So, are Londoners nice? Who's a Londoner? A real life Londoner? Are you nice? Do you think Londonders are nice? Do you think this woman's a twat? Do you think London is perceived as being rude because of all the fucking non-londoners that pollute its beautiful streets with their nasty foreign ways like spitting and not queueing and talking in northern accents? Or do you just want to be left alone?
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posted
It has to be taken into account that "Londoners" encompass far more out-of-towners and forrens than those born within the bells of St Pauls, plus gormless tourists who can't walk in a straight line or stand on the right. And once forrens enter the equation you get all sorts of unwelcome savagery such as non-queueing.
I've seen plenty of acts of "niceness" in my four years of commuting here. I never see anyone struggle with a puschair on stairs; someone always steps in to help. I've also:
1. Seen someone sprint after a guy down the platform and hand him back the mobile he'd just dropped, nearly missing their train in the process.
2. Had a spotty, hooded oik run after me with the return part of the ticket that I'd left in the automated machine.
3. Heard plenty of laconic, witty comments from tube drivers over the PA regarding train delays which always lightens the mood in the carriage.
Certainly people don't usually talk that much on the Tube, but that's not the done thing anywhere in Britain, is it?
I got annoyed about 3 sentences into that article and didn't read any further.
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quote:Originally posted by Vogon Poetess: Certainly people don't usually talk that much on the Tube, but that's not the done thing anywhere in Britain, is it?
On my evening train journey back from Reading to Newbury, I gave up my seat to allow a party of four women to sit together, seeing as I was getting off at the next stop anyway. I had to move a few seats down, which was no skin off my formidable nose.
The four were ever so grateful, and five minutes into the journey, one approached me with a glass, a couple of bottles and the words "You're so kind! Can I offer you a G & T?"
I bet that doesn't happen on the tube.
AET: Well perhaps you get approached by people with bottles on the tube, but not for the same reason.
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An old bird who looked like Dot Cotton lit my fag this morning when my lighter didn't work. She referred to me as 'lav' and let out a throaty laugh. That was nice although she nearly got my eyebrow.
edit: Misc just had a real life porno moment and probably got off at the next stop.
[ 23.11.2006, 11:47: Message edited by: New Way Of Decay ]
posted
I'd probably need a stiff drink if I was travelling to/from Reading.
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quote: On my evening train journey back from Reading to Newbury
*memory shudder*
I still leave my front door open and love my mother, and just the other day an old lady that I was robbing wished me 'all the best in getting a good price, lav' when I said that her jewlerry was top draw and liable to fetch me a good price from my fence and feed my habbit for some time to come.
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posted
some months ago i was enjoying a leisurely bus journey across bristol's compact metropolis when the canadian woman next to me struck up an entirely unsolicited conversation about the book i was reading. within ten minutes she was telling me in spectacular detail about her cancerous womb and the excision thereof. smile and nod, smile and nod.
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posted
I had a fascinating conversation years ago on a train with a New Zealand girl about my own age who was visiting family in Sheffield or somewhere. We'd even exchanged addresses and stuff and promised to keep in touch.
Just before she got off she took my hand and said "And Martin, I want you to know - Jesus does love you, He really, really does. Welcome Him into your heart."
She got off and as I sat there thinking "bloody hell, what a nutter, why do I always get the nutters, still, at least she's gone now", a middle-aged woman across the aisle leaned over to me and said, smiling "sorry to barge in, but I couldn't help over-hearing."
"Oh, god, yeah," I said. "That was a bit weird wasn't it."
"Yes," she said. "But, you know, there are so many inconsistencies with the theory of evolution. It has to all come from God, really, doesn't it?"
At which point I threw myself out of the window.
None of that has anything to do with London or niceness, though.
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posted
i got chatting with a girl on a bus once. i was with poppy and we were passing heal's and going on about how much we love that store and this girl chirped and she was nice and we chatted fr a bit but then it was our stop.
making people talk to each other on the tube may be insulting and stupid but it's better than the miserable silence of now.
and actually i think london and londoners are pretty friendly. i know i am and most of my friends are too and we are a totally representative sample of this great city
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quote:Originally posted by Benny the Ball: *memory shudder*
Did you used to live around these parts, Benny the Bomb?
I went to University in Reading - possibly one of the nicest campus' wasted on the most painfully dumb, rich, rude students ever. I had a horrendous time partly due to the fact that one of my nephews and filled the space in what was my bedroom at home quicker than it takes a canadian to tell you about her cancer - so, I had to stay in Reading for the whole time - winter in a dark house with strange insects living in it and no heater was bad enough - working in sainsbury's doing shelf stacking with a cock of a supervisor was bad enough, but that coupled with several beatings I received while there for no good reason appart from people just seeming to be very angry (I got a nice scar from a galssing in a bar there) really helped make it a great experience all round.
The train journey to and from it, heading to Clapham Junction, on the rare occasions that I did travel home, to sleep on a camper bed (I'm 6'3") while my nephew was cosy in bed, was always painful because there were no toliets and it seemed slow.
Oh, and the football team that I played for there on two occasions failed to tell me that a game had been cancelled until I'd gotten a train to Reading on the morning of the game from a friend in london's party (twice!!!) and then on a third occassion told me I was dropped, but didn't even have sub's and wouldn't pick me for the bench, and then played a game where two people got injured and I sat watching like an idiot unable to come on because they hadn't named me. I'm not a great footballer, but still!
End Reading rant.
Oh and LOL mart
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quote:A person who is seen being "nice" will get one of 130 tokens as a reward, which they can then pass on to others.
I'd pay good money to see her attempt to do this in Manchester city centre. I'd give her about seven minutes until she's dragged into a side-street by a bladdered, crackhead Big Issue seller, beaten and robbed of every personal possession.
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Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
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quote:Originally posted by Zygote: I'd pay good money to see her attempt to do this in Manchester city centre. I'd give her about seven minutes until she's dragged into a side-street by a bladdered, crackhead Big Issue seller, beaten and robbed of every personal possession.
Or an enraged commuter. It's five yards between chuggers, axa salespeople, big issue sellers, oxfam survey doers and carlsberg promoters at the moment. I say 'no thanks' an average of twelve times in the 300 yards from my office to the station. One day I'm just going to crack. really.
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quote:Originally posted by Louche: One day I'm just going to crack. really.
Manchester city centre is a fucking, stomach-turning cess-pit. It used to be bad, but every time I venture down there these days (very rare - unless going out for a drink, in which case I always insist on getting the taxi directly to the venue) there seem to be even more saliva-dribbling retards than ever.
The other day, my girlfriend was walking to the bus stop after finishing university and some huge, mumbling oaf crossed the road and asked her for a light. She obliged, at which point the guttersnipe remarked that she was beautiful, so she started backing off - as you do. He then started demanding her mobile number, saying he'd just arrived in the country and that he was a very nice man, looking for a wife. Flustered, and more than a little scared, she made towards the nearest phonebox and phoned me. Fortunately the critter realised his failure and headed back into the city centre with the rest of the oxygen-depleting scum.
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quote:Originally posted by Benny the Ball: Do you think this woman's a twat? Do you think London is perceived as being rude because of all the fucking non-londoners that pollute its beautiful streets with their nasty foreign ways like spitting and not queueing and talking in northern accents?
Are you a Londoner, benny?
[ 23.11.2006, 13:06: Message edited by: Sidney ]
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People were so nice to me when I broke my leg and was clumping around on crutches and later, with a walking-stick. They always gave up their seats for me. Also when I had to carry my ultra-heavy bike up and down the millions of steps in the Woolwich foot-tunnel, which was often - men would offer to help quite frequently which was ace. Unless I was near the top at which stage there was no point.
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Sidney - yes. My Dad is from London (SW - I can't remember the area exactly as the hospital has closed down, Lambeth somewhere, but originally a member of the 'travelling community' and with oirish heritage) where I was born and raised (in sunny Wandsworth, the brightest of boroughs), and my mum is from London (Bow Bells, knees up etc - although she was from a nouveux riche family of wanna be middle classians (by grandmother offered to pay for my mum to travel around the world if she promised to stop seeing my dad) - a bunch of yorkshiremen who came down to London and opened a butchers in the east end). They both have fairly strong accents, as does most of my family, but I have none - a very flat sounding accent which leads people to ask if I'm from so many different countries as to begger belief.
I like London - I'm not one of those madly patriotic idiots that goes on and on about it and sings rule britannia and then says 'but england's only really any good up until watford innit'. There are parts of London that I absolutely loathe, and parts of England that I find breath takingly beautiful. I think there is a real issue about London though - apart from the fact that it's so stupidly expensive - and that is that people seem to presume that you're going to have an arrogance about you (in my experience, there's nout more arrogant than a proud Yorkshireman!) that's undeserving - which I don't, and if I did, it would be.
I would say though, that I'm in the habbit of replying 'London' rather that 'England' when asked where I'm from while overseas.
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