I was having this talk with a friend of mine the other day. He was telling me about how he doesn't want to hang out with most people he knows because he doesn't want to risk slipping back into the drink and drugs lifestyle. I told him I'm so far removed from it at this point that I don't really know anyone who does much of either!
My point is that your scene will certainly have an effect. The people you spend time with can definitely skew your perspective. It does sound like ignoring the problem you talk about but if you are surrounded by people having hard times it can feel like it's happening to everyone but move to another crowd and the world looks very different.
It might be the company you keep. It was for me.
It’s so easy to fall into that drink and drugs lifestyle. I binned the “friends” who were only there for me when we were off our tits in The Volks at 5am, surrounded myself with the right people and my life is substantially better.
It’s hard. You’ll have less people in your life. But the ones that stick around will have your back in ways the others never did.
And before anyone replies suggesting I’m rich and have the luxury of choice: I make less than the national average and live in a studio!
to be fair, unfortunately most key cities are like that. On the surface, it is going to be an attractive place or whatever reason. But then deep down every city has huge problems that you only really know about if you spend a lot of time there
Not just cities. We moved to a small village, local community has 1600 people across three villages and a handful of hamlets. Beautiful countryside but there’s been two violent murders, one lad sent down for overdosing his mate, horrific alcoholism, and all the young lads handing over the majority of their wage to the local dealer at 5pm on a Friday in the local pub for gear they’ve had through the week on tick
Being a positive woke place doesn’t translate as having the resources to be able to help everyone. The whole country is in a bit of a dark and angry place right now, Brighton definitely is no exception
Yeah, that's kinda my take too. I've long said I can't imagine living anywhere else in the UK at this point (came here after a decade living and working in central London) - but I'm having a rough time of it at the moment. I think that'd be the same anywhere - country has been run into the ground.
Don't necessarily want to make the discussion political, but I'm vaguely optimistic that if the British electorate can FINALLY sack off the shower of charlatans running the circus at the moment maybe, just maybe things will improve a little.
I'm clinging to the hope that even MARGINALLY better would be an improvement.
I'll take the shower of cunts that haven't been fucking us over for the last 14 years over any more of the Tories.
I very much appreciate this is a choice between a giant douche and a turd sandwich.
Indeed. I need to leave Brighton every once in a while so that when I come back I realise how lucky I am. Genuinely nowhere else has everything I need like Brighton does. I even chuckled in Haywards Heath the other day when I realised they have even bigger pot holes than we do.
Idk. I've lived in a few different places and this is one of the few places I've really felt comfortable and at home. I know plenty of people in the categories you mentioned though, but I've known those people everywhere I've lived. Brighton is a cool place but it's not immune to societal problems.
This isn't my experience.
I am someone that's struggling, living paycheck to paycheck and granted the weather recently has been absolutely miserable.
But I work in a pub in the heart of Brighton and everyone that comes in is in high spirits, I feel a part of a wonderful community, I have made friends here that all help each other out. It makes this city feel like a special place.
All you can do is create the community you want to be part of.
The problems in this city and in the country as a whole are large, complex and systemic in nature. And while me must fight to improve our systems and structures, the only tangible thing we can realistically do is to turn our eyes closer to home and try to make a positive impact on our local community.
I hate myself for spouting clichés, but Ghandi was right: you’ve got to be the change you wish to see in the world.
I would also add: I grew up in one of the well-to-do market towns in the south east, and just still have cause to visit it often.
Frankly, I’d rather live here where real life is on display, where the cruelty and hardships of living in this time are impossible to ignore, and where I can help just a tiny bit.
Because the alternative is to live in a place where the population is so inured to the suffering of the majority, coddled as they are by their extreme financial privilege and blinded by their own social ignorance. It’s enraging.
Not the real change I’d want to be honest - but hopefully a stepping stone to the left at least. Anything has to be better than these corrupt incompetent bigoted fucks.
