By Rosie Neckles, Third Year, Biomedical Science
It is not uncommon to hear people say ‘everyone should work in hospitality at some point in their lives’. Many who have will share stories of feeling unseen, over-worked and disrespected by their workplace and customers. Whether it's a product of power dynamics or people's subconscious detachment to the person behind the apron, there is a conversation to be had on why this is and how we can all treat each other better. However, as I finish my second year as a part-time waitress in Bristol, it becomes hard for me to ignore something different. Something insidious underpinning these interactions but not said aloud.
Last year 111,084 people sought asylum in the UK, and the cafe I work in is owned and run by asylum seekers who came to the UK ten years ago. We have had many conversations on their experience and treatment opening a business in Cotham, and we have often used the uncomfortable word: racism. As a society, we seem to be having increasing conversations surrounding asylum seekers and immigration.
Bristol is not immune to prejudice and the people affected know it.
I think many of us can be quick to exclude Bristol from these conversations as a place that celebrates multiculturalism. I often feel a sense of pride from my fellow students to live in a city with such diverse food, music, and people. But even in Bristol, Reform, a party with loud views on immigration received 1,338 votes in the last election. Bristol is not immune to prejudice and the people affected know it.
The thing about prejudice is that it's hard to prove it's happening. It manifests itself in strange ways, often from good people who probably don't realise it's there. But from my counter and my coffee machine, I see it. I see people slip into a tone of voice. I see them leave the cafe when they see my manager come out of the kitchen. I see them fail to be respectful in a way that goes beyond normal customer service behavior. Sometimes I experience this change in attitude myself, particularly when working without my white colleagues. It isn't just the older generation; I see it from my fellow students, the same students who I'm sure celebrate Bristol's multiculturalism.
Alex Creighton
Unfortunately, our society is not perfect, and there is still work to be done to undo centuries-old ways of thinking. When I'm serving these customers, I want to ask them: ‘If the person serving you was from your town, if they were wearing the same outfit as you and they went to the same school: how would you speak to them?’ Sometimes we can take celebrated differences like accents, religions and cuisines and allow them to become feelings of otherness. This is a dangerous line of thinking that can easily turn into dismissing the intelligence and personalities of people you've allowed to seem different.
These are important conversations to have, and I believe Bristol is the perfect place to have them. I still think the people here care deeply about world issues and injustice and this has been demonstrated recently with overwhelming support for Palestine. I would just like to ask: do you carry these values into your day-to-day life? Sometimes the issues you care about are closer than you think. Sometimes they're serving you your hungover brunch.
Featured image: Epigram / Lindsay Shimizu
Have you considered your internal biases recently, and can you reflect on how you'll act in the future?
