Since the council decided to shut down the Wimbledon JobCentre - which was a stupid thing to do - we have to go to Sutton. I'm a little stingy, so I choose to walk every two weeks - it's 45 minutes each way. It would be lovely, you see nice houses and not too many people. I met a good looking policeman two weeks ago who smiled at me, so it's not all bad. If all else fails, there's always my MP3 player play list.
But, for the past three times I've been there, I've had someone or other act like a prat and I know it's because I'm a visible Muslim woman and brown in skin colour. No other reason why people act like prats and look me up and down as though I was the weird one, I was the uncivilised brute.
I mean, drinking, sleeping around, driving like maniacs and obsessing over football, that's progress, right?
So let's count the instances:
1) walking back from Worcester Park, some random white prat leans out of the car and hurls abuse. Funny thing is he's zoomed away before it reaches my ears, so only he knows what he said.
2) Another prat 13 year old sees me doing the unusual act of picking up discarded drink cans and bottles so that I can recycle them.
Yes, I do realise it's odd behaviour, but it pisses me off that we have so bloody much in this country and their sense of entitlement and self aggrandisement has led them to not even do the decent act of throwing litter in the bin and recycling the stuff that can be recycled.
So he rides his bike around me and points out 'oh you missed a lot more rubbish there.'
3) Today. Walking back from JobCentre - minding my own business. Hear a bike behind me, fair enough. I move to the side. Then the two wanker boys let out a yell which startles me. They laugh their heads off and I perhaps should have just laughed with them so that they didn't feel all victorious. But it was a blooming hot day and my yesterday had been pretty screwed up so I wasn't in the best of moods. 'Oh, we scared the shit out of her... ha ha ha'
Uhm, no you didn't. And, if I'm being equanimous about it, even if you had scared the shit out of me, so what? Makes you big cavemen instead of small dicks?
I crossed the street because I thought it was wise, rather than have one of them ahead of me and one behind me. They laugh some more 'Oh, we really scared the shit out of her.'
I need to learn Choi kwon do or Chi Chung. For sure.
Is there any city in the UK that would be friendlier and less racist? I honestly don't think there's an answer to my question. If there was, I'm sure I'd give it a shot and move there.
I guess I can safely say that I no longer heart London anymore. Why do you think I proudly carry my Roots Canada backpack everywhere?
But, for the past three times I've been there, I've had someone or other act like a prat and I know it's because I'm a visible Muslim woman and brown in skin colour. No other reason why people act like prats and look me up and down as though I was the weird one, I was the uncivilised brute.
I mean, drinking, sleeping around, driving like maniacs and obsessing over football, that's progress, right?
So let's count the instances:
1) walking back from Worcester Park, some random white prat leans out of the car and hurls abuse. Funny thing is he's zoomed away before it reaches my ears, so only he knows what he said.
2) Another prat 13 year old sees me doing the unusual act of picking up discarded drink cans and bottles so that I can recycle them.
Yes, I do realise it's odd behaviour, but it pisses me off that we have so bloody much in this country and their sense of entitlement and self aggrandisement has led them to not even do the decent act of throwing litter in the bin and recycling the stuff that can be recycled.
So he rides his bike around me and points out 'oh you missed a lot more rubbish there.'
3) Today. Walking back from JobCentre - minding my own business. Hear a bike behind me, fair enough. I move to the side. Then the two wanker boys let out a yell which startles me. They laugh their heads off and I perhaps should have just laughed with them so that they didn't feel all victorious. But it was a blooming hot day and my yesterday had been pretty screwed up so I wasn't in the best of moods. 'Oh, we scared the shit out of her... ha ha ha'
Uhm, no you didn't. And, if I'm being equanimous about it, even if you had scared the shit out of me, so what? Makes you big cavemen instead of small dicks?
I crossed the street because I thought it was wise, rather than have one of them ahead of me and one behind me. They laugh some more 'Oh, we really scared the shit out of her.'
I need to learn Choi kwon do or Chi Chung. For sure.
Is there any city in the UK that would be friendlier and less racist? I honestly don't think there's an answer to my question. If there was, I'm sure I'd give it a shot and move there.
I guess I can safely say that I no longer heart London anymore. Why do you think I proudly carry my Roots Canada backpack everywhere?
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