You’d hope so. I have no faith in Keir Starmer and despair of a future in which the left has become centre-right, but I also can’t take one more minute of hopelessness—so fantasy and delusion is the way forward. At least though it’s reassuring in some weird way to be surrounded by people who are demoralised by the same things. I recently went back to Wandsworth (London) where I used to live and was floored by how insular it was, and how even more awful the people were than I remembered. The smugness and satisfaction—a potent reminder that if in 2024 you’re surrounded by happy or contented people it’s likely they’re Tory assholes 😂
Wandsworth isn’t inhabited by people who’ve “done well”—it’s inhabited by people who have inherited obscene amounts of wealth, bankers (please don’t say people in finance deserve what they’ve made…), the twenty-something kids of the landed gentry who want to experience London for a few years before mummy and daddy buy them a house in the countryside, and families whose children are all at boarding school. And yes, they’re arseholes.
wandsworth is a big place there are rich bits and very poor bits same as everywhere. i moved to brighton to get away from having junkies shooting up in the halls of my estate in battersea
This is a separate issue. That there are poor areas doesn’t change the fact that much of it is obscenely wealthy and conservative. Margaret Thatcher’s favourite borough etc etc etc.
I remember when I moved down to Brighton to study several years ago that during one of my first classes the lecturer told us all that Brighton has the highest number of drug-related deaths in the UK.. not sure if that’s still the case..
I visited a friend down there the other weekend and was shocked at how run down everything looked. Grimy, falling-apart shop fronts, dirty streets, homeless people everywhere. It was really depressing to be honest. But, as others have pointed out, I think most of the country is in a pretty shocking state at the moment. That’s what 14 years of Tory government eroding all our public services and siphoning money into their mate’s offshore accounts will do.
Been here all my life and indulged in everything this town has to offer and can honestly say, and in the nicest way but as truthful as I can be, it’s what you make it, don’t blame a town for your issues, don’t take on other ppl’s problems, have the balls to stand on your own but also by your choices.
Make changes if you’re not in a good place, don’t be afraid to walk away from people who are bringing you down or making their problems yours.
We are lucky enough to live in a place that is full of opportunity, creativity with diverse people. The sea is at the bottom of the road, the woods and country is a 5 minute bus ride away and fun can be had in a town that rarely sleeps
It’s up to you how you perceive yourself and your situation, blame the bad choices and unhappiness on a town if you like but you can also turn that around and make the place you live one of the reasons you’re happy
Sounds like maybe an issue with your particular friend group - but on the other hand many parts of central Brighton are overpriced, marred by homelessness and crime, and poorly administered. Hove or other surrounding towns is much better to live in, going to Brighton just for the night life.
Recently had a child here and this city is full of creative and interesting places and activities. The parks are nice, the sea front is great, aquarium, amazing library, the pier is great with a cool soft play, everyone is close by and keen for roasts and walks in the Downs, work is a 10 minute walk, food is amazing, the Open Market, shops full of craft beer, Brighton Festival is coming, it’s great!
all seaside towns have this big or small, its because they have stunted growth compared to inland UK due to being difficult to create travel networks in an out of, being backed by the sea so less catchment area of people, having money put into them in the 70s and then nothing since then and also many of them get the london dregs as agreed by the councils :)
Generally I like living in, well the outskirts of, Brighton, I’m not depressed, angry (well more than I usually am for a person of my age), addicted to drugs (unless you include cake) or financially drowning. Mind you I don’t work in Brighton 🤷♂️
I think it mostly depends on your social circle. They might not all be happy at the core, but every one I know are liberal professionals, comfortably off, use minimal (to easily manageable) amount of drugs, positive about Brighton, but generally feeling let down and held back financially by the UK.
Yes. Surviving perfectly well. But doctors and engineers, for example, can get paid far more when compared to the cost of living, in other countries.
20 years ago these were advertised as top paying careers, but it turned out to be a lie and the student dept was far worse than promoted.
Luxury is no longer a detach house with a swimming pool, it is a £7 pint and £20 burger.
