Everyone Who Isn't A Racist Loser Loves The Yookay Aesthetic

2025-10-27

I was reading the article No shame, no opprobrium: racism is priced in now. Of all the right’s victories, this one has been critical by Jason Okundaye, where he talks about how the right have 'shifted the dial' so far that it is much more normal to be explicitly racist in public than it was some years ago. While reading, I was intrigued by the word 'yookay', as I'd not heard it before. I read the article that was linked and got so mad I felt the need to make a blog post for the first time in over a year.

In the article Nobody likes the yookay aesthetic , local jerk Luca Watson posits that the reason white Brits are against multi-culturalism is because it didn't live up to promises of bringing new ideas and cultural fusions. A very ironic thesis from a guy who resigns himself to alienation when seeing an advert using a word he doesn't know, instead of looking it up on the internet. That's basically the whole article. This guy claims he wants some aspect of cultural fusion, then describes some cultural fusion, then whinges about how it discombobulates him. BTW, I think the word 'yookay' is meant to be like UK but spelt funny. I dont' really get that.

He's clearly doing something wrong, because I've had very amicable conversations with shopkeepers, whereas he says "mundane tasks become an experience of alienation and dispossession. Quotidian interactions that establish a local sense of belonging, like having a brief chat with a shopkeeper or receptionist, become reduced to their utilitarian minimum, lacking in the sufficient language skills or common cultural touchpoints to advance beyond a few ritualistic grunts." I don't really know why he needs common cultural touchpoints to converse with a shopkeeper - I'm generally very satisfied asking where the lightbulbs are and then about how wattage works, for example; I don't need the shopkeeper to have watched Postman Pat as a child. Though I'm sure many of them have, as many migrants have been in the UK since their childhood (me included), and there are loads of people I'm sure the article author would count under his multicultural umbrella who were born here. I don't know, maybe being negative and self-righteous about things in this way puts out a vibe so rancid that shopkeepers aren't going to fall at your feet to have a heart-to-heart with you.

The majority of the article is complaining about how the aesthetic of areas with large diaspora populations are ugly, without much explanation of what he wants or how what we have is worse than that. I really don't believe that this guy would be happier if there were more Persian rug and Moroccan spice shops, as he claims (uhh there are loads of shops selling spices where I live anyways). He says the supposedly bad aesthetic of multiculturalism should be used against it.

"These complaints can seem superficial, and to some extent they are, just as the arguments for multiculturalism — of tastier food, more colourful shops, and exotic religious beliefs — were for the most part crudely superficial". Sorry WHAT? These three 'arguments for multiculturalism' aren't really top of the list for me; it's clear this was written by someone who has never made a connection with someone before or truly opened himself up to the possibility of happiness. Firstly, multiculturalism needs no argument or defence - it's a natural state of humanity since before we were even Homo sapiens. It happens, thank god, and the alternative is nationalism, fascism and homogeneity. Never forget this. Without multiculturalism, we'd not have any culture at all. We'd never even have friendships outside a tiny closed little cult. Secondly, multiculturalism brings so many joys of life. There's the material things; incredible music, soul-widening art, and yes, delicious food. Don't forget, fish and chips were brought here by immigrants. But there's also the freedom to experience things you never thought you could. Learning words that have a different colour to them than any you thought possible, that make you see the world from a new angle. Different attitudes to life that show you how many more possibilities there are than those you've been taught. And all the things that are the same - the way kids whinge or play, those slides that people wear as slippers back in russia and that I can buy here in manchester. Those similarities also make me feel part of a human family that spans the whole world.

Multiculturalism clearly strikes a deep existential fear into Luca Watson. A fear he doesn't belong, can't connect with people, has no dignity or pride outside of something that never really existed. But multiculturalism is equally existentially joyful, with those aesthetics Luca finds alienating instead instilling comfort and belonging to those who aren't so stubborn. For example, I love the eclectic colours of a discount shop, the swirly plastic washing bowls, crowded shelves of toys and kitchenware, cheap aprons with apples and childrens chairs with cartoons on. These shops symbolise independence to me. And being on a highstreet with Turkish barbers (which Luca implies are illegal??), takeaways, shops selling Muslim supplies etc., Polish shops etc., makes me feel safe. I don't feel gawkwed at like I do in some little village filled to the brim with old white ladies who glare at me if I spoke russian with my mum. And you don't have to be an immigrant to feel this way. You just have to let yourself be curious and not panic.

Xenophobes could make their own lives a whole lot more pleasant if they let themselves explore their curiosity and learn a little. That article really highlights how a stubborn refusal to acclimatise yourself to new experiences, combined with a sense of entitlement can lock you in a prison of your own making. Luca Watson is not 'forced to become a stranger in [his] own area' - he just thinks he is. If he learned the meanings behind the new things in his surroundings, and got involved in some community groups to get to know people, then I'm sure he'd no longer feel so confused and alienated.

There's an extra horribly racist paragraph ranting about drill music, which I'm not going to deign with a full response. But thanks for reminding me to listen to Princess Xixi's more recent music.

It's nuts to me that one of the claims made in the article is that immigration didn't make the streets physically more colourful. Uhhh this guy clearly hasn't been to Longsight, where there's so many fabric shops overflowing with beautiful Indian fabrics. He's clearly never seen the African fabrics on sale just off Hulme High Street, or seen a wedding crowd at MyNawaab in Levenshulme, with everyone sparkling away. I don't mean this to say that immigrants have to always be presenting something visually pleasing, I just know that the fabrics on clothes in Primark or H&M really are generally more drab and boring than the ones I mentioned. And seeing people wearing a variety of things gives me more confidence to wear a bright paisly shawl my babushka gave me, for example.

Why did I write this? I hate when people claim something is a universal thought when it's clearly just their own opinion. Sure, maybe I'm falling for ragebait, but I think it's important to counter false, racist narratives. It's the same way I feel about Midsummer Fair in Cambridge - all you hear is people saying ziganophobic shit, instead of enjoying the colours, outfits, rides, smocked fabrics etc. and being grateful we can partake in some aspect of Traveller culture. Next year I plan to write something of that vibe to a Cambridge newspaper so some positive narrative is propagated more. It's important for everyone to express the love they feel for multicultural britain (and multiculturalism in general). The nationalists, racists and fascists sure have loud voices but there's more of us people who know that the world is a much more colourful place, spiritually and aesthetically thanks to migrants. I also hope they allow themselves to learn and feel joy. Until they do, I guess they've relegated themselves to rotting in their own drab misery.

"is this the kind of society I want to live in? Is this better than what came before? Is this better than the alternatives?" YES, YES, A THOUSAND TIMES YES!