London bashing

[CruCru]

Recently there seems to have been a spate of London bashing from friends and acquaintances who live elsewhere. I'm surprised that people think it is okay to totally slate the place that someone else lives just because it happens to be the capital.

I think London is awesome, possibly the bright centre of the universe but wouldn't dream of telling someone how ghastly, say, Lancashire is (I have never been to Lancashire, I am sure it is very nice, it is just an example).

AIBU?

No of course London isn't racist.
But there are racists in London.
You can't deny that. Just as there are racists everywhere.

I love being able to visit London very easily from where I live, but I wouldn't want to live there, or in any other big city. I love how quiet it is in the country - the constant noise and light (even at night) in cities grinds me down. It's not something that's unique to London, obviously, and like I said, visiting is fabulous for weekends or day trips.

And the tube is BRILLIANT. Every time I use it I am boggled by just how fantastic city public transport is compared with villages and even quite big towns.

Not like they are out of London/largecities no and ive not heard 'nigger' used like that in a very long time unlike in the smaller towns.

Im assuming your DH is asian? I think there is a difference in how black people and asian people are percieved by the ignorant and I think the exerience will be different.

To be honest, I have never heard the n-word used in my small town. People would be if they did hear it. But then, this is a very diverse and relatively well educated area, so may not be typical of all small towns.

Yes, DH is Asian and I'm sure that perceptions are different, but there is plenty of prejudice in London. And ignorance. They just assume that he is an Islamic terrorist instead of the dumb assumptions that they might make about him if he was black.

ImaginateMum

Totally agree about the black bogey thing not happening any more. In the 80's they were certainly black but since the introduction of cleaner fuel and less industrial pollution they are now never black. The whole of London used to be black 20 years ago, it is so much cleaner nowadays.

YANBU! Its one of my pet hates. I'm not mad about London but I live here so back off !!! Its also where I was raised. Idiots, I'm amazed how stupid some people are to be so rude about where someone lives!!

I lived in london (Hendon then Kentish Town) 10 years ago and thought it was an absolute hovel then. I've not been back for 6 or 7 years. Has it dramatically improved?

I have never heard the N word used where I live now or any other small town I have lived in, heard it plenty of times in London though.

What I do encounter a lot here is really old fashioned words and terms like 'coloured' because it is assumed to be 'nicer' than saying black - that took me by surprise when I first moved here.

I do miss a good SE London 'Faaaack off' though

No of course London isn't racist
But there are racists in London
You can't deny that. Just as there are racists everywhere

Im not denying that, im saying you are more likely to find open racism out of London/big cities and much much less likely to find it in London.

As my family has had horrible experiences of racism out of London that alone is enough for me to say that yes London is an absolute undeniable haven.

Nothing would persuade me to leave.

As my family has had horrible experiences of racism out of London that alone is enough for me to say that yes London is an absolute undeniable haven.

Nothing would persuade me to leave.

Fair enough, it's great that you have found a haven where your own family fits in. But there will be other families who have had the opposite experience. And their experience is equally valid.

FWIW, I don't think small towns are inherently any more or less racist than big cities. The degree of diversity, the level of integration and the degree of social cohesion more generally, however, will have an impact.

My SIL said that the black bogies disappeared after she had lived in London for a while, but DH and I both got them when we visited London last year. Maybe londoners become immune to them after a while!

you are more likely to find open racism out of London/big cities and much much less likely to find it in London

Yes! This is my first (and last) residence in The Countree and I'm constantly gobsmacked by general racism & cultural ignorance abounding. And there are no Indian, Chinese, Polish, Turkish, Italian, etc grocers.

Love it when people say "Oh, I can't stand London! It's crowded, people are rude and the shops are nothing special." Ah, so you went on a day trip to Oxford Street

Yes, but "the countree" isn't one homogenous place either, garlic. If Oxford street isn't representative of the rest of London, you can bet your life that your small town isn't anything like mine.

For a start, we have an exceptionally diverse range of grocers' shops.

"A two bed semi, kewcumber?

I rest my case. "

Whats so shocking about a 2 bed semi (though its actually as I said the size of a three bed) - I sold my 3 bed last month because it was too big for us. Your point was people paying £900k for a terrace or flat with no garden and no parking (or something similar) - I was pointing out that I live in a house with a garden and off street parking and low crime for an amount massively less than £900k.

Yes of course I could have stayed in Wales and got a four bed house instead of a two bed one for the money but I'd rather stay near my family and in the only city that has any sizable community of people the same race as DS. I don't need more than 2 beds - why the disdain?

Lol! No of COURSE no one in London is racist! . Those voting in the BNP must have snuck in from the sticks !

yes I think they snuck in from Hertfordshire.

it is my favourite place in the world! I LOVE LONDON

All the arguments about London - expensive housing, busy, impersonal, dirty, noisy aren't really about London. They are arguments against living in a large capital city and don;t really matter because where-ever you live you trade off whats important to you against what isn't. I chose to live somewhere that I could earn the best living for myself. Limited opportunities in my field elsewhere.

I stayed because I like it. Because it has great facilities, is multicultural in ways other cities aren't (ie has communities of people from countries that just doesn't happen in those numbers outside London), because its fun, because my family are here etc etc etc. There are trade-offs I make for those things. It doesn't matter to me that they aren't choices you would make and I don;t see why my making different choices to you makes me insane!

I LOVE London and miss it sooo much! Fabulous city buuut the people are nowhere near as friendly as the people in Lancashire...

:o

Youattheback.

BNP are much more active out of london, much much more active.

That speaks volumes.

I LOVE London and miss it sooo much! Fabulous city buuut the people are nowhere near as friendly as the people in Lancashire...

:o

Grr, didn't mean to post that twice, stupid phone!

Robin, are you running round and round in circles?

:o

Are they Robin? Where else have they fielded an MP ? { chinscratch}