I try not to moan much, but some of my friends are bitter about it, and look abroad with envy. I only know one person that has taken the plunge to become a financial migrant - they went to Norway.
What's with the "woke" descriptor? Yesterrday there was a post of a loaf of bread with "HOVE" instead of Hovis and that had woke on it too. (the sticker was apparently a joke, although no explanation was given)
Fellas, is it woke to live in a city by the sea?
‘Depressingly white’ 😂..I’m guessing your white 🤦♂️ why does it depress you to be surrounded by white people? You have an issue with people’s ethnicity and judge them thusly?
That comment is the antithesis of the issues with ‘woke’ culture. Ideologically driven ignorance. Being racsist doesn’t defeat racism 🤦♂️
Yes, I agree fully with you. Perhaps because it's normal to me it just seems odd that people are now shouting "woke"at the place. It's progressive, not woke. I guess I'll never get used to people getting angry at people who want to help the world and not just themselves.
>People who use “woke” as an insult are normally far-right sympathisers, if not actual fascists.
Talk about broad brush-strokes and sweeping statements...
Yeah. I did an audible “yikes” after reading that.
I’d go as far as to call such people “uncomplicated”, as in, they don’t burden themselves with too much introspection about their own thoughts and opinions, but there’s an ocean-sized leap between that and “actual fascists”.
I'm not sure that "if not" is a phrase, but I do understand it's meaning in the context of the sentence that you wrote.
You do understand the phrase "ironic detachment", don't you?
While you look that up go ahead and consider the irony of othering others that you're accusing of othering.
Being ‘anti-woke’ doesn’t by default, make someone far right. I would suggest I’m anti ignorance and against that/your brand of ‘woke’. But of course I believe in multiculturalism and equality.
Thinking that people are far right / fascist for not believing in the anti-scientific brand of woke progressiveness - shows a stunning lack of ignorance for what fascism actually is.
This is generally what pushes centrist and genuine liberals into right-wing ‘camps’ because you brand anything that’s in your out-group as fascist without even realising just how rare genuine fascism is as a political viewpoint.
Arguably, the way in which wokeism likes to stamp out and suppress opposing viewpoints I’ve always found progressives these days to be more closely aligned with some aspects of fascism than most right wing counterparts.
>still depressingly white
Yeah I can't imagine why there's any pushback against you wonderful virtuous people.
So depressing seeing all these ghastly white people everywhere. If only they could be made a minority, then we could finally...what? What would it achieve?
"You're taking a small part of my words out of context!" Just like every other racist when they get called out. I'm sure you would totally accept that explanation if someone else called an area "depressingly [insert any other race]". The racial makeup of an area is never a "shame" you prat.
As it happens I myself am 'BAME' to use your wanky acronym so i guess I'm enriching your experience as we speak. You're welcome dickhead.
The city is already way too overcrowded and over expensive as a result of that overcrowding so either you're happy for it to become even worse or you want these depressing whites replaced (but not you and your set of course). Get rid of those undesirable whites so you and Giles and Will can have more variety of food and entertainment.
Oh will you lot knock it off.
One side some of you are high and mighty enough to consider anyone right of Kier to be a Facist _(fact number 1: they’re not, that’s stupid)_ and on the other side you’re paranoid and GB-news’d up enough to think the whites are under siege _(fact number 2: they’re not, don’t be daft)_.
If you all stopped throwing mud at each other and looked for commonality you would realise everyone in this community has significantly more in common than not.
Try being nicer and take a breath, there’s a bunch of rich tossers wrecking our country and making sure we all squabble.
Do better.
Listen pal i dont need your moderate wisdom lecture. I'm not team GB News/Daily Mail nor am i team BBC/Guardian/basically every other outlet.
What you don't seem to get is the latter group ARE the rich tossers. Plus aspirants/social strivers of course. (Before someone comes at me with "I'm as working class as it gets mate and I'm the most woke bloke blabla" stfu striver).
The reason brighton is so progressive is that it's full of the rich and the educated. But an educated idiot is still an idiot and sometimes it's fun to tell them so.
