Xenophobia, racism, ethnocentrism. Terms that nowadays no one seeks to be branded as. Rather, some would prefer the unctuously polite and honeyed “politically correct” approach than run the risk of being falsely accused of discrimination. Fear of the other, or perhaps worse, hatred of the other, is a concept that humans have long sought to eradicate. The idea that another individual could openly display intolerant behaviour seems less and less plausible as the years go by. All of the above is seemingly what contributes to the fact that an elderly lady from Edinburgh would not quite fit the profile of a chauvinistic 21st century supremacist.
In 2012, the Edinburgh Evening News declared that there were three reports of racist incidents per day, and in 2014, the BBC reports a “gang brandishing golf clubs” had “terrorised an Asian family” in Drylaw. Had I somehow created a different image of Edinburgh for myself, focusing too much on the University and coffee shops?
When searching for news of “racism in St Andrews”, not much from 2014 comes up, and that’s probably what, despite everything, makes that tranquil senior in a café an improbable candidate for such a scenario.