Page 23 - James Caan - The Real Deal

2 · Growing Up Fast

with Sunil, Kirk and Mustafa. We were quite a tight group and we
pretty much all stayed friends until we finished school. We’dgo to
the pictures together, play a bit of football, hang out at the Wimpy
bar and go to the odd West Ham match. Of course, I really wanted
to go to Stamford Bridge, but Upton Park was our nearest ground.
I’m sure hanging around with such a mixed bunch of friends
insulated me from any racism. Even though there were only a
handful of other Asian kids at school, I never felt different and
never knowingly experienced any prejudice. I look at some of the
communities that exist now that are almost entirely Asian, and I’m
very grateful that our family lived in such mixed neighbourhoods.
Looking back, I think it was probably easier to integrate then,
precisely because the neighbourhood was so mixed. If you don’t
mix with other communities, the chances of you breaking out on
your own are pretty slim. I think if you separate yourself, if you
don’t adapt your way of life, then you stand out, and that’s when
you tend to experience prejudice.
I believe everyone prospers from integration. If I had grown up
in a neighbourhood where every face I saw was Asian, I think I
would have found it harder to express my identity as an individual,
not just as part of a community. And if a child doesn’t express
himself, then he lacks confidence and opportunities fade away. If
I’d grown up in that kind of environment, I’m not sure if I would
have had the confidence to break the mould and go on to have the
career I’ve had.
Having a strong group of friends meant that I started to spend
more time away from home, but as long as my homework was
done and I was in by a certain time my parents let me go. My
parents were still quite strict with my sister Nahid, and, as Azam
was far more studious than me and happy to stay at home with his
books, I was the one who pushed the boundaries and got into
trouble. I just wanted to be out, to be with other people and to
have a bit of fun.

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