I write with reference to the questions posed, and the request for enlightenment, from Mr C Ayres in his letter to this publication of October 22.
Sir, you have moved to a predominately poorly (or, at best, poorer) educated, unskilled, unsophisticated, blue collar, working class area.
My experience of life is that this socioeconomic demographic is nearly always devoid of good manners, ethics and correct etiquette procedures, these traits having never been taught by, nor given any credence to, elders or peers.
You have moved to an area where politeness and kindness are, in the main, viewed as weakness.
An area where being jolly and gregarious is looked upon as having some mild form of mental health issue.
An area where the ABC of humanity (altruism, benevolence and compassion) is, and are, considered to be the three biggest taboo “four-letter swear words” you could possibly mention.
An area where plebeian Neanderthal man rules, whereby the attitude is one of, no matter how proven wrong I might be, whether morally, ethically or legally, then if I have a stronger right-hook than you, then that justifiably makes me correct.
An area populated, generically speaking, by insular morose misanthropes.
These descriptions can be attributable to all the fragmented sections of society here, whether it be the indigenous population, the emigrant workers or the plethora of Hertfordshire/Essex new town diaspora.
You mention that you have not lived here for any length of time. I, therefore, suspect that you are yet to encounter the curt and truculent personalities that prevail amongst the retail staff here, the area’s tradesmen (qualified or not) who want to do the absolute minimum inferior work for the maximum of fees (I know this can be found everywhere but it appears particularly acute in this area), and just wait until you encounter the unfettered joys of dealing with the local council staff!
A few years ago, there was a proliferation of rear window car stickers that read “Take everything, Give nothing back, Proud to be a Fenman” (or“Proud to be a Yellowbelly” for wider Lincolnshire).
As I have sadly recently experienced, people in the Fens have a price on everything and a value on absolutely Sweet F.A. (do please excuse the street vernacular).
Welcome to Fenland Britain, the very domain of The Goat of Mendes himself. To paraphrase the words of the acclaimed horror film director, George A. Romero, “When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Fens”.
Only been here a month, Mr Ayres? Already irked and frustrated by the attitudes you have encountered? Do let me help you to see the light by quoting the words of the 1974 hit single by Bachman Turner Overdrive “ Baby, you just ain’t seen nothing yet, Baby you ain’t been around”.
Tony Bown
Whaplode St Catherine