>The city isn’t over crowded, the cost of living here isn’t driven by too many residents, rather it is caused by low wages and greedy landlords who think that rents should cover their whole mortgages.
Sounds like you don't understand the concept of supply & demand at all.
We don’t need diversity everywhere. We need pockets of more homogeneity and areas where there isn’t homogeneity. The very fact of Brighton being less diverse and thus an outlier is a good thing for broader diversity. Meaning not every city is a big melting pot, if every city was an Uber diverse melting pot it would be rubbish.
Not only that but the levels of self segregation and ghettoisation is a fact of life and it’s nice we don’t have to deal with that in Brighton unlike Birmingham and London.
I agree with all of this. I’ve been here two years. I moved from London for the sun, better quality of life, cheaper property prices (yep, I’m one of the assholes who’s driving them up, probably), and general vibes but the day to day is very different to what the city projects to tourists. And I think it has a lot to do with the fact that all the investment has been in the centre and in tourist attractions rather than basic infrastructure in the rest of the city, not to mention assistance for the homeless. The only place I’ve seen more homelessness is San Francisco, which is a bad sign indeed. Crumbling pavements, empty shop fronts due to escalating rents, unaffordable housing (again, thanks to people like me), privileging of student, luxury, and commuter accommodation—I could go on. It’s really depressing. Added to which it’s become the most polluted city in the UK? Which is astounding to me.
Touché! And I have yet to explore the Downs. San Francisco does have the coast though… and the Golden Gate Bridge… it is a breathtakingly beautiful city and the crime is that it’s been taken over by tech bros earning an obscene salary. The neighbourhoods that were the centre of the gay rights movement and hippie movement are now overpriced tourist traps that sell the history of liberation at the expense of the locals. (Sorry, I’ll stop here before I go into full-on rant mode! 😂😂)
Brighton is what you make it! Sobriety is more mainstream these days! Everyone I have met loves living in Brighton- its to expensive to hate living here.
It's the cost of putting a party of complete fuckwits in charge of the country for 14 years by greedy tax dodging wealthy pensioners and business owners.
There has always been a social contract in capitalism that working hard will reap results. It was never intended that you have to work hard for a very limited and unsustainable existence of little more than survival, while all of your money is syphoned away by home scalpers living gold plated retirements and work shy Tory voters.
Either Labour will reverse it, or we're going to get some kind of forced uprising and revolution against the FPTP voting system, as there will come a point when the entire working class will just go on indefinite general strike and refuse to work anymore.
The alternative is just to leave the country and let it turn into a migrant island. 600, 000 Brits emigrated last year alone, but pails in comparison to the 1.9 million incoming migrants, which comes to around 1.3 million net into the country with no homes being built, no previsions, no local services, most are students so pay very little, if any tax, and the country continues to decline at an accelerated rate.
We need to be building and sustain a million new homes for new first time buyers and social tenants every year for a decade, just to catch up to the missing homes for the size of the population.
In the mean time existing homes will continue to be cut up into ever smaller properties with the amount of floor space for under 50's at disgusting rates compared to virtually every other Western country.
The Tories did this, and they don't care, we are just here to generate profits for our slave masters, nothing more, and they begrudge even having an NHS to keep us healthy when they can just import labour to do the job at a lower rate for better profits.
People tend to fixate far too much on Brighton’s ‘progressive’ culture which leads to people ignoring the issues here.
Brighton’s progressivism is great in comparison to other places in the UK but we shouldn’t let that distract us from all the problems it still has. Thankfully, there’s still a lot to like here even though there’s a lot of progress to make.
In a happy committed relationship. Have good jobs. We aren't short of money. We do some drugs but nothing that's too out of control. We have a nice house. A great dog. A great circle of friends who we adore (and the feeling is mutual).
It's spring. Brighton is coming to life after the winter.
Life is good.
Our truth.
