What's going on in No. England and So. Scotland?

[otterhound]

I've seen many posts here talking about how scary it is be well-dressed in Northern English cities or in Glasgow. Posts from Herringbone Kid, Belly Tank and Paddy come to mind.

Man, it sounds like these are some tough towns. What's going on in these places? Is South Central LA safer?

 

[BellyTank]

Glasgow: City of the Stare.

Parts of Central Glasgow are still run by Gangsters and there is also an Urban, so-called 'working class' mentality. Locals probably feel the effects more than visitors- Glasgow is a fantastic city.

B
T

 

[herringbonekid]

i'm from Newcastle. i left when i was 18. there is a very friendly side to the north, but laddishness and heavy drinking is a huge part of life there (it is also an in-decline industrial city) and if you walk around looking different you will get abused sooner or later.

having said that, the city seems to be more cared for whenever i go back.

 

[mikepara]

I'm from Newcastle..

...but now live in Scotland. Its fair to say Newcastle [the Toon!] is the 'Party' town of England. Great for a ladish night out. Glasgow is the same ...except its the 'real'* capital of Scotland with all that being a capital entails 24/7 lifestyle.

Its also safe to say of both, its a place where your dressed if you wear a Jacket and stand out if you wear a Coat! (Even in winter)

To most 'males' Wearing a suit usually means your going to the Magistrates Court and a hat means your an orthodox Jew or gay and as HBK said your going to get some hassle sooner or later.

Its Grim oop T' North

*Edinburgh is the actual capital.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

i'm from Newcastle. i left when i was 18. there is a very friendly side to the north, but laddishness and heavy drinking is a huge part of life there (it is also an in-decline industrial city) and if you walk around looking different you will get abused sooner or later.

having said that, the city seems to be more cared for whenever i go back.

Sounds very much like the Cleveland Ohio area that I am from. The inner city was once a fantastic place to live, but it fell into decay after WW2. There has been some progress made at revitalization,but it's very difficult.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I'm from southern Scotland. I left when i was 18. I rarely return. Not a good place to look different. The amount of abuse i took for having long hair was absurd. And this from people old enough to have had long hair in their youth. I can't imagine how they'd deal with fedoras.

I've never liked Glasgow. A very Dirty city.

The fact remains: Britain is full of chavs. It's impossible to avoid them. Look different, and you've got to expect abuse. A lot like America, really, and every other country, i imagine.

bk

 

[zeus36]

I was in Inverness, Scotland during December and of course wearing a long winter coat with a Dobbs Fed. Some young girls said I looked like a spy.

 

[Tomasso]

Look different, and you've got to expect abuse. A lot like America, really, and every other country, i imagine.

:eusa_clap You are correct, Sir!:eusa_clap

 

[AllaboutEve]

The fact remains: Britain is full of chavs. It's impossible to avoid them. Look different, and you've got to expect abuse. A lot like America, really, and every other country, i imagine.

bk[/QUOTE]

Britain certainly is full of chavs a great chunk of society has adopted a uniform, and it's not a great one!!!
I was at University in Sheffield which is about the furthest north I have ever dared venture so I couldn't really comment about northern English towns.
London is a great place to be different and not be too harrassed by other people. Ok there is trouble in certain areas (I live in one of the troubled boroughs when I am in the city) but the good thing is that there are so many people doing their own thing that you don't stand out too much.
I had a one friend who actually left a degree course in Newcastle as there was so much aggression towards young students from the South in her part of the city!!!
Where I am originally from is a smaller town in the South and the aggression there was more pronounced as the locals were far more territorial.
So I would hesitate to cordon off the North as the bad guys.

 

[Sefton]

I've not yet been to either country but would love to. I love the great history and the music,art etc. Everyone I've (so far) met from there has been quite nice. I suppose it's best to not have any type of rock hard pre-conception about a place, lest you set yourself up for dissapointment. Neither the land of "Goodbye,Mr.Chips" nor "Straw Dogs"

As the Baron pointed out America suffers from the "lads" too. I haven't been accosted for my dress recently but in the past I've taken some lumps (this in "Liberal" San Francisco!).

 

[MJCR]

I'm from Liverpool but now live in Lancashire and work in Manchester, traveling to London regulrarly these days on business. Last Winter I bought my first fedora (a brown Akubra Federation) and wore it with my brown wax Barbour jacket. Well, naturally, I got a bit of friendy ribbing from my co-workers as it was an unusual sight to see me wearing one, but I got no negative comments from the general public. I guess Manchester has become much more up-market/metropolitan in recent years, but it's still full of scallys and chavs! In ten years of working there the only time I've ever been hassled by the local 'youths' was when one attempeted to steal my baseball cap, much safer to wear a fedora, they don't know what it is...

