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I am upset!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Wendy
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Wendy

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I have been a little upset of late of some of the posts making remarks on areas of Birmingham. We must remember we have members who live in these areas and will be very upset to read what other members think of the area..........you can not lump everyone as bad or a snob because they live in a certain area. I ask again before we have another upset THINK BEFORE YOU POST.
 
Wendy,
I have not picked up on these posts and expect they have gone over my head if I did read them.
I follow your sentiments but I recall the days when I lived in Brum there were areas that I looked upon as being rough or upmarket. Accepting that in the 'rough' areas there were decent folk living up against those who gave an area a bad name, to others looking in.

Where I live now we have two areas of the city that are looked upon as being rough. Where criminals seem to be brought up and taught the bad ways. Properties accordingly are a drain on the council tax due to people's attitudes. In these there are decent people living also, trapped I would say in the locations. There are of course upmarket areas and they are noted as such. Much like any large city in the country.
As I say I have not read the articles to which you allude so can only reply in this general term.
Will
 
Wendy, although I have not read what you mention lately ,we did have a thread a few months ago about 'Then and now'. No one agreed with me about how society,areas and comunities were not the same as years ago. Where I live in Birmingham is not a really bad area but it is nowhere near as nice as it was forty years ago. I would think that if the majority of streets were to have a 'street party' the residents would have to introduce themselves to each other first. As you know, all around the city massive areas of back houses and rear yards were demolished, then replaced with better housing. Many of those areas have again needed to be upgraded and improved because of the people who were rehoused there. I do not believe for a minute that people who talk about an area not being nice believe that everyone in that area is bad. Its unfortunate if you are a nice family because the Council will put a dysfunctional family next to you. The theory is that this family will strive to come up to your standard. This of course does not happen, you move out and another un-acheiving crowd will be put into your house. Private housing is no better because associations buy them and do the same while collecting the rent from the council.
So while I know some areas are not as nice as they used to be, I really do know that we still have many thousands of really nice people/families in Birmingham and nice people/areas still outnumber bad ones.
 
The trouble is, hasn't it always been so, When I was young and growing up in Balsall Heath and Nechells. I always envied people who lived in places like Edgbaston, Moseley, Solihull and Sutton. I have no idea what people from those areas thought of the likes of me, because I didn't know anybody rich enough to live there.

Now I live in Solihull, the Borough itself is not so good as it was in the glory days of the past, but the area I live is quite nice. I know I am here because I was driven by that healthy envy from my childhood days.

Phil
 
pmc1947 said:
The trouble is, hasn't it always been so, When I was young and growing up in Balsall Heath and Nechells. I always envied people who lived in places like Edgbaston, Moseley, Solihull and Sutton. I have no idea what people from those areas thought of the likes of me, because I didn't know anybody rich enough to live there.

Now I live in Solihull, the Borough itself is not so good as it was in the glory days of the past, but the area I live is quite nice. I know I am here because I was driven by that healthy envy from my childhood days.

Phil
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Wendy i think is being ultra sensitive, i was born pre WW2 and the terraced house i lived in we thought was slum type housing, they have been selling for £i00,000 thats an example of how we have progressed in my 79yrs, i have lived in other districts and now have lived in Sheldon for 53yrs and it has changed for good and bad, that`s life! so i share Phil`s views. Len.
 
I am glad to say the posts I was referring to have been deleted by a moderator.
 
There is good and bad in everything, unfortunately the bad seems to get more noticed.
 
Hello Wendy I can understand you being upset,I lived in a back to back house till I was fifteen and still miss that 'something' that I felt. I was never afraid at night,played on bombed sights ,had lovely neighbours I was happy despite living in a 'SLUM'.It was the people ,ordinary Brummies who despite hardship just after the war helped each other and were genuinely kind.I read a book that stated 'Those poor children who lived in the slums of Birmingham' the author mentioned the roads that stopped at Edgbaston ,how dare she judge people like my Mom and Dad.These people are ignorant and judgmental, I don't look back with rose coloured glasses just happy memories.Mary
 
Wendy, I was born and raised in Aston, and sure parts of it were a bit rough around the edges, but I am so proud to have lived there and have loads of very good memories (and a few bad ones) and maybe memories get dimmed by time but people really looked out for each other, especially the old ones. No doubt people are allowed different views and we can't allways change them, but most of the people I know have evolved into good citizens and are proud to be Brummies, an upbringing in a 'posh' area doesnt always mean that one stays on the straight and narrow.
 
I was born and raised in Holte road Aston as was Patty and I was never envious of anyone who lived in the lardy dar areas as I was so happy. The only place I Thought I wanted to live was Pheasy Estate only because the horses were on the Beacon. My mom only passed away 8 years ago in the same house where I was born and on several occasions when she had to go in hospital we had our ethnic neighbours actually walking up her hall into her living room asking to buy her house. This was most upsetting as it would never never never had happened in our days living there. Stitcher unless people know what is going on where we used to live they can't comment on how things have changed. Just TWO days after mom died we had three letters posted through moms letterbox with offers to buy her house. Two days after her funeral I was sorting a few things that belonged to mom and my late aunt Floss when a person knocked on the door calling through the letter box in his sort of english saying you sell a the house. You folks on the forum would not have recognised me. It's a good job Pete was there to restrain me or god alone knows what I would have done. Would those things have been said in our days there?. No because people then were most sensative to other peoples feelings. Sorry but that is my say. No why should I appologise when I am not sorry for what I havewantede to say for years. Jean.
 
jean...i have to agree with you..and can i also say that unless you have been the innocent victim of crime you can no way understand why some of us go on so much about the good old days... i moved to where i am now nearly 11 years ago and had to fight tooth and nail to get my 4 children away from an area that i classed as not safe to raise them. in the last 2 years we were there..

i was in the phone box making a call when the door was yanked open and i had to hand over my gold necklace and ring..(wernt even worth much)
my sister was mugged twice in the road where she lives..

my son who was only 9 at the time was pushed off his bike and it was stolen as he was riding round the block ..he came home coverered in blood and crying his eyes out..

1 year later he had yet another bike taken off him again...

i know for sure that my mom and dad never had all this upset and heartache when we were growing up....

its such a shame but thats the way it is these days and we just have to live with it...

astoness






 
Wendy's post as I understand says that it is wrong for someone to say we have some bad arears in Birmingham. G G Jean, I dont know if you misunderstand what I am trying to say but I agree with you entirely. I will argue until the cows come home that the families that lived in back houses and teraces had a community. They had a sense of belonging and they did enjoy their lives in the main. What I am saying is that it has changed and we have some areas in Birmingham where the houses are fairly modern but no one knows their neighbour. Only a fool would use the night service bus to some areas, unless they were with several friends. Go and sit in Selly Oak A&E department one evening then try and tell me it is better than the General or the old Accident Hospital was 50 years ago. We have a couple of families near to us who should never be in close proximity to normal people. My Mom and Dad were re-housed from Aston to Tysely many years ago. I live in a Council House and I am not a snob.
 
I fear people are now posting on this thread without understanding upon what Wendy was commenting.

Perhaps it is time for the thread to be locked before it goes even further away from its origin?
 
My original post was purely to stop people on the forum mentioning certain areas of Brum or towns around Brum. I am not that naive as to think there are no bad areas. I would have to live on the moon to think that way. I simply don't want certain places mentioned on a public forum. We all know they exist so why put a certain place in the spotlight and upset the people on the forum who live there. That is the only reason for my post.
 
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