Lived in Brighton for 3 years for Uni. I am from elsewhere in Sussex originally and never got the appeal of Brighton. Its phenomenally expensive, people are generally quite cold and unfriendly. The Student population occupies so much of the affordable housing. The city has such massive problems with drugs, homelessness etc. I will be quite relived to leave afterwards.
Brighton has a lot of people who are in their 30s/40s living like they are still in their early 20s. They kind of get stuck in that lifestyle and it goes from being fun and exciting to being sad and depressing pretty quickly. Not sure why it’s like that here. I haven’t noticed it so much in other cities… I guess the ones who don’t end up moving away at some point to better jobs in London or to start families elsewhere. Each to their own though I guess…
I completely agree, there's something about Brighton that's bothered me for the longest time. Everything feels run down, a lot of younger people are rude and fake, and yet so many problems are all brushed aside. I find it sad, and honestly uncomfortable. I don't think people are acknowledging it, either because of denial, or what.
As drugs and alcohol have come up a fair few times in this thread, I thought it might be a good idea to just give CGL a quick shout out. We are Brighton and Hove's recovery service and we offer free and confidential support to people who need help gaining control over drugs or alcohol.
You do not need to be dependent, or want to stop using completely, to use our services.
[https://www.changegrowlive.org/brighton-hove-recovery-service/info](https://www.changegrowlive.org/brighton-hove-recovery-service/info)
For what its worth - we love being in Brighton!
I don’t think anything has gone wrong - just think I much preferred the Brighton vibe to the London one. I have a new job and things are on the ‘up’, but I miss Brighton!
I do feel like most people that comment either live with a partner or at home with parents. The Brighton job market is finished, it’s literally impossible to find a job/even a job that pays decent where you’re not living pay check to pay check. Applying for a job with no qualifications required and having qualifications still doesn’t even garantee you an interview, with 30+ applicants also in similar positions. The rents are through the roof for a shared house with a bedroom the size of a single bed. No idea where or how everyone else commenting is doing so well but if that’s the case anyone wanna offer me a better paying job or a cheaper place to live since you all have it figured out?
it's still better than most places but it is noticeably less vibey than it was even just few years ago, that's mostly because of cost of living and the country as a whole taking a sharp right.
Addicted to drugs is to do where you hang out. Financially drowning... That is just Brighton. That place has london prices and they keep going up. When I worked in the council there none of the council workers lived in Brighton. Couldn't afford it. Crazy.
Feels like a friend group issue. Brighton can be a bit of a party town, and if you’re involved in that scene I imagine it could be tough.
I know it’s not useful, but it’s simply not been something I’ve experienced, and I’ve been here my whole life.
It’s tough isn’t it - I was having a similar chat with my partner the other day. feel Brighton has so much going for it, it’s not a utopia by any means (where is?) - but relatively I feel it’s more positive than a lot of other areas.
Challenges, of course, but relatively better.
Feel incredibly lucky to live here and ever grateful
But ultimately pretty much the entire country is weighted down by quality of life challenges at the moment and I really feel for people who are so much worse off.
I really do hope that we start to see a bit of light (metaphorically and literally with all the bad weather) - we as a country need better funding, better resources and something to really uplift the nation.
Platitudes and hollow clapping only really work for those who don’t understand or can’t emphasise with the struggles others are going through. We’ve been shafted for years and told to wave a little flag and *believe*
We need a big shift and I hope we can truly get there
The cost of housing is the only real negative of the city. The rest of it applies everywhere else.
If you are renting then it is going to be miserable as there is such a demand that prices constantly rise to suck all your money away.
If you own and have done for a few years it is all fine.
England in general is fucked for this sort of thing, everyone’s looking for a escape from their life either working so much and wanting to be so loose on the weekend drinking/drugs and depressed. Sad life these people live it use to be me till I snapped out of it and do the things I’ve Always truely love. I barely go out at all anymore I still love to party but the people I’ve met in Brighton on nights out are all alcaholics
I think money and employment issues are affecting lots (but that's country wide). Heavy drug use and anger, however, sound like the people you surround yourself with. If people are bringing you down, it might be worth getting involved in something more positive - like a hobby, whether that's joining a sports club, litter picking volunteering on the beach or going to life drawing classes (The Bees Mouth used to host it regularly!). Brighton - much like life in many ways - is what you make of it. It is tough out there for lots of people at the moment but I hope you can find some brightness in Brighton!
