices are already being handed on to the next generation of Scots.
Has Scotland become less tolerant?Half of those questioned believe more Muslim immigration would threaten Scotland's identity (up from 38% in 2003).
• Twenty-nine per cent say they still believe there is "sometimes good reason" to be prejudiced (up 3% on 2003).
• Twenty-four per cent say they would be unhappy if a relative married a Muslim (up 4% on 2003).
• Thirty per cent believe that people from ethnic minorities and Eastern Europeans are "taking jobs away from others in Scotland".
• Twenty-three per cent say efforts to give equal opportunities to black and Asian people have "gone too far".
• Sixty-five per cent say Scotland should do everything it can to get rid of all kinds of prejudice.
Source: Scottish Centre For Social Research (ScotCen)