In recent years,many African taxi drivers have picked me up in Dublin. In conversation,I've learned that most of them have surprisingly good skills,formerly as small traders and third level graduates in Nigeria,including two accountants,a primary teacher,a psychologist and IT graduates.This morning,my African driver was formerly a car importer and the previous African driver was a qualified psychologist.

When I asked them what taxi driving was like in Dublin,the psychologist complained of poor customer behaviour without specifics.I suggested he should try to Dublinise his accent a bit as it sounded very foreign,while complimenting him on his English which was very good. The former car importer spoke of many specific incidents of ignorant Irish racism,saying I would find it hard to believe the amount of racial incidents affecting African taxi drivers. Many Irish customers seem to think that African taxi drivers have no right to be here. So far,he hasn't been assaulted,maybe because he cuts short hostile conversations by asking customers to leave without paying.

I jokingly suggested that he tell such customers that he worked in New York and Boston where half of the Irish he met were illegal immigrants.

If this driver's perception is correct as I believe it is,Irish people with racist attitudes need to realise that Ireland has had the most emigrants of any country relative to its size and that Irish emigrants generally were welcomed in most countries,including Africa and Asia.How would our Irish emigrants feel if they were treated like African taxi drivers in Dublin?

Hear hear!

"How would our Irish emigrants feel if they were treated like African taxi drivers in Dublin?"
I'm sure Irish emigrants would love the free housing, free medical care, some generous welfare payments and a helping hand from the local welfare officer to participate in an already oversupplied industry

Boo Hoo

Irish racism? Try living in England as an Irish person!

Is it too much for people to treat each other as equals and with a bit of respect?

Originally Posted by greendag

"How would our Irish emigrants feel if they were treated like African taxi drivers in Dublin?"
I'm sure Irish emigrants would love the free housing, free medical care, some generous welfare payments and a helping hand from the local welfare officer to participate in an already oversupplied industry

You forgot to mention the free prams, the free sweets they get when the kids have birthday parties**, free clothes, free shoes....

**Of course, they exploit this by pretending each child has several birthdays each year, donchano?

Originally Posted by Levellers

Irish racism? Try living in England as an Irish person!

I did and encountered hardly any.

Regarding the original post, the hope would be that these experiences are not typical. Let's face it; a lot of people only use taxis after a night out on the town so the attendant drunkenness has to be a factor in all this. Allowing for the "in vino veritas" maxim. the same people might be a lot more reasonable when sober. Being an Irish taxi driver is no bed of roses either.

These days, I'd always give a wee bit extra to any taxi driver - regardless of their ethnic origins. When you see the long queues at taxi ranks, you wonder how they're making any money at all.

Dunno where the attitude comes from. As long as the driver has a GPS I don't care what colour his skin is. If he doesn't I move to the next one.