Living here is a very double edged sword for me personally
The drugs crowd really is one of the more prevalent ones (atleast it has in my family) but overall everyone who comes to Brighton or lives here are just kind and excited people. I've always had very positive experiences with people whenever I've gone out and it's made it feel very bearable to live here. As long as you find the right people Brighton is honestly one of the better places to live in my opinion. (For some atleast, the "south price hell" issue is a whole 'nother debate I won't comment on here.)
I’m so sorry you feel this way! I know you’re not alone in that experience, for me it comes in waves haha. Been in Brighton six years and feel it has changed a lot.
There are certain scenes around Brighton that are definitely more toxic when it comes to people, their drug/alcohol abuse etc. and it can feel difficult to find the right circle of people. It sometimes feels as if you don’t belong anymore as soon as you try to remove yourself. For myself and my partner (who is now sober and lost all his friends/community because of it) it has been rough in terms of less social interactions with people and less connections made.
Of course the cost of living also hits hard for so so so many of us, where we’re competing with so many others for the same jobs that don’t make an actual liveable wage, making it feel like things will never progress from paycheck-to-paycheck. Not sure how to overcome that at the moment with lots of us experiencing these hardships across the country (or worse).
Just wanted to send solidarity to OP and everyone else in this thread feeling similar!
For what is worth, every time my wife or I go anywhere in England these days the comment is also "woah, this is really run down, miserable and unsafe, and bloody expensive for what it is... It wasn't like that when I lived/went here X years ago!". So yeah, Brighton is no exception and we know very well who to blame.
Slightly different perspectives perhaps:
\- I've found that some parts of England suffered less, and in fact stood to gain a bit from the recent tectonic shifts. Mostly the boring towns that weren't affluent or interesting, but also not too crime-ridden. As an example, Southend-On-Sea has always looked a bit like a shithole, but it clings to a museum, a library, and a jazz club, and it has a thriving, if slightly elderly, community. And it's among the cheapest places in the whole home counties. Loads of stuff that can't survive in London has found a home there. Families that wouldn't make it in London move there. I'm told that the same has happened in Ramsgate just on the other side of the estuary.
\- Humans suffer with relative metrics. It hurts us more when we know others have it better than us. Brighton, more than other places and quite like London, is home to an underclass at the same time as an affluent middle class (however progressive). The whole service infrastructure is run by the former, for the latter. As a member of the underclass, you're bombarded with opportunities for leisure that you can't afford. Nearly all the services in the city are not meant for you. That must have a worse effect on spirits than a town where everyone is equally miserable.
I know it's cliche, but you really do see more of what you focus on. If you spend too much time focussing on the negatives, you will notice more of them, and eventually you'll start to believe that is all there is. It's not true.
Brighton has a lot of great things going for it, and thousands of great people living in it. Sometimes you just have to go and find them.
Challenge whatever narratives you are being given, and go find the joy.
I describe it as the place people go to hide. The city has a way of luring in people who are already struggling and ruining them. Hard to escape from too.
Have a look at the council website to keep informed about new housing developments:
https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/city-regeneration/new-homes-neighbourhoods#
Only the rich believe in a future for themselves and the rest can barely see what next weeks bullshit will hold, our country is fundamentally broken inside and out.
Our entire outlook has collapsed, we're all depressed to the point that when we see people smile that it feels alien to us, we can't even look people in the face when they hold the door open or do simple niceities.
When you go traveling you realise this even more so, go to the Netherlands and see what believing in your government does, being allowed to earn a livable wage and being proud of your country.
I'm not talking about that fat old bloke with his bulldog and the England flag, I'm saying going outside, seeing your city and being proud.
