View Full Version : Is Brixton stereotyped by the media?
I only ask out of passing interest. But it does kind of amuse me that atleast disproportionately the media seem to head down to Brixton whenever they want an article involving 'ethnic issues', drugs etc.
I mean there's other areas in London atleast as multicultural etc as Brixton. - Tottenham springs to mind.. But they don't seem to go there.
:confused:
I'd like to say the media stereotypes Brixton less than they used to, but judging by all the exageration and lies in the tabloids during the cannabis experiment I'd say they're still at it.
The Evening Standard article about Coldharbour Lane being the most dangerous street in Britain was full of sensation and factual inacuracies too.
Still, keeps some of of the yups back eh? :)
The girl sits opposite me at work..
"Ohh.. you don't wanna go to Brixton.. you'll get beaten up if you go there."
(she's from Chingford.. :rolleyes: )
:D
I know a few people who weren't keen on Brixton because of its reputation but I talked them into coming for a pint in the Albert a while back.
They were having a great night and agreed that they had judged Brixton unfairly. However, when they were left to walk to the tube they walked into heaps of hassle with a guy who claimed he was just out of prison and demanded money off them. My mates told him to take a running jump and to basically fuck off. The guy then turned a bit nasty but they managed to handle the situation and get home.
Now they won't come back. :( This is based on their one bad experience which could have happened anywhere in London and the way the media portrays Brixton.
If hadn't been to Brixton and was only aware of the place through the papers, I doubt I'd want to go there either. :( I can’t blame people for wanted to feel safe, despite the risks being, IMHO, over exaggerated.
I really dislike lazy journalism and that’s what I see a lot of if a story is dealing with Brixton.
MrsDarlingsKiss
31-01-2004, 10:34
i was watching the news last week and it was showing people buying drugs, of some kind, on a street corner the reporter said something about how readily drugs are available. never guess where he said he was.......
BRIXTON
as if theres no drugs in the whole of london except in brixton
:rolleyes:
Anna Key
31-01-2004, 10:54
I think it's almost a horror film type thing. The white London middle classes, on their way home to nice warm flats in Beckenham or Croydon or Purley or Hammersmith, love to be titilated by stories of drugs and danger and violence.
It makes them just so pleased to get safely home. Just so pleased not to live in Brixton.
It must be like watching a horror film while safely tucked up in a warm bed on a cold dark night. It's fun to be scared (as long as in reality you're warm and safe).
Lying, exagerated, sensationalised Brixton stories are the perfect way for right wing newspaper editors to provide their readers with this sort of titilation.
I bet the Evening Standard, Daily Mail and Daily Express editors put "Dangerous Brixton Story" in their diaries at the start of the year and demand about four such stories every twelve months.
Paddick was an absolute god-send to them. Imagine! Brixton, guns, drugs and a very good looking gay police commander.
miss minnie
31-01-2004, 11:19
a neighbour of mine worked for a well-known chain of betting shops. she worked at the head-office somewhere home-countyish and was constantly trying to big-up brixton with her colleagues as they had some mighty misconceptions and fears. she was doing a good job as an ambassador for brixton. one day she came home very deflated. the brixton branch of her company had been raided and all the staff arrested for dealing crack. this was nearly two years ago. :(
to be fair to the media, i have also seen many news snippets about positive aspects as well. new initiatives, crime-reduction successes etc.. i don't feel as though brixton is exactly 'targeted' by the media and, fair-do's, shit does go down here after all. i think you might be right about other areas not receiving the same attention though, possibly 'cos they are grey and dull to in the eyes of journalists.
anyway, doesn't all this negative attention keep the 'gentry' out somewhat? if the 'middle classes' thought it was safe here there'd be fois-gras on the frontline ffs! ;)
"anyway, doesn't all this negative attention keep the 'gentry' out somewhat? if the 'middle classes' thought it was safe here there'd be fois-gras on the frontline ffs!"
That's fucking funny - I need to meet you! :)
Scott - the man "just out of prison and got no money" - what a touching and original story he told your mates. ;) :rolleyes: Suckers. Sorry, but not visiting an area again cos one bloke hassled them, talk about wishy-washy, yeah stay away. (Not you dear x).
Have a joke, be firm, whatever. But not a good idea to be aggressive back - there's a very fair chance that you will dealing with someone who knows how to do aggresion if they want.
