Is it racist to mark St George's day?- Ricky Gervais thinks some may think so

I don’t like Ricky Gervais. I’ve never found him funny, he comes across as self-absorbed, arrogant and sporting a hugely over-inflated opinion of himself.

I didn’t get all the fuss people made of that dance thing he did on the Office, and his infamous “two mongs don’t make a right” comments on twitter which seemingly ridiculed disabled people were at the very least, in poor taste.

This morning, however, when he raised another issue  close to the bone, I found myself  thinking  he may have a point.

On Twitter, he broached the super-sensitive issue of racism speaking about today being St George’s Day, a celebration of all things, well, English.

He wrote: “Happy St George’s Day (That’s the day that English people don’t celebrate in case someone thinks they’re racist).”

I found myself thinking  “that’s brave of him”, and "that’s an interesting topic, I’m going to blog about it".

But as my fingers hovered over the keyboard I felt a cold flush of dread rush over me  “But what if I inadvertently say the wrong thing, what if people think I’m racist?”.

Surely I can’t be seen to challenge the fact that when racism is raised it always, without question, justified. 

But, with trepidation, I decided to go ahead.


On a point of note, when I went back to Ricky Gervais' profile to get a snap of the tweet, it had disappeared, maybe he had second thoughts and removed it.


But not before other users had re-tweeted it. So just to prove I'm not making it up, here it is.

The word racism terrifies people, especially when it involves the idea of having the label attached to them.

Blackboards, Black sheep, mixed-race (no longer appropriate and must be replaced by the more 2010’s-friendly  “mixed-heritage”) are all taboo.

If uttered in the wrong  tone certain words can cost you your job, reputation, and in extreme cases  your liberty.

It’s a long way from my school days when I was called a “half-caste” by my teacher because my father is Indian, no-one thought anything of it back then, least of all me.

But have we now  gone too far the other way? To a point where even letting on that you might have pride in being British/ English/ Welsh/ Scottish, can earn you the title of “racist”.

In my early twenties I spent two years living  in Japan, a country fiercely protective of its identity and heritage.

The Japanese flag hangs proudly along streets, in buildings, in shops, on taxis and at train stations, it is  a symbol of national pride and identity.

There was nothing overly shocking about going to a swimming pool to see “Japanese only” pinned over the entrance, it was just accepted.


And no-one really thought they were being racist, that's just their way.

When I got  back to the UK, bursting with happiness to be back on home soil,  I  put a picture of a St George’s flag on the wall of my bedsit in Catford.

A friend was almost apoplectic when she saw it, the  disapproving “what’s that doing there?” extended to “you know, people will think you’re racist”.

I immediately removed it for fear of causing  offence, totally embarrassed that I had unwittingly put a symbol of racial hatred up on my wall.

But hang on a minute, 13 years later and I am slightly miffed I felt pressured to do that, what is racist about the flag of St George??

And for that matter, what is racist about celebrating St George’s Day?


Actually, a quarter of English people think the Flag of St George is a racist symbol, come to think of it, when was the last time you saw one flying in teh high street, from your council offices, from any official establishment come to that.

As Mr Gervais says, maybe it carries too high a risk.

In my local Tesco,  the holiday foods aisle is adorned with an array of exotic wonders when there a special or religious occasion coming up.

In the run up to Diwali it is decorated with flashing multi-coloured lights and filled with exotic treats.

Ramadan sees it stocked with dates, eaten by Muslims when they break the fast. Kosher foods for Hanukkah, beautiful oriental Knick Knacks for Chinese New year.

St George’s Day – nothing.

Not so much as a red cross on  a stick, or a packet of Betty Crocker (Ok, I think she's American but you know where I'm going with this) trifle mix.

I don’t  for a moment  think this is because Tesco is fearful of being accused of racism, but it is a reflection of the lack of national pride.

How comfortable would you really be displaying a flag of St George in your house or on your car?

Maybe we are becoming a little too fearful of causing offence, to the point of losing part of our national identity.

That would be a shame.