Do people say this about other places?

YANBU.

The worst case of this I’ve experienced was an acquaintance who was priced out of London so moved and bought a property in the arse end of nowhere, and suddenly developed anti-London views despite previously being an amateur London-centric influencer on Instagram (raving about the latest spot to get an iced matcha latte, that kind of thing). He also jumped at any opportunity to come back to London to socialise, but of course he ‘didn’t miss it’ and was ‘so over London’. Sour grapes ridiculousness, like much of the London hate.

why would a Weegie be jealous of an Edinbugger?

Completely agree. I'm from Birmingham so you get mixed comments on it. As with any city, there are good parts and shit parts but how can you run a place down when you haven't even been there really?

You only really have to do an advanced search on MN for "Wigan" and you'll see how prevalent it is...

I think people often say that about big cities tbh.

I have to go to London quite a bit for work and say the same. If I had to go to Portsmouth twice a month no doubt I would say the same. Fundamentally, I don't like big UK cities. I particularly don't like the fact that there is at least a 25% chance that my train home is going to be fucked and I'm going to spend a delightful evening in Waterloo station staring forlornly at a departure board.

@Doingtheboxerbeatmaybe….😉😉

Yes this is very true. My dad is French and he HATES Paris, thinks it’s filthy and full of voleurs (thieves). Tbf to him the only time I have come close to being mugged was indeed in Paris… I have never felt unsafe in any other big city other than around the Pigalle district at night time and the very brief encounters I’ve had in Birmingham. But yeah, I do think it’s common for natives to feel this way about the capital.

I think people think that it is less rude to say it about London because London is inarguably so popular desirable.

To say it about somewhere else, a random small town is unspeakably rude.

To say it about London is a little bit different, but not denying it is still rude.

Coventry 🤔 if so , me too.

Yes. I live in a city in the Midlands that is often lambasted. It’s an interesting city with loads of history but many people hate it and tell me so!!

I'm sure people have already said this but Preston has one of the worst areas around the bus station, which is the only part I've been to.
I'm jealous of people who live in London, for balance. I lived there for 10 years and I loved it so much. Could only do it now with a very substantial windfall.

I think the only negative comments Ive ever heard people make about London are to do with population density and noise. I love London personally and never get tired of going.

Other countries do indeed say similar about their capital cities. Go ask the French about Paris.

It's the sort of think horrible, rude people do.

I was once gobsmacked when someone asked my friend where she lived and when she said 'Streatham', this ignorant woman said 'Oh that's a shithole, isn't it?'

Whether it is or not isn't the point - good people just don't insult people's homes like that.

People say it about other places but I find it really f**king rude to be honest.

I come from Grace Dent's neck of the woods and I can confirm that quite a lot of it falls into that category. Visitors think it's lovely only because they're passing through.

My family are from South Shields, one of the things I love when I go up, is that my feet barely hit the ground & someone calls me 'pet'. 💕

@Schoolchoicesucks no, it's not just London. It's international too. I LOVED living in London. I moved out to buy a house, buying alone I just couldn't afford to buy something I found acceptable in London. In some ways I wish I'd settled for something I could afford & stayed. I miss living there!

yes it's rude of people to make those comments, but when they do, just think of people like me who envy you living in London.

EDIT: just seen you don't live in London. I misremembered your OP. I need more coffee.

Yes, I've live in London and multiple places near and far over the years. Currently, in East Anglia, I get 'That's a bit far out isn't it? Bet the public transport is rubbish'.

Five years ago I lived in the suburb near another UK city and got 'God, I bet that's a bit rough, isn' it?'.

My sister currently lives in a bog-standard south-east town and gets 'Bet there's not much to do for work there'.

A friend of mine lives in a gorgeous leafy, tiny village in Norfolk and gets 'Bet your kids are bored stiff and you feel like a taxi service'.

It's boring – just ignore it, or say 'No, actually, I don't feel that way.' Or if they are really rude say 'You don't live there, so why do you care?'

My older brother moved to London in the mid Eighties from near Hull and got a lot of sympathy about the minors’ strikes and queries as to how his family were coping. He had a lot of SWP friends.

There were no pits in Hull; our father was a comfortable capitalist pig and my brother was educated at public school and didn’t have a local accent. A minority of people are insular wherever you go.

That wouldn’t have worked tbh because Guildford is lovely.

DD's friend said it about Paris! Central London is fabulous. I love its energy. As a vibrant city with the best museums, shops, culture, food, architecture, fashion etc. I don't think anywhere else in the UK can match it. But... there are grotty bits, and of course it depends on your own experience (stuffy tubes, etc). I hate to hear people say it's a shit hole - so ignorant. We should all be proud of our capital city. I bet other nations don't say that about their capitals. It's just inverted snobbery, IMO. Of course it hasn't got everything, (seaside, moorland) but as a city it has fantastic parks and so much else.

Now Birmingham did scare me a bit. Occasionally I’d have to get a connecting train through there to Oxford and it meant walking from new street to moor street. That underpass was terrifying as a solo female.

It’s definitely rude to say but I think people do say it about other places , I hear it a lot about Birmingham