Scott - really sorry to hear about what happened to your mates, but brave try anyway.
hb - fact is CHL can be in your face at times, and it takes getting used to; granted the media make a meal out of it.
Surely Scott's mates deserve some credit for getting off their arses to see if Brixton was as good as we think it is. Shame they're not coming back - but their loss rather than ours if not.
As for "yups", well, we discuss the fact that middle class people are moving in to Brixton a good deal. But i don't see how aggressive begging is anything other than a nuisance for everyone, not just the upwardly mobile.
Fair enough to say CHL takes a bit of getting used to. I can't really remember that well now.
Aggressive beggars? An opportunity for a nice chat I say! (God, I must annoy you lot sometimes, but that really is how I see things if I can). :)
Aggressive beggars? An opportunity for a nice chat I say!
Oh for fucks sake... these people are scum, end of.
Brixton does get a raw deal from the papers, it's nowhere near as hardcore as certain parts of Hackney or Tottenham, but it's the public side of it, the Coldharbour Lane bit where you are blatantly hassled by surplus crackhead wankers, that's what pisses off the Daily Mail types.
Zeedoodles and I drove down there yesterday, he drives an ex-cop car, and the dealers were all getting paranoid as fuck whilst we sat there looking as if we meant business.
It was fun.
i've noticed the papers/tv news doing this loads and it really fucks me off.
call me cynical, but i do suspect an ulterior motive to all this.
brixton, in most people's minds, is synonymous 'black people'. so by constantly portraying it as a terrifying, violent, crime ridden ghetto filled with rampaging crack heads and muggers, the press thus make all these delightful traits also become synonymous (in some people's minds anyway!) with 'black people'.
it's racism through the back door. the press could just as easily show a predominantly white area when reporting on crime/drugs whatever. but no, by showing brixton it helps perpetuate the myth that black people are criminals/druggies/bloody scary/not to be trusted etc, etc, etc...
i've noticed the papers/tv news doing this loads and it really fucks me off.
call me cynical, but i do suspect an ulterior motive to all this.
brixton, in most people's minds, is synonymous 'black people'. so by constantly portraying it as a terrifying, violent, crime ridden ghetto filled with rampaging crack heads and muggers, the press thus make all these delightful traits also become synonymous (in some people's minds anyway!) with 'black people'.
it's racism through the back door. the press could just as easily show a predominantly white area when reporting on crime/drugs whatever. but no, by showing brixton it helps perpetuate the myth that black people are criminals/druggies/bloody scary/not to be trusted etc, etc, etc...
Great post Furvert, totally agree. Another reason to why Brixton get's a lot more press coverage than other ethnic areas is due to the nature of how the Crack Dealers and the like go about their business on a busy bustling Saturday night down CHL, I mean it's one of the main streets in Brixton FFS!
I'm constantly having to defend Brixton in front of my middle-aged, male colleagues who live in suburbia. Although they're all very well-informed, they seem to think that south London is full of drug-crazed fiends who can't wait to mug them. The media does contribute a lot to this impression, but it's also a big hangover from the riots. They happened twenty years ago, ffs!
PK - if living in Brixton, and posting on these boards means anything at all, it is that we cannot refer to anyone in our community as "scum"; no matter what they are, or do, or say.
A year ago I'd have agreed with you; no longer.
People can do evil things, it's true. Drug dealers can be a menace, that's so also. Crackheads can commit crime, that's a hazard for all of us. (Even in Surrey). Muggers need to be prosecuted and imprisoned.
But the point about being in Brixton, in these days, is to raise your head above the stereotyping, as hb urges us to do, and see them as individuals in various situations and behaving in certain ways, be they criminal, charitable or just plain diffuse and downright odd.
To live in Brixton, and to enjoy the place, is to move beyond writing people off as "scum".
You can tell me to fuck off; (many have, and will) but I think others will see I have a point.
I won't tell you to fuck off.
Anybody who is misfortunate enough to be in a position where they have to beg, albeit 'aggressively', need understanding and compassion
However, I've got no problem referring to the crack-dealing, gun-toting gangsters who bully and terrify the community I live in as 'scum'. This doesn't mean I'd like to see them 'treated' like scum - ie round up and shot or something - I want to see them brought to account and prosecuted obviously.
If calling people like that 'scum' is unacceptable to you then how about 'parasitical, selfish, violent, cowardly cunts'?
Because that is what they are.
I understand the visceral reaction to these people, and fully support the criticism of them as violent and destructive.