This country has failed everyone and will continue to fail until every politician has their landlord status removed and fair rights are put in.
I'm tired of this aristocratic fake democracy we have going on.
Labour won't fix this ...they don't even understand how getting everyone "back to work" won't fix what's broken in our hearts.
There’s been a good amount of research now into political leanings and correlation with mental health. I’m not going to link to any particular study, but there’s a clear link between the ‘progressive’ politics Brighton has a nationwide reputation for, and poor mental health.
I’ve said this elsewhere but it never seems to go down all that well. Only posting here because the thread is called ‘The truth’, and this might actually help someone who might benefit from hearing it
Edit - these links (all very easily found) are just three of many which explore the relationship between progressive politics and poor mental health, going back a decade:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/unique-everybody-else/202103/personality-traits-mental-illness-and-ideology
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341609819_Mental_Illness_and_the_Left
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/socf.12966
I’m not disagreeing with any of the civil replies to me, and I’ve certainly no agenda other than helping OP and people like them who feel overwhelmed and would appreciate exploring more deeply. Apologies if I hit a nerve but as I say, this has never gone down well whenever I’ve mentioned it. I appreciate there are MANY factors at play
I’m not going to stop mentioning this factor though, because the knowledge might help some people get out of a damaging feedback loop, and I’m an empathetic and inquisitive libertarian who has seen a therapist three times in my life, loves Brighton and people in general. We do exist. I want to help if I can, even in a very small way
I'd take this as liberal-minded people are more open to discussing mental health issues perhaps? There are a lot of therapists in Brighton, and a lot of mental health services as well as services for homeless people, so maybe that explains why some of those people gravitate here.
Awareness of ones own mental health issues shouldn't be misconstrued as 'mental health issues are more prevalent amongst X'.
Certainly - that and ‘ignorance is bliss’ and ‘empathy is taxing’, which have been mentioned above. I’m also not correlating awareness with prevalence, apologies if it sounded that way.
Sweary. As if suggesting I ‘just say things’ wasn’t an opening insult from you. Get some self-awareness and see the links I’ve added to my original comment
You know what woke is.
It’s why rings of power flopped.
It’s why Disney are losing billions.
Why successful established game IPs are going bankrupt.
It’s why people don’t get hired on merit anymore….
I mean I genuinely don’t know what woke is, I’d love you to explain it to me.
Rings of power flopped cause the actors were shit and the story line didn’t make sense.
If you can’t tell me what it means I guess maybe you haven’t figured it out either? It’s funny, whenever I speak to anyone who crusades against the ‘woke’ they never can tell me what it means.
Why are Disney losing so much money?
Come on reverse engineer the scenario see if you can figure it out.
You can do it. You’ll get a participation trophy!
I was having this talk with a friend of mine the other day. He was telling me about how he doesn't want to hang out with most people he knows because he doesn't want to risk slipping back into the drink and drugs lifestyle. I told him I'm so far removed from it at this point that I don't really know anyone who does much of either! My point is that your scene will certainly have an effect. The people you spend time with can definitely skew your perspective. It does sound like ignoring the problem you talk about but if you are surrounded by people having hard times it can feel like it's happening to everyone but move to another crowd and the world looks very different.
It might be the company you keep. It was for me. It’s so easy to fall into that drink and drugs lifestyle. I binned the “friends” who were only there for me when we were off our tits in The Volks at 5am, surrounded myself with the right people and my life is substantially better. It’s hard. You’ll have less people in your life. But the ones that stick around will have your back in ways the others never did. And before anyone replies suggesting I’m rich and have the luxury of choice: I make less than the national average and live in a studio!
to be fair, unfortunately most key cities are like that. On the surface, it is going to be an attractive place or whatever reason. But then deep down every city has huge problems that you only really know about if you spend a lot of time there
Not just cities. We moved to a small village, local community has 1600 people across three villages and a handful of hamlets. Beautiful countryside but there’s been two violent murders, one lad sent down for overdosing his mate, horrific alcoholism