I heard this headline on the radio this morning

My immediate -prejudiced- thoughts were:

-More children and more of them playing out on the streets in less-well-off areas.

-The better-off kids may have more 'comfortable' lives, travelling everywhere by car and sitting in the house on electronic games

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To contribute to the wider debate, we're probably better off than a lot of people, but live in a 'poor area' (albeit in a reasonably nice road) and will be moving house as soon as possible. The amount of litter and general untidiness is very unpleasant, a lot of the locals are rough and I wouldn't willingly send my kids to the local schools.

Yes, people like me contribute to the ghetto-isation of an area, but I'd rather that my family lived somewhere nice if possible

My grandparents all grew up in inner-city slum housing that has since been demoolised, but weren't thick, had a bit of pride in themselves and my family are now not paupers.

A lot of people have been helped out out of squlaor in recent years. It is complex and some people have problems that are difficult to rectify, but the phrase,
"You can take a horse to water, but you can't make it drink" comes to mind when it comes to helping some of the 'less-advantaged'.

Well, following the theme of Brave New World, if you're going to do a boring job it helps to be slow witted, I suppose, but there's no reason to think such people should be denied pleasure and comfort

Forking Our Soul, No I'm not a trust manager are you a suffering nurse? I'm a senior ODP that has done all the rubbish shifts, on calls at 3am and so forth and still do! What do you work as?

I work in the aesthetics and visual order industry.

?

??

speshpaul, I do have a very good sense of humour just not with snotty nosed condescending gits who look down upon people and think there better for some sort of self gratification. My view excellent thanks, I suppose it would be at 6'6". Thanks for asking "DEAR" well done!

Well what does that involve, is it something pretentious?

Well what does that involve

Photocopying I believe.

Shame this has degenerated into personal name calling, there were some important issues coming out.

Photocopying I believe.

Ernest, whilst I can't blame you for jumping on the bandwagon, I'm afraid you're wrong. Again. I don't even own a photocopier. I do, however, own a graphic design and print management company which keeps me occupied nine to five.

So dear you are a scrub nurse then. Still trying to marry a surgeon?

"I do have a very good sense of humour" yes in your own very high self opinion.

"just not with snotty nosed condescending gits who look down upon people and think there better for some sort of self gratification"
Well you started with the "i earn more then them!" stuff. I can't see any comments from me alone those lines.

No mate you really need to get from up yourself. I mean who do you think you are?

I'm afraid you're wrong. Again.

That's me ………always getting it wrong 😐

Of course you could have said "I own a graphic design and print management company" in the first place,
instead of "aesthetics and visual order industry".

I can't imagine why you did that ……

To come back to the OP for a bit, I live in a moderate sized market town in North Wilts. It has mixed employment, the large industrial works replaced by a wide variety of firms, so what was once largely working class is much more varied, and there are mixtures of social housing and private close together. The two main secondary schools are among the best in the country, and I see kids every morning going to school along the same route I take on my bike to get to work. That preamble is to point out that all I see are their uniforms and not where they live. I also see that their skills as pedestrians and cyclists is appalling. The ones on bikes come hurtling out of the garage forecourt straight into the cycle lane without even a cursory glance to see if anything is coming, and the ones on the path walk right on the edge, swinging bags right at the level of my handlebars, stepping off the curb into my path while yakking and listening to mobiles playing tinny pop, they step into the road at junctions without looking to see if there's any traffic coming. And adults aren't much better, sometimes worse because their earphones mean they can't hear my bell. The parents aren't educating their children, and the children go on to bring up equally ignorant kids. The local pram-pushers show just as little sense, yakking on mobiles while small offspring run on ahead straight across road junctions without stopping, then the parent does the same damn thing. Yes, I said pram-pushers, because they are young women, usually with two or more kids, who don't work. How middle class of me. Except I'm not. The problem is total lack of any kind of education, and all the road safety adverts that I remember as a kid myself are conspicuous by their absence. These aren't statistics, these are personal observations made every day around my very mixed neighbourhood.

And adults aren't much better, sometimes worse because their earphones mean they can't hear my bell.

If that's how the population chooses to behave in their own neighbourhood then it behoves you to ride accordingly – you cannot validly claim you didn't know.

The problem is total lack of any kind of education

with an expensive education being such little guarantee of gainful employment can you blame them ?

f that's how the population chooses to behave in their own neighbourhood then it behoves you to ride accordingly – you cannot validly claim you didn't know.

in that case they can't complain when they get hit by a cyclist who was following the rules of the road while they act like a suicidal lemming.

with an expensive education being such little guarantee of gainful employment can you blame them ?

meaning?
I'm talking about being educated in the highway code and correct use thereof. If you wish to selectively missquote for your own purposes, that's entirely your prerogative.

I'm talking about being educated in the highway code and correct use thereof. If you wish to selectively missquote for your own purposes, that's entirely your prerogative.

is that what "The problem is total lack of any kind of education" means when the previous context is "Yes, I said pram-pushers, because they are young women, usually with two or more kids, who don't work. How middle class of me. Except I'm not." ??

That bit doesn't seem to be about street etiquette…

To come back to the OP for a bit, I live in a moderate sized market town………………………

Blimey, have they banned paragraphs there? 😉

speshpaul, are you having a laugh! Council house drug dealer comment? Short memory I think. So you can use Google, pat on the back. I work in Anaesthetics, scrub and recovery actually "DEAR" and married a surgeon long ago :lol:. I think I'm pretty good actually, thanks for asking little man. "Get from up yourself" as in self recognition? OK I think you have been smoking to many skin flutes and need to pace yourself, good luck.

"I work in Anaesthetics" I rest my case Me'lord.