But as for the rest of it, don't the labels we put on each other tend to define those doing the labelling as much as those getting the label?
We're reacting with hate, which is next to fear, and I refuse to be afraid in the place where we live. (I may be careful, tho.)
Its true...I go to Lewisham more than Brixton because its nearer and all.Shits way worse down there than it is in Brixton.I cant deny that 99.9% of the time i am in Brixton,i seem to witness something . But that doesnt seem to faze me .it feels much much safer than lewisham and catford.
The Evening Standard article about Coldharbour Lane being the most dangerous street in Britain was full of sensation and factual inacuracies too.Oy - don't go spoiling my street tough image!
Anna Key
01-02-2004, 11:23
Its true...I go to Lewisham more than Brixton because its nearer and all.Shits way worse down there than it is in Brixton.I cant deny that 99.9% of the time i am in Brixton,i seem to witness something . But that doesnt seem to faze me .it feels much much safer than lewisham and catford.
I used to live just off Michlegate in York. Huge groups of (overwhelmingly) white young men from Leeds used to come over to booze, mate and fight on Friday and Saturday nights. Together with York's own young men - fresh from a week of making chocolate at a Rowntrees factory (if they were lucky and weren't unemployed).
It was a battleground. Blood, vomit and yelling young men posturing and beating their chests as they competed for alcohol, sex and machismo.
Despite its obvious problems I've see nothing like that on Coldharbour Lane. I'd argue that even the rioting is culturally more healthy than York on a Saturday night. At least there's a (reasonably) coherant political foundation to the disorderly behaviour.
I'm sure Furvert's right. There's some hidden racism going on: "Dangerous crack-infested Brixton" is a racist code, easily recognisable by Evening Standard readers making their way home to Esher.
[I've also lived in Salisbury. Jesus. Marauding groups of extremely fit young squaddies late on a Saturday night, desperate for booze and sex before returning to barracks. They made CHL look like Miss Marple's village...]
Central Cardiff on a Saturday night makes Coldharbour Lane look like a multicultural vicar's tea party!
Coldharbour Lane being the most dangerous street in Britain
They should try Yeovil town centre on a Saturday night.
Brainaddict
01-02-2004, 14:57
Had this discussion recently with a friend. He lives in Clapham, prefers Clapham and claims Brixton is 'intimidating'.
I don't really get it. Sure, if you try to stare down a street dealer you'll get in shit, but I'm a young, white respectable-looking (emphasis on looking - I have a reputation to maintain) male and I don't feel that me and my ilk are at risk every time we set foot on the streets of Brixton, as some people - and papers - would have you believe. Brixton's far more interesting than anywhere else I've lived in London, and I reckon most of the people who allegedly get trouble on the streets here must go looking for it a bit.
And if there are a few weirdos on the street, why do you necessarily have to feel threatened by them? I live on Landor road, which has a high population of dealers, weirdos and random people hanging round on the street, but it's kind of fun if you just have a sense of humour about it.
Had a great moment walking down the high street yesterday. There was the usual saturday collection of street preachers and also the usual guys muttering 'skunk' under their breath as I passed. It seemed to me that I was being offered a stark choice: Jesus or Drugs. Well there are other choices, and in Brixton too, but if those were the only options I thought, then I made my choice a long time ago, and I have no regrets.
But some people choose Jesus, and Fear. Having something to fear gives them a sense of good and evil - a comforting feeling that the world is simple really. That's where tales of nasty Brixton come in handy.
Embrace the grey areas folks, and you will embrace Brixton.
Apparently, the boozers of Cardiff "consume over twice the national UK average of alcohol" on weekends, so you can expect that to be reflected by an above-average amount of punch ups (I've certainly seen more than my fair share when I used to go out n the city).
There's a documentary on BBC1 on Wednesday showing just how bad Cardiff gets.
Eek!
Furvert's right IMHO, and bold enough to say so. You do wonder how consciously the media constructs these "black = scary" stories. Divide and rule is somebody's hidden agenda I'm sure.
Thanks for your support of my attitudes Hendo. As I say all the time I don't support people who are genuinely anti-social, but I honestly rarely get hassle from aggressive beggars and more likely it's someone I recognise (vaguely or sometimes more) and we just say "hi" or whatever.
PK - "they are scum" really isn't welcome in this forum.
