Public Areas

A “culture war” is by definition a fight picked between sparring groups, perhaps over social media but more reflected in street politics or the politics of protest. It’s the tit for tat, and pattern of abuse some engage in beyond scoring a political point.

The other realities of our city’s streets persist, and separate to homelessness there is a sense of increasing hostility between people. The root cause is not shoplifting, although this causes alarm and distress, but more so a coldness toward others that’s unwelcoming.

An outburst in a shop, or at a taxi driver, can be a hallmark of this sort of culture of hate. The words exchanged or points made are usually irrelevant to an original provocation. The divisions that erupt because of cutting past somebody, or walking out in front, are stark.

The root causes

It’s my belief we suffer from a mental state of having been stuffed with political news, current affairs gossip, and overbearing point scoring that affects our ability to relate casually. Perhaps a racist-sounding outburst causes us to think we’ve heard it before, somehow.

The ongoing, round the clock news gathering and promulgation of news-related content is a disturbing occurrence in often laid back and slow-moving societies. The fact is business in the UK is conducted in a fashion or style that is not akin to such a way of broadcast.

The intensity of new media is something to be reckoned with, because one person’s scandal is most of our gossip at one point. This feeds us with a cynicism that’s not ours, but because we feel we have to own national goings on we talk about it or we’ll sound stupid otherwise.

The point is, though, editorial standards do not always live up to a student’s textbook or even agreed modes of conduct. A bitterness in news reporting, or a slight against a politician that’s uncalled for, makes for a dark and foreboding way. It’s because we care that it matters.

Seeking relief

The occurrence of WhatsApp, Facebook, and other platforms or apps like X makes for a brilliant new future or more of the same. It’s our choice what our profiles have on it, and it’s a daily one, too. The nature of a friend’s posting also contributes to defining who they really are.

The exchanges we make with each other help to drive forward our sense of relationship, and on a street it helps or hinders a sense of commonality or even brotherhood some believe we share. The altercations that have become routine are not healthy for most of us.

However, it’s part of our maturity to make sure we smooth out issues and work through what’s left over. The ongoing analysis and criticism is not always an interruption, because otherwise news of bad decisions or dodgy goings on may worry us. It can help to be honest, sometimes.