For most the Empire was an abstract concept, they knew it existed, they also knew that it belonged to Britain, but for most the peoples of the Empire were conquered peoples, subjugated and in many cases deemed to be savage or primitive. It was quite a shock then during this time of change, for the former peoples of the Empire to arrive in Britain and to live and work amongst them.

One only needs look at Enoch Powell and his contemporaries to see the sort of effect this had on people, the fear, the xenophobia and the feelings of helplessness. I understand much better than I did at the time the motivations for the behaviour of some of the white people in Britain during my youth, it wasn't anything personal, it wasn't even really directed at my race but it was an underlying fear of the unknown.

Ironically this continues today and even more ironically, despite being from a family of immigrants, I am no more pro immigration than perhaps the Britons of my youth were and this may be the same for many second or third generation immigrants (see video below), but I digress.

In my youth I stood out quite a bit, particularly in the early days and like many families we moved into an area that was predominantly white. I was teased both in the street and at school by other children, sometimes also adults.

I was called many names, piccaninny, wog, sambo, negro, nig nog, coon, jungle bunny, and of course nigger. Despite being the most well known, at least amongst whites, I was seldom referred to as a nigger. I was much more likely to be called wog, sambo, coon or my personal favourite nig nog (such a silly phrase that requires an equally silly facial expression to deliver it properly!). Of course as a boy these words weren't that important, it was the way that they delivered that was hurtful.

Like many from the era I faced the daunting daily prospect of being the only coloured boy (as we were then known) in any given situation. Walking into Mr Archer's shop or the Butcher's with my mum and joining the queue waiting for someone to make a remark. Some days it was just dirty looks, some days it was shaken heads and tuts, other days it would be an insult. Sometimes people would look away embarrassed when I was taunted, other times I was stared at, as if they were daring me or my mother to respond.

Of course this sounds far worse than it really was, I was lucky, I was very young during the worst of it and never the victim of physical abuse or even really hatred, just petty name calling which, whilst upsetting, was much better than some of my friends and relatives suffered. Over time this overt hostility (I don't want to say racism for reasons that I will come to later) became covert hostility over the years until it eventually petered out, I honestly can't remember the last time that I felt I was discriminated against, even covertly.

I don't think the people calling me coon or wog were racist, I did at the time but even just a few years later I knew that they were not. Why? Because I heard my parents using similar derogatory terms about the next crop of immigrants and I knew then, as now, that my parents were not racist.

The clip below is something that I remember well and I think it demonstrates two things very cleverly. The first is Mr Alf Garnett, he typified a certain bred of men (and women) at the time, probably a lot earlier than this was set, who had real difficulty coping with the turnaround in British fortunes. I don't believe it was their fault, more down to ignorance and a stubborn refusal to acknowledge that things had changed, exemplified in his remarks about the 'sambo' nearly 150 years after slavery had ended. It is amusing because of his remarks and also the absurdity of his remarks, but people like him did exist, and they did think that way.

The other is of course the attitude of the black man toward the new generation of immigrants, a surprisingly typical view at the time.

This of course (eventually!) leads me to my point. As someone who experienced those turbulent early days of immigration in Britain, whose family and friends did face racism and hatred on a daily basis, I find it very annoying when someone like Naomi Campbell trivialises it all by using her race to win an argument or worse, receive special treatment.

Naomi Campbell was picked as a supermodel at an early age and incredibly even at 38 is still one of the world's top supermodels. She's been at the top of her career since it started, her looks and her colour have earnt her millions. To even attempt to place herself as a victim of anything is actually quite offensive, let alone to be the poor victim of racism.

She claimed that she was treated differently because of her race, whining;

You are a racist, you would not be doing this if I was white.
It's because I'm a black woman, you are all racist, I'm going to sue you, I'm going to f*** you.
You bitch, I want my luggage – it's because I'm black and famous.

Racism is a word that is bandied around a lot today and it makes me cringe when I hear a black person claiming racism, I am sure that there are some people who are the victims are racism, but many who use the term who are not. It seems an automatic response for some people that if they are black (or brown), and the other person is white (or brown) and not giving into their demands, it is down to racism.

True racism is a terrible thing and should not be trivialized in this manner, or used as a stick to beat innocent people with. It is not a joke term, or an accusation that can be levelled and then taken back. It sticks. Using it as a failsafe discussion winner takes away from true victims of racism, rather than those who are just the victims of circumstance.

Campbell's shocking outburst is a classic example of this, crying racism over a lost bag, as if they had singled her bag out purely because she was black. The cabin crew and the passengers may well have disliked her, but this was far more likely have been due to her manner, than her colour.

She also then claimed in court that a member of the BA cabin crew called her 'a golliwog supermodel,' which I find quite surprising as it isn't really the most popular racism term used today. Oddly, no one else has come forward saying they heard it too. I am sure that this is just an attempt to excuse her despicable behaviour and her claims of discrimination. Such words are so taboo these days that I find it hard to believe someone would have said that, or that none of the bystanders would have come forward and confirmed it.

Then again perhaps as she was blaming racism so much that someone decided to provide her with justification. Had I been on that flight I would have had a few choice words with her at the very mention of her being treated differently because of her race. Such flippant remarks and accusations make it harder for the true victims of racism to prove their case and belittle what people went through just a generation ago.

If she's made it up then she's also spread a malicious lie about BA, one that, due to the nature of the accusation, they will probably be unwillingly to take her to court over.