PK - if living in Brixton, and posting on these boards means anything at all, it is that we cannot refer to anyone in our community as "scum"; no matter what they are, or do, or say.
A year ago I'd have agreed with you; no longer.
People can do evil things, it's true. Drug dealers can be a menace, that's so also. Crackheads can commit crime, that's a hazard for all of us. (Even in Surrey). Muggers need to be prosecuted and imprisoned.
But the point about being in Brixton, in these days, is to raise your head above the stereotyping, as hb urges us to do, and see them as individuals in various situations and behaving in certain ways, be they criminal, charitable or just plain diffuse and downright odd.
To live in Brixton, and to enjoy the place, is to move beyond writing people off as "scum".
You can tell me to fuck off; (many have, and will) but I think others will see I have a point.
Hang on. Aren't these the same people whose removal from the tube station you were welcoming (See: Standard article thread) and whose removal from outside the library you were gleefully anticipating?
Of course it's unhelpful to label all aggressive baggars and even drug dealers as 'scum' but are people really saying that they want such activities to continue? I suspect not.
On the other hand, I agree we need to keep a sense of proportion. I'd far rather be in Brixton on a Saturday night than, for example, Cambridge, where I once lived and where the City Centre is a no-go zone after 10pm on Saturdays.
I have also been told that sleepy Richmond (Yorks) has the worst rate of GBH per inhabitant in the country. The squaddies from Catterick cause mayhem on Saturday nights.
Scott - the man "just out of prison and got no money" - what a touching and original story he told your mates. ;) :rolleyes: Suckers. Sorry, but not visiting an area again cos one bloke hassled them, talk about wishy-washy, yeah stay away. (Not you dear x).
TBH they are the sort of people who would prefer a drink in Winchester rather than Brixton.
The point I was trying to make when I invited them for a drink in Brixton was so they could see how wrong the media was when portraying Brixton. I was always aware that they wouldn't drink there on a regular basis, but I got sick of them believing everything they read, rolling their eyes, and telling me I need to be careful when I drink there.
When I go to Brixton I usually get fairly munted even to the extent of singing The Cheeky Girls' "Touch my Bum" to the various dealers down Coldharbour Lane in the wee hours of the morning. I don't know if I could get away with that anywhere else. :p
BC My attitudes have changed a bit in the last few months, possibly because the dealer/ travelcard tout situation has been pinned back.
I don't think Brixton is the drugs funfair it was eighteen months ago and the breathing space has given me time to take Brixton for what it really is.
I still want the Tate Gardens situation sorted, so it can be a proper public space for the whole comunity. I still think the lack of public toilet provision is scandalous, and I'm still puzzled as to why the council think its acceptable to have a section of the community pissing on the street.
I'm glad the first thing that people get when they visit here is not someone asking for their travelcard, or demanding their money. I'm pleased that the police strength in our area has been addressed.
I'm glad that legitimate businesses are starting up and moving in to the area rather than out.
But what we can't do is label people as "scum." It's a dangerous road that, and its noticeable that the people who work with these problems don't resort to that language.
isvicthere?
02-02-2004, 10:08
I'd like to say the media stereotypes Brixton less than they used to, but judging by all the exageration and lies in the tabloids during the cannabis experiment I'd say they're still at it. :)
I agree. When Paddick's Lambeth experiment on cannabis was taking place, it was quickly renamed the "Brixton experiment" by large sections of the media (including ones who should know better, not just Sun/Mail).
In fact, at the time it was almost impossible to walk around central Brixton without encountering a TV or radio crew.
But it's not as badly stereotyped as it was in the ten years after the riots IMO.
Eddie Grant appreciation post
Bwoy
Bwoy
Down in our streets there is violence
Tell me where it isn’t the same.
Cardiff & York, and in Yeovil
and I can blame it all on the Mail.
Oh no
U75’s gonna rock down through Electric Avenue
We know they are all liars.
Oh yes
U75’s gonna rock down through Electric Avenue
If we could show they are all liars.
Working so hard like a soldier
Then love to talk all night on the net
Deep in the heart of this country
They can't get food for their thoughts right
Good God
U75’s gonna rock down through Electric Avenue . ..
Oh yes
Oh yes
oh yes
oh yes
Thank God
They’re not gonna rock down through Electric Avenue . . .
Who is to blame in this Daily Mail country?
They never seem to get it right.
Blair Witch Dealing in multiple racism
and they still can't feed everyone.
