Why is?

[ralph250]

having not been to reading/leeds etc, is there a greater proportion of ethnic groups there than at glasto? Just thinking proxmity to cities.

just looking at the last census (2001) for Cornwall, and whilst the national average of british, irish, other white was 91%; cornwall was 99% and south west 97.8%.

http://www.cornwall.nhs.uk/ciospct/equalit...hnicprofile.pdf

[dieweener]

It was put to me that whilst some black people might like camping, the number that do that would actively seek to go and camp with an absolutely overwhelmingly number of white people might not be that great? What do you think? (It was a black lass who suggested it to me - who also finds a load of white people discussing black people on these boards an amusing idea - the assumptions we can make!)

[llcoolphil]

Ey? What the hell has the fact that there are a majority of white people being there got to do with anything? Last time i checked, white people don't form a pitchfork mob and attack black people. If a black person doesn't go to glastonbury because it's full of white people, then i put it to you sir, that they are in fact themselves, a racist!

Or someone with a phobia of white people and in that case, why are you still in england? Move to china or somewhere.

[Billy09]

Go and start a thread in discussions - Worm will love it!

[dieweener]

erm, i didn't say you were a racist, sorry if you read it that way. I said that person who doesn't go cus white people are there, sounds like a racist.

I love a good debate!

[llcoolphil]

erm, i didn't say you were a racist, sorry if you read it that way. I said that person who doesn't go cus white people are there, sounds like a racist.

I love a good debate!

[krisskross]

Is he out of the famous can? Send him here, I'm Glastonbury to the core.

[dieweener]

No she's not a racist either - she comes to a different (smaller with real toilets and free hot showers and minimal amounts of mud even when it lashes down!) festival with me - Glasto doesn't appeal (I know, I know!). But she would suggest that there would be a proportion of black people not comfortable at camping in a field full of white people. Hell, I know there is!

[Billy09]

The more I think about this the more difficult it becomes trying to work out what the whole thread is about. The question kind of raises the idea of a subconcious institutional racism in Glastonbury goers, but I genuinely don't think that's the case at all.

I reckon it just goes to illustrate that some people don't want to buy tickets for Glastonbury, because they themselves have predjudices about what it's going to be about. This probably aint helped by the popular media's coverage of the event (including the BBC). It is this same coverage that attracted us to the event in the first place (as Efests glastonbury board posters).

Different strokes and that, don't get too uptight about it is probably the conclusion. Spread the word that it is the best party in the world to everyone, and then it'll become so popular that we struggle to get tickets again.

[dieweener]

I have a prejudice about going to see the Jonas Brothers, does that mean I should go see them?

[llcoolphil]

I have a prejudice about going to see the Jonas Brothers, does that mean I should go see them?

[Billy09]

I have a prejudice about going to see the Jonas Brothers, does that mean I should go see them?

[dieweener]

Do they deserve it? Of course they do, they're the bloody Jonas Brothers! £3 irritating lil f*cks who parade round saying they're virgins and have purity rings when really, they probably have groupies from every show!

And they have the nerve to think someones going to pay £8 to see them in f*cking 3D? I barely want to see them in 2D, let alone 3D. They are the type of people I don't want at Glastonbury. Or McFly. Won't ever go to isle of wight festival now because McFly have played there. Mr. Eavis better not be planning them for next year or he may be losing some more weight again. A lot lot more!

So, yeah, does that make mean I may be wrong and should give them a go?

[Billy09]

Do they deserve it? Of course they do, they're the bloody Jonas Brothers! £3 irritating lil f*cks who parade round saying they're virgins and have purity rings when really, they probably have groupies from every show!

And they have the nerve to think someones going to pay £8 to see them in f*cking 3D? I barely want to see them in 2D, let alone 3D. They are the type of people I don't want at Glastonbury. Or McFly. Won't ever go to isle of wight festival now because McFly have played there. Mr. Eavis better not be planning them for next year or he may be losing some more weight again. A lot lot more!

So, yeah, does that make mean I may be wrong and should give them a go?

[mandypants]

I think the inclusion of a lot of World music and music of black origin proves that Glastonbury is certainly not a festival of racists, if nobody turned up to see these artists then they wouldn't be booked, if people attacked them, they wouldn't go. I think there is a lot to say for Dieweeners theory that it is simply a proportionate number of British people who go to any festival, our black/Asian population is a lot lower in number than our white population, and so it goes. But if there are people out there who would like to go but don't feel that they can, then they need to overcome those issues on a personal basis.

In response to the ponderings of someone earlier about Leeds/Reading, I've been to Leeds and there's a similar tiny minority of black and Asian people. That could possibly be due to the lack of music which the majority of those people enjoy, there isn't as much diversity in the entertainment available as there is at Glastonbury and there is a lot less music of black and Asian descent for sure.

Edited June 3, 2009 by mandypants

[tazzyb]

The people that want to go to glastonbury go. There will be a 100 and one reasons why the audience is made up like it is. You could have a discussion about the audience make up from a number of angles.

