Originally Posted by Superior

Enlightened? You mean you're politically correct and a do-gooder, eh?

Originally Posted by Jimbo9

I'll get the pizza......

Originally Posted by BrisbaneBoy

Well I guess I will add my two cents worth to this thread.

As someone who has lived in Brisbane for over 31 years and who has now lived in London for 3.5 years I can honestly say I am near disgusted with how rude, ignorant and aggressive some Londoners are compared to those of my home town. This is why I am moving back to Brisbane, as life there is far nicer than London a thousand fold.

Growing up in Brisbane for me meant that you don’t push or shove people; you don’t knock in to them (in some cases extra hard on purpose) without apology because they are simply walking the other direction to you. In addition, I was taught you say hello and thanks or thank you when shopping (and generally) and expect to receive the same when these people visit your business in kind. This is of course a tradition in Brisbane town as it was a large country town not that long ago. A time when customers were often known on first name basis around your local area or corner shop. However it seems that this same attitude carried on from years gone is now offending the recent migrants who come to my country and expect their sh&tty customs, and not respect Queenslands.

Never in my life have I felt I was offending a business by going to the checkout to simply pay for a purchase and provide them with profit until I found myself in London. As to this point, standing in huge queues at Safeway while the checkout person scans your groceries whilst sitting on their ass and then expect you to stop packing your shopping half through in order to pay them as they have finished their required arm action across the scanner. All while other customer in the queue look on impatiently. I couldn’t believe the inertness of this oblivion at first and I look forward to being back in Brisbane and to be greeted with a smile of a young person with a “how’s your day� followed by them then packing my shopping properly for me as a sense of providing polite customer and far quicker service.

Never in my life have I seen such filth and disgust of such rubbish in the streets and shrubs as London except in a Brisbane tip. The walking tracks are full of old TV sets and hobs. This is complemented by young thugs roaming the streets of London spitting on the ground as you walk past or waiting with their gang members.

As I stand on the train platform at Croydon, I love to enjoy just about everyone flicking their cigarette butts on the tracks with such toxic air that you can’t even take a clear breath. But while you wait, you can always read the latest police sign of who recently got murdered or bashed in the area.

England has lost its identity, the councils are broke and scavenge for poll tax and parking pay and display in suburban streets and shopping centres parking lots, its trains are still 1950 slam door type that I feel I am risking my life every time I board one not to mention the additional filth on them.

The weather sux and the sky is grey with wind like a cyclone – well during the winter anyway. All the people are sitting in pubs drinking or pretending they are athletes with the football which is to my mind has reached an unhealthy obsession in the UK.

However, I will agree that the flashing of the headlights UK drivers do to let people cut in is a nice thing Brisbane drivers don’t do. And I am first to admit Brisbane drivers are quite aggressive. However I am more suspicious of UK driver courtesy that this is only done as means of self-hope that someone else might do it back to them in kind or out sheer desperation of keeping the city moving and one less traffic jam. That is unless you are on the M25 during the hours of 1am to 11pm which is one complete traffic jam.

When I go back to Brisbane, you wouldn’t get me back living in London in a coffin no matter how much a pound is worth.

Cheers.

Originally Posted by Superior

UN is a leftwing organisation and totally irrelevant these days.

Originally Posted by banjo

A slight digression from the very interesting debate on racial politics.......



oh dear....that was my eldest son today. Soon to be 3yr old who seems to have changed almost overnight. He's developed a remarkable ability to throw the biggest tantrums you could ever imagine. Todays was because I wouldn't let him sit in the middle of the aisle in K-Mart and have a 'dinosaur party' with all the plastic dinosaurs. Was I unreasonable?

He really screamed the place down and everyone was looking.... We were right at the back of a very big shop and it took (what seemed like) ages to get back to the car. One lady even offered him chocolate! Yeah like that's what he really needed! He doesn't go to school or day care so I can't blame anyone else.......

but what could I do? He needed to know that behaviour isn't acceptable, but these days you can't smack them. Instead you have to patiently explain why what they are doing is wrong - valid, but wrong. Of course little junior is just going to oblige us and won't repeat the infraction next time because at 3 he's a reasonable chap. Yeah right! And that's the big problem.....children (in general) are not growing up with any respect for others - be it their parents or someone else in authority, or even their peers. Since being here, it seems to me the UK is a lot further down the line on that.

Anyway, all that's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is that I haven't seen as many tantrumming (is that a word?) children here as I did in the UK, and not come across even one parent giving their child a mouthful (to the extent they would in the UK).....so something must be different. Maybe it's the weather?

PS Today is the 1yr anniversary of us leaving the UK. Feeling a bit 'homesick.'

Originally Posted by Superior

Enlightened? You mean you're politically correct and a do-gooder, eh?

Originally Posted by Sophie Louise

I do actually have a bit of sympathy with Superior. Not saying I agree with everything that's been said, but there seems to be an awful lot of "Aussies are crap/ are racist/ have no manners/ are ignorant" etc. Swap the word Aussie for Aboriginal ("Aboriginals are crap/ have no manners/ are ignorant/ I had to re-educate my kids after being around them" etc), and see how many people feel comfortable writing that. Racism doesn't just go one way....

Sophie