Thank God
The’re not gonna rock down through Electric Avenue
Like Brixton’s U75 massive
Like Brixton’s U75 massive
Is Brixton the playground in the dark side of town?
No no
we're still gonna rock down through Electric Avenue . . .
Oh yes
And have a pint down in the Albert......
BC My attitudes have changed a bit in the last few months, possibly because the dealer/ travelcard tout situation has been pinned back.
I don't think Brixton is the drugs funfair it was eighteen months ago and the breathing space has given me time to take Brixton for what it really is.
I still want the Tate Gardens situation sorted, so it can be a proper public space for the whole comunity. I still think the lack of public toilet provision is scandalous, and I'm still puzzled as to why the council think its acceptable to have a section of the community pissing on the street.
I'm glad the first thing that people get when they visit here is not someone asking for their travelcard, or demanding their money. I'm pleased that the police strength in our area has been addressed.
I'm glad that legitimate businesses are starting up and moving in to the area rather than out.
But what we can't do is label people as "scum." It's a dangerous road that, and its noticeable that the people who work with these problems don't resort to that language.
I agreed with you about use of the word 'scum'. It trivialises what is often a complex problem.
Pissing on the street is certainly anti-social and unpleasant. I'm surprised the Brixton local councillors haven't campaigned for more public toilets. My own local councillors succeeded in getting new toilets in both West Norwood and Crystal Palace after residents complained about lack of provision. ;)
Anna Key
02-02-2004, 12:46
I still want the Tate Gardens situation sorted, so it can be a proper public space for the whole comunity. I still think the lack of public toilet provision is scandalous, and I'm still puzzled as to why the council think its acceptable to have a section of the community pissing on the street.
One reason there's problem in Tate Gardens is due to the history.
I used to see quite a few of the Tate Gardens drinkers in the old central Brixton pubs prior to yuppieisation:
Atlantic - now Dogstar
Coach & Horses - now Living Bar
Railway (Brady's) - permanently shut
Queen - yuppieised
So they were turfed out of their pubs - two of them black-run - to permit yuppie colonies. They retreated to Tate Gardens.
So the Council put up "No Street Drinking" signs in an effort to chase them from Tate Gardens also.
Darcus Howe turned up with a crate of beer, stood under a "No Street Drinking" sign and handed out the booze. The Council backed off but seems now to be having another go.
Once chased from Tate Gardens perhaps they'll retreat to a Council flat on Tulse Hill. Not as fun as a pub or a public space but at least its home.
How long before the yupps want their flats also? There's lots of valuable land up Tulse Hill, ripe for a "public-private partnership."
But perhaps by then they'll be dead. Problem solved. Their flats can be safely converted into "private luxury apartments."
Brixton Hatter
02-02-2004, 12:56
Ha! Inspired, Tony1798!!
Brixton is definitely stereotyped by the media - I've seen/heard items recorded in brixton at least 3 or 4 times in the past week or two - all basically saying "Look, oh my god, you can buy drugs here" :eek: :eek: :rolleyes: - it's just an easy wasy to get a "story". I've also noticed how places like Kennington, Clapham and Camberwell become "Brixton" or "the Brixton area" whenever there is some sort of violent crime story to be reported upon. Some taxi drivers won't take you to Brixton because of the false reputation they've bought into - I often have to lie in order to get home. And I've been with people in their car and witnessed them fearfully locking the doors when driving slowly through Brixton - which I thought was well over the top.
brixton, in most people's minds, is synonymous 'black people'. so by constantly portraying it as a terrifying, violent, crime ridden ghetto filled with rampaging crack heads and muggers, the press thus make all these delightful traits also become synonymous (in some people's minds anyway!) with 'black people'.
I agree with this. You don't see the media out in force in Shoreditch/Hoxton at the weekend, chasing all the white kids buying/selling pills and cocaine do you? And the regular alcohol-related violence seen in most city centres at the weekend is basically ignored.
Interesting how the BBC is in such hot water over the Hutton "Report" and Gilligan's story (which was actually about 70% accurate) but the papers can basically print any load of bollocks and get away with it.
carwasher
02-02-2004, 13:03
I agree with BC on this one. When I first moved to West Norwood a few years back, I was aware of the campaign by the local councillors to get better public toilets in the area. Now the toilets are there, its made a huge difference. A lot of the problems in Brixton, like the lack of public toilets could be fixed by action by the local representatives.