 

[Dietrich]

A fundamental aspect of British culture that will be somewhat alien to American readers is our deep-seated resentment of sucessful people. For whatever reason, many Brits are more likely to see a nice car and vandalise it out of spite than admire it and respect whoever worked to buy it. Perhaps it is our history of aristocracy versus your history of entrepreneurship, but wealth and success is something traditionally regarded as shameful by working class Brits. There is of course the seemingly universal aggression shown by many young people towards that which is seen as alien, but our attitudes to wealth and class have deep roots. Suits are seen by many as symbols of class and privilege, marking out the wearer as a parasite, a bourgeois enemy of the working man. Our density means that the poorest parts of a city may exist only a few hundred yards from the richest. Our north-south divide is in some ways like yours (albeit in reverse) but instead of existing in distant, seperate worlds we live cheek-by-jowl. Picture Nashville and Tulsa being a four hour drive from New York City and Los Angeles and you've got some sort of insight into British life.

Ours is a wonderful and diverse land, but unfortunately the traditional values of manners and gentility have crumbled and left us with few tools with which to live peacefully in our crowded little melting pot. It is my hope that intelligent, hard-working immigrants from eastern Europe and elsewhere will reinvigorate the British working class and put an end to our self-indulgent 'chav' culture, but I fear it may be a vain hope.

 

[SWTroopers]

Dietrich,

An interesting perspective that helps me wrap my mind around it. Your comment about North vs. South, but in reverse says a lot to me. Thanks for the insight.

Marc

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

A fundamental aspect of British culture that will be somewhat alien to American readers is our deep-seated resentment of sucessful people. For whatever reason, many Brits are more likely to see a nice car and vandalise it out of spite than admire it and respect whoever worked to buy it.

Very true. I walk down a pretty affluent road every day, and almost every house has a car less than a year old. It took about a week before the brand-spanking new black BMW in front of one house to get keyed front bumper to boot, and each of the other expensive cars within easy keying distance from the pavement also had been attacked. Though, it could have easily been from boredom/drunken amusement rather than spite. A fundamental lack of respect is equally deep-seated these days.

 

[Kt Templar]

Very true. I walk down a pretty affluent road every day, and almost every house has a car less than a year old. It took about a week before the brand-spanking new black BMW in front of one house to get keyed front bumper to boot, and each of the other expensive cars within easy keying distance from the pavement also had been attacked. Though, it could have easily been from boredom/drunken amusement rather than spite. A fundamental lack of respect is equally deep-seated these days.

I think a great deal of this comes down to the fact that these sort of symbols of wealth are and will always be outside the reach of the common, decent, hardworking individual. Far too often we see the fat cats, the blaggers, and basically the completely undeserving gaining wealth hand over fist where the rest of us work our butts of for a pittance.

The man in the street takes the brunt of the tax burden and doesn't have the resources to avoid paying that the rich know of.

 

[herringbonekid]

i'm sorry Kt, but honest, decent, hardworking individuals don't commit random acts of vandalism like that.

 

[Kt Templar]

i'm sorry Kt, but honest, decent, hardworking individuals don't commit random acts of vandalism like that.

LOL you got me on that one. But you know what I mean. Unfortunately it's the 2 sides of the coin, white collar crime V blue collar. The while collar crime can vandalise people lives the blue just their trinkets. Both are criminals the latter is a reaction to the percieved crimes of former in this case.

 

[carebear]

Perhaps as voters instead of keyers they might have a bit more luck affecting the economy in a positive way. Maybe get taxes down to the point where they can buy their own cars to vandalize.

 

[Warden]

I thought I'll add my 2p worth here.

I had this conversation a couple of years ago and came to the following two conclusions.

• In my past I used to have the fraggle rock haircut as I was a bit of a punk rocker and I really don't recall experiencing any trouble from the way I dressed. It was almost as if people accepted it. Either that or people where scared of my appearance. It has since surprised how many of us 30/40 year olds who are now in the 1930s/40s scene used to be in a youth tribe, (punk, psycho billies etc.) Perhaps we still enjoy dressing up and looking different?

• About 10 years ago I was in a 17th Century re-enactment group, people tended to ignore you dressed as a member of Cromwell’s army while walking down the street, where if you are in 1930s / 1940s clothing, I noticed you appear to get more ‘looks’ from the public. I think this is because they know something is different about the way you dress, but they cannot quite put their finger on it.

Warden D