More northeners or southeners

men or women

people in relationships or single

religious non religious

working or not

what size groups

only holiday or weekend away

average age

average yearly salary

Everything a person does in their lives effects what they do in the future as does that of their friends and social groups. Its possible to come up with lots of reasons over why the is such a high percentage of white people at glastonbury.

When looking at the percentage of non white people in the country how what would be the average length of time they have been in the country. Whilst their are a huge number of non white families that have been in the UK for generations many have not. My mother went to Glastonbury in the 70's and it was something she has told me about time and time again. That could be one of the reasons I go - she put it on the map for me, she is certainlly the first person who ever mentioned a festivals to me.

Is it something to do with the type of music generally played at festivals or maybe highlighted by media coverage. Is it music that has a mainly white audience.

Is it to do with social groups. Just actually thought about it there and in my circle of friends I have one mixed race friends. I could argue because of this the only people I talk about festivals to are white, therefore they are the only people I can encourage to go are white.

Is it perceptions of what a festival is. I know loads of people who to quote them think ' its all fully of dirty sweaty hippies off their faces on drugs living in filth'

The point I am getting at is really it will be a multitude of reasons. Think about why you go to festivals.

I go because my mam talked about Glastonbury. I was well in to my indie music when I was a teenager and loved seeing bands live. I love camping because of the sheer number of Enid Blyton books I read as a child. I used to camp in my back garden as much as possible in the 6 weeks holidays. I went camping with friends from the age of 14. (I was lucky I had a friend willing to go with me, I had many who would not)

Put camping and bands together and I am in heaven. All because of the above.

[grumpyhack]

I got to three festivals most years. Glasto has the widest range of music. The other two are far more specialised - one folk and the other classic rock and blues. But all three draw a predominantly white, middle class audience.

I don't know about the make up of Reading, V etc.

[scorp]

Leonard who?

[dieweener]

cohen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tPQQLMXmQ4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aezsbd4pP3g...feature=related

:-))

[dieweener]

I got to three festivals most years. Glasto has the widest range of music. The other two are far more specialised - one folk and the other classic rock and blues. But all three draw a predominantly white, middle class audience.

I don't know about the make up of Reading, V etc.

[Craig_G]

This has been an interesting thread to read. I certainly didn't say there was anything wrong with the fact, to the person who suggested I thought it was a problem. It's just an observation which obviously a lot of people have also noticed. There's a lot of fair points through here (and some slightly off the mark, amusing ones...).

I am wondering now having grown up in London myself, if a large part of it is that in fact minorities through the country as a whole are in fact much smaller than I thought. Which is quite possible seeing as that I've grown up knowing London to be a very multi-cultural place but is more than likely not the same throughout the country.

And despite the diversity of the festival, there is little in the way of the MOBO culture, ie. RnB, DnB, Ragga, Hip Hop, Bollywood, whatever. Do you think it would make a big difference if there was a "MOBO tent", for want of a phrase.

And lastly do you think that the reputation for drink/drugs/hippies plays a much bigger part than we think in what people from other UK lifestyles think of us festival goers?

[Mark E. Spliff]

If a black person doesn't go to glastonbury because it's full of white people, then i put it to you sir, that they are in fact themselves, a racist!

Edited June 3, 2009 by Mark E. Spliff

[Billy09]

This has been an interesting thread to read. I certainly didn't say there was anything wrong with the fact, to the person who suggested I thought it was a problem.

[Billy09]

I put it to you sir, that you don't understand the term 'racism.' Racism is not an abstract concept. Racism is an ideology which is rooted in history. In the past, certain races believed themselves to be genetically superior to others. As a result, they mocked them, enslaved them, tried to exterminate them, etc. White westerners have abused/enslaved blacks, asians, aborginals etc. This has been a one-way process - whites haven't been abused/enslaved by blacks.

People throw the term 'racist' around as though it could apply to anyone who is uncomfortable with another race. On a superficial level, this might sound reasonable, but if you think about it for a minute, you'll realise it's ludicrous.

To put it in very simple terms: a white (racist) might not feel comfortable in a crowd of black people, because he would be worried that this inferior race were going to mug him as he perceives them as poor, unintelligent, unemployed and probably criminal. A black person might not feel comfortable in a crowd of white people because he might feel they were (at best) going to patronise him and not take him seriously or (at worst) treat him like scum, throwing terms like 'asylum seeker' around as though they were insults.

And if you've been into a white working class pub in the past five years, you'll realise that this isn't just Guardian-reader b*llocks - racism is now the norm in Britain. If you don't understand why black people are retreating to their own communities, you need to have a look around at the scummy Sun-reading cess-pit that Britain's become.

[djkf]

It'd be incredibly difficult to practice Islam in a field in pilton for 5 days.

What with the food most likely not being halal

The difficulty in praying at certain times of the day

Open Alcohol/Drug Use

and Hog Roast

and also the fact that Music is sort of semi-forbidden in some sects

So I feel this factors in the lack of Asian/Muslims at the event. I am however very surprised at the lack of black people at Glastonbury though. It's a Mystery.