As for the use of the word "scum", I'm afraid that I have a relaxed view on this. My history teacher at school always described me and my classmates as scum - something I'd never (until then) been called before nor something I liked. But then when my mother explained to me that I shouldn't be too worried since scum always rises to the top, it made me feel a whole lot happier. :)
My wifes mum came over from Guyana in the early 60's and has lived in her fair share of places in London, Wandsworth -> Tooting -> Norbury -> Purley (someone mentioned Purley). Although she never lived there, the place she feels safest in is Brixton, she feels she's amongst her people when she's there. She's aware of all the bad press etc.. but feels safe.
You're all council estate scum.... but I'm housing association scum. :rolleyes: :)
Anna Key
03-02-2004, 15:48
My wifes mum came over from Guyana in the early 60's and has lived in her fair share of places in London, Wandsworth -> Tooting -> Norbury -> Purley (someone mentioned Purley). Although she never lived there, the place she feels safest in is Brixton, she feels she's amongst her people when she's there. She's aware of all the bad press etc.. but feels safe.
I worked for a while in Croydon with a group of Lambeth Council workers transferred to a private firm.
Tough African and Afro-Caribbean women used to arrive back at work at 2pm in tears after doing the family shopping in Croydon shops and someone being rude to them, e.g. serving a white person first.
To a woman they hated Croydon and couldn't wait to get back to Brixton. They all took voluntary redundancy.
At that time (1995) the Croydon firm we worked for had about 350 employees and not a single non-white manager. There was a local ethnic minority population in the area of about 18%.
I'm not saying for a moment that all Croydon shopkeepers and employers are racists. Clearly they're not. I'm just recounting the experience of a group of Brixton women which I witnessed and how I fully understood them wanting to return to civilized values in Brixton.
Brainaddict
03-02-2004, 18:57
Here's an interesting thing: in my argument with my Claphamite friend about the safety or otherwise of Brixton streets, he cited the abundance of policemen as evidence on his side.
According to all these daily mail polls etc, having more police on our streets is meant to make us feel safer. For my friend, the number of police in Brixton is 'proof' that the streets are unsafe, because they would only be there if they were 'necessary'.
Putting aside the flaws in his logic, I wonder if other people feel this way - that the presence of police proves an area is bad and therefore unsafe?
If so, should we actually clear all those scum off our streets?
If you don't have a sense of humour please ignore that last sentence.
IntoStella
04-02-2004, 13:22
According to all these daily mail polls etc, having more police on our streets is meant to make us feel safer. For my friend, the number of police in Brixton is 'proof' that the streets are unsafe, because they would only be there if they were 'necessary'. It's an interesting point. A similar situation concerns the proposed council designation of the section of Coldharbour Lane between Atlantic rd and Brixton rd as what they call a ''stress area''. This would, in fact, be a good thing for property owners, for example, because it would automatically preserve the area from being overrun with noisy nightclubs and the like. But I talked to one property owner (and not a stupid one) who said ''No no! I don't like the sound of that! Being in a designated stress area is bound to devalue my property."
My opinion on that last point is this:
Nightclubs, late bars and venues should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and not "zoned" into the centre as previously proposed. Clubs/late bars that are out of the central Brixton “zone” but are good neighbours should not be forced to shut. Nor should all loud/late night bars and clubs be placed in the town centre, which is also residential.
Does the new UDP say this or they still sticking with zones?
I think it's almost a horror film type thing. The white London middle classes, on their way home to nice warm flats in Beckenham or Croydon or Purley or Hammersmith, love to be titilated by stories of drugs and danger and violence.
It makes them just so pleased to get safely home. Just so pleased not to live in Brixton.
I don't think this is entirely true, though I understand why you post it.
Most of the white people I meet who are glad they do not live in Brixton are decidely working class NOT middle class. They are the children of the white flight from non-white immigration in the 1950s and 1960s.
In contrast to that, most middle class white people I know are if anything more tolerant, and in fact show an interest, in the culturally diverse Brixton.
Quite a few of them would probably like to live here for that very reason.
It is (some, not all obviously) working class white people in places like Eltham who are more glad they do not live in Brixton rather than middle class people in nice, comfy leafy areas.
That's not fair Fanta, you are both right and wrong IMHO. There are leafy suburbs rife with racism. It might be more polite than the working class version but it's still there. Racism and non-racism occur in all classes.
Racism and non-racism occur in all classes.
Exactly my point!
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