Town-bashing

This is a major bugbear of mine, the fact that people often make negative sweeping generalisations about specific towns and cities and often label them as 'problem' places, even if they have never actually set foot in them.

That's one of the reasons why I don't (as yet) wish to state the name of the town I live in on here, even though it's not a full-on 'problem' town per se, but it has been subjected to a fair amount of indignation over the years, and like a couple of other towns within my county, it was labelled a 'chav' town about 15 or so years ago, though its reputation as such a town has generally lessened over recent years.

I never forget the 'Gunchester' and 'Shottingham' malarkey back in the 90s!!

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This is a major bugbear of mine, the fact that people often make negative sweeping generalisations about specific towns and cities and often label them as 'problem' places, even if they have never actually set foot in them.

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I think it's unfortunately in human nature to judge things they've never experienced. It happens all the time, and not just with towns.

I won't mention my town because nobody will have heard of it.

It's people's skewed opinions. Having lived on council estates, and in luxury apartment complexes, I prefer to live on the housing estate. People are more friendly, talkative, sociable and there's a glimmer of community spirit. The rich folk close their doors, barely say hello, and make a lot of effing noise with zero regard!

I grew up with people at school bashing me for living on the council side of the estate because I went to a private school for a while. It's just water off a ducks back to me. Negative people don't deserve my attention or thinking time. Let them continue with their ill logic :yesyes:

I've lived in areas wheres there's gang activity, drugs, stabbings. That happens in most places including the rural areas! I'm not even joking. Gangs use rural areas because they're off the radar. Kids who are drug runners come from the city to pick up drugs from the rural areas to take back to the city. Kids are not going to be stopped for carrying drugs. They then bring drugs into the rural areas, and the youth. Do not even ask how I know this.

It happens everywhere. Literally everywhere. So these people talking their mouth off about other areas fail to realize the same stuff happens in their own area - it's just not in the media thus not reported. They choose to believe it doesn't happen in their area.

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Originally Posted by WiredIncorrectly

It's people's skewed opinions. Having lived on council estates, and in luxury apartment complexes, I prefer to live on the housing estate. People are more friendly, talkative, sociable and there's a glimmer of community spirit. The rich folk close their doors, barely say hello, and make a lot of effing noise with zero regard!

I grew up with people at school bashing me for living on the council side of the estate because I went to a private school for a while. It's just water off a ducks back to me. Negative people don't deserve my attention or thinking time. Let them continue with their ill logic :yesyes:

I've lived in areas wheres there's gang activity, drugs, stabbings. That happens in most places including the rural areas! I'm not even joking. Gangs use rural areas because they're off the radar. Kids who are drug runners come from the city to pick up drugs from the rural areas to take back to the city. Kids are not going to be stopped for carrying drugs. They then bring drugs into the rural areas, and the youth. Do not even ask how I know this.

It happens everywhere. Literally everywhere. So these people talking their mouth off about other areas fail to realize the same stuff happens in their own area - it's just not in the media thus not reported. They choose to believe it doesn't happen in their area.

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The latter phenomenon you're referring to is known as 'County Lines', which has actually been going on for several years now. It's only really been within the past 2-3 years or so that the media have picked up on it and society at large has finally woken up to it, having previously been caught napping over it.

We lived on a council estate when I was little and to quote the proverbial 'never did us any harm'!!

My brother however, has been ashamed to admit that he lived on said estate as a young child and has even said (though maybe in jest) that he was surprised he never ended up in jail because he lived there (he was almost 5 when we moved away from there to a 'respectable' private estate).

And about 5 years or so ago, he had some building materials nicked from outside the front of his house and he lives on a seemingly well-to-do private estate in a generally more desirable neighbouring town. And his town has actually had far more crime than ours over the past 5 years, though he obviously won't admit it.

I think this comes under the acceptance umbrella for me. People are prats, you won't change it. It's best to turn the other cheek.

Does it bother you to unhealthy levels? If so, work on it within yourself. Don't change the world, change you so it doesn't upset you as much.

I think some of this comes with age. When you are younger you react to it but as you age you realise it's wasted energy and just let them moan.

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Originally Posted by MyNameIsTerry

I think this comes under the acceptance umbrella for me. People are prats, you won't change it. It's best to turn the other cheek.

Does it bother you to unhealthy levels? If so, work on it within yourself. Don't change the world, change you so it doesn't upset you as much.

I think some of this comes with age. When you are younger you react to it but as you age you realise it's wasted energy and just let them moan.

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It's more the blatant hyperbole that bothers me, and the fact that a lot of people seem to revel in epic dramas about nearly everything nowadays.

I think it smacks of a sense of sneery superiority too. We've already had books and websites about 'crap towns' and 'chav towns', which were first published/uploaded before social media really became a big thing.

I think I have already mentioned this in another thread but I have heard/read tales about overzealous social workers stalking council estates back in the 80s deliberately in pursuit of cases of child abuse and neglect, and penalised seemingly innocent families who did care for their kids properly and never laid a finger on them despite their being poor.

Yet kids from quite well-to-do families in more affluent areas are often subjected to appalling abuse at the hands of their parents, and are often ignored and disbelieved due to the populist opinion that council estates and less well-to-do areas in general are hotbeds for child abuse and domestic violence, and are unfairly singled out IMO.

I still believe that (non-sexual) physical abuse of children by parents/carers (and to a far lesser extent, by school teachers) is a greatly overlooked issue but whenever it's the other way round where children physically abuse parents/carers/teachers the media make a big song and dance over it and people who read it respond with all the usual 'kids today have no respect', 'bring back caning, borstals, etc'!!

Even kids with autism and the like get a bad name in such cases.