The White Lion, Beeston - GB News & cask ale
When Cask Ale week was promoted by GB News yesterday it shows what happens when people think prejudice is 'society's problem'
Disclaimer: this newsletter often mentions beer and pubs. You do not have to read this if your life has been affected by substance abuse. This post references racism and has been moved forward to Wednesday as a one-off.
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you can’t work here, they said, when Clovis asked down at the quay
you can’t eat here, they said when we entered a little caff
you can’t drink here, the barman said when we entered a pub, all eyes on us
you can’t sleep here because your colour will come off on the sheets, said the woman who had a sign for lodgings in her window, people was that rude and ignorant back then, they spoke their mind and didn’t care that they hurt you because there was no anti discrimination laws to stop them
the only thing you can do is leave here and never come back, the policeman advised us when we went to complain
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo describes racism in raw terms. The above passage shows how life was impossible to anyone who was black that came to Cornwall in the past. In fact, the 2018 Booker Prize winner is the first novel I’ve read that meticulously details the colour bar and the lasting legacy such prejudice has on those who suffer exclusion.
To some this can be easily dismissed as a long time ago despite evidence to the contrary, such as this colour bar near me in south-east London that raged into the mid-1990s. To others it’s something that never happened (despite meticulous research) or has been exaggerated or regurgitated for political gain.
But, most worryingly, some organisations think this type of racism, segregation and prejudice is “society’s problem” and nothing to do with them.
The latter view has been prevalent in organisations that I’ve tried to work with and attempted to change. In fact, “society’s problem” was an actual response when I tried to put on an anti-racist event and was met with objection. The problem with this view is by doing nothing you can become the worst of society’s problems.
And this is where a ‘neutral’ industry body found itself when it was approached by GB News to help promote cask beer by filming a piece with the White Lion pub in Beeston, Nottinghamshire. By not taking an anti-racist stance it allowed itself to be attached to a far-right operation that on the same day spouted conspiracy theories, misogynist bile and the usual attacks on anyone who isn’t a white male of a certain age.
Any low level due diligence on GB News would bring to light its various platforming of hideous voices, its numerous Ofcom investigations and its vitriolic campaigns against protected groups, such as the trans community.
But, above all, a chance has yet again been missed by a complacent “neutral” organisation that could’ve promoted cask beer as an inclusive product, by showing how it’s served in the most diverse venues imaginable. But, instead we’re at the bottom of the barrel where racists are claiming cask beer is something that it's not: a white man’s drink.
I love cask with more passion that I think is possible. It’s a natural product that has low carbonation and often feels more full of body than its keg cousin - perfect when you need a session drink. And if you think it’s a geeky, old man thing then I give you this example which we have to fly over 7,000 miles to observe.
In a bar in a village in Argentina, I interviewed the young owner who fell in love with cask beer after drinking London Pride by the Thames. After working with a local brewery, he managed to serve an ale to his customers and it proved popular with one group especially: young women. (Tellingly, the men weren't as keen as they were stuck in their ways)
Because, if you strip all the baggage away from cask it’s a drink that everyone can enjoy. And, sadly, promoting it with GB News only adds more of this unnecessary baggage.
If you want to know the effects of dealing with people who aren’t interested in making changes or listening to how to be inclusive, then I wrote this. Back on Fridays soon!