Things I've noticed
Saturday, 23. August 2008, 13:02:28
Since living in the south of England for a few months now, I've noticed a distinct difference in attitudes to life. Aside from the obvious differences in wealth and the increase in population density, the prevailing thoughts are all to do with making and saving money.
Now, I don't have much spare cash and I never have done; being a student for the majority of my adult life doesn't help that fact. But down here it seems like there is a subliminal force that pushes you in the direction of spending more and more money. Perhaps it's the lack of proper greenery in the cities or the long working hours that simply drive people into quick fixes that inevitably involve spending money. It's often noted that people in and around the London area work long hours and I see it every day.
My Polish housemates work 7 days a week simply to make as much cash as possible. The trouble is, they might as well be back home earning since they have no time to absorb any British ways or even the language. I'm quite sure that neither of the most recent immigrants' English has improved one jot since they arrived.
Anyway, the point is that the closer you are to a perceived centre of wealth, the more people you attract in search of the same goal. But that single-mindedness brings about a certain level of animosity and lack of tolerance for fellow man. Take one example of the last point. Car drivers generally have no patience for small delays in their journey. Horns blare at the slightest pause in the traffic and I pity the poor soul who inadvertently stalls in rush hour. In the north of the country, things are slower and more patient. Rarely do you hear horns sound or people shouting across the road. Money doesn't talk as loud.
People walk much faster and as a consequence their expressions are ones of earnestness and stress. Have a walk around Regent or Oxford Street in London to see what I mean. People seem to smoke more down here and the result is dirtier streets, strewn with the butts of the hastily smoked fags during all too brief lunch breaks.
It might seem that I hate being down here and on some days I do. But mostly I muddle along and put up with the petty intolerances that plague people down here. I put up with the noise, the pollution and the dirt because there is more of everything including more opportunity. However, the south is only for the young and you stay too long at your peril.
Now, I don't have much spare cash and I never have done; being a student for the majority of my adult life doesn't help that fact. But down here it seems like there is a subliminal force that pushes you in the direction of spending more and more money. Perhaps it's the lack of proper greenery in the cities or the long working hours that simply drive people into quick fixes that inevitably involve spending money. It's often noted that people in and around the London area work long hours and I see it every day.
My Polish housemates work 7 days a week simply to make as much cash as possible. The trouble is, they might as well be back home earning since they have no time to absorb any British ways or even the language. I'm quite sure that neither of the most recent immigrants' English has improved one jot since they arrived.
Anyway, the point is that the closer you are to a perceived centre of wealth, the more people you attract in search of the same goal. But that single-mindedness brings about a certain level of animosity and lack of tolerance for fellow man. Take one example of the last point. Car drivers generally have no patience for small delays in their journey. Horns blare at the slightest pause in the traffic and I pity the poor soul who inadvertently stalls in rush hour. In the north of the country, things are slower and more patient. Rarely do you hear horns sound or people shouting across the road. Money doesn't talk as loud.
People walk much faster and as a consequence their expressions are ones of earnestness and stress. Have a walk around Regent or Oxford Street in London to see what I mean. People seem to smoke more down here and the result is dirtier streets, strewn with the butts of the hastily smoked fags during all too brief lunch breaks.
It might seem that I hate being down here and on some days I do. But mostly I muddle along and put up with the petty intolerances that plague people down here. I put up with the noise, the pollution and the dirt because there is more of everything including more opportunity. However, the south is only for the young and you stay too long at your peril.
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