Dining Across the Divide: An Meeting Among Different Perspectives
Introducing the Individuals
First Diner: Peter, 34, from London
Occupation Ex- government employee, currently a student studying public health
Political history Voted Green recently (and a member of the party); previously Labour. Describes himself as “left, and globalist rather than nationalist”
Amuse bouche A drawing of a teacup he did as a kid was once hung in the National Gallery of Ireland
Second Participant: A., 43, from Harrow
Profession Risk analyst in the infrastructure industry
Voting record Hailing from the Indian subcontinent, he has lived in the UK for five years, and voted Conservative. Identifies as “somewhat right of centre”
Amuse bouche Akshat self-learned to read and write Urdu. “It has no practical use for me, I simply found it intriguing”
For starters
The first participant Over the last two decades, I have resided and been employed in Qatar, East Asia, the US. The topics Peter and I talked about are focused on Britain, but they are also universal, because human life largely evolve similarly wherever it is. I was expecting a staunch liberal, but Peter wasn’t all gung ho – we engaged in a productive, logical conversation. I drank beer, he opted for mojitos.
The second participant We split starters – fishy spring rolls, dumplings, daikon cakes with beansprouts, which were superb. I was a little nervous, as I believe he was too. Would he criticize me for being a snowflake? We each have immigrant backgrounds. I grew up in Dublin; I’ve lived in the US and the Iberian Peninsula. We bonded over our love of the capital.
Key disagreements
The first participant I view migration similar to adding salt to a dish. With a small amount, the food tastes wonderful. Add too little or too much and the dish is either too bland or too salty.
Peter He had a metaphor regarding salt. It would be a funny place to exist if the government was choosing some ideal ethnic makeup of the country.
Akshat There are, sadly, people fleeing persecution, but a lot of migrants arriving in the United Kingdom are those seeking better finances who do not necessarily add significant value and can burden the benefit system. Nobody forces you to go to a different nation for prospects, so you should only go if you can take care of yourself and your family.
The second participant We got lost with certain details. I don’t think it’s like you come over and are employed and then following a half-decade you obtain permanent citizenship. No process is guaranteed. The climate has been unwelcoming for some time, visa fees are quite expensive, there is an healthcare levy, access to benefits is restricted. There is no special treatment for anybody. And concerning the new policies, whereby you can’t bring your family over, it’s incredible to say: we desire your labor, but we reject you as a person. I think we must maintain a certain level of compassion.
Common ground
The first participant Peter’s sceptical of unregulated markets. I am, too, but simultaneously, wealth creation benefits society and should be encouraged.
Peter We each have global outlooks. And we concurred that certain elements of society – government, the media – thrive off creating conflict. We did find shared understanding in basic principles and ethics.
Dessert and debate
Akshat Peter believes that because the UK benefitted from the colonial era, it should pay reparations to those countries. I simply think: you cannot judge the past with contemporary ethics; eras vary, current society had no control of what happened decades or a century ago. Let’s say the Britain had to compensate India, it would be a huge amount of money. Is Britain able to manage that? Certainly not.
The second participant Until recently, I don’t think there was much reckoning with the colonial past. As an instance, when I first moved to the UK, the public had little knowledge of the Great Famine and the role that colonialism played in it. I hold that decolonization is not merely about issuing payments, it should be about examining what went wrong and our current responsibilities.
Takeaways
Akshat It may not alter the way I think, but I appreciate his worries. I talk to individuals every day with opinions are contrary to my own. The goal is uniting people to the common understanding, so that everyone can strive for the improvement of the community.
Peter We were there for 150 minutes. Akshat had dessert and I drank some sweet Japanese wine. I didn’t persuade him of any point, but we each liked dinner, so we could hopefully be more receptive to engaging in dialogues with other people in the coming times.
