London is much more angry than normal. That’s my conclusion from a 2-day trip to the capital this week. Has anyone else noticed this? Is it Brexit? It must be, since perhaps Londoners are more in the thick of it. There was much more shouting and angry chat on the tube than I’ve noticed before. One lady followed me up a platform to complain that I’d asked to get past her on the stairs. She said it was obvious I wasn’t in a ‘real’ rush. I asked her whether she’d have preferred me to barge past her. She didn’t like that either. Another lady sneezed approximately 45 times between Edgeware Road and South Kensington and when the couple next to her changed seats she stared them down, as if she was willing them to spontaneously combust. It felt like a boiling bubble of wrath similar to this image of the delicious afternoon tea I enjoyed at the Ampersand Hotel. (It wasn’t all doom and gloom). May be it’s frustration around Brexit made worse by our individualism and self-obsessing. Now that we bark orders at Alexa and dismiss people by swiping left on Tinder, it probably feels too much of an effort to reign this back in when we meet people in real life. Individualism is great, but without acknowledgement of others it's horrid. I’m going home now.
Did you visit on different days of the week? Monday, Tuesday = angry Thursday Friday = happy
My experience in general is actually the opposite. In adverse times, people become more open and friendlier.....especially Londoners. Just don't mention Brexit!!
I agree it’s become quite unpleasant but it’s been happening for some years now. Nothing to with Brexit just too many people crammed on top of each other. It’s most noticeable on the roads. I’ve been driving here for thirty years and recently it’s become unbearable with illegal parking, hoards of cyclists, scooters and now electric scooters everywhere. It will get worse.... so enjoy how it is now! .
Need to be a lot more like my elderly Tennessee friend who, having inherited an old iPhone, from time-to-time calls up "Sarah" for queries and then says "Thank You" after the result are served. It always makes me smile.
Gauging London's mood from Underground behaviour is like learning London's Geography from the Tube map - deceptively simple, but misleading, and likely to waste a lot of time (particularly if travelling from Bank to Monument).
Don’t agree. London is a big, diverse city. Considering how many non Londoners live here, it’s astonishingly free of aggression and distrust. I am not a Londoner by birth but think it’s an astonishingly accepting city. Possibly suburban visitors find the energy and diversity intimidating rather than invigorating.
I'm pretty sure you had a bad trip on the tube, since most of the issues seem to have been sparked down there. May I suggest you walk more next time and then tell us how you feel? I bet you have a different experience. Brexit or not, London is fantastic and BTW the tube is amazing at what it does - IMHO.
I've got to say I don't think that's the case. Having lived in London since the 90s and travelled to most major cities across the globe, London is far more liberal and open than most. Of course big cities have tension. Of course travelling the tube is difficult. That said I feel there is an air of seeking negativity across social media now. Looking for cracks. For tensions. You can see the triggers in how media promotes negativity. Yes we've problems to solve and yes big cities are hard, but London is a magnificent, flawed and wildly vibrant place.
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5yI don't agree either with this. London is large and has lots of busy people. Sometimes we accidentally bump into each other, but there's rarely malice. Rarely do I not get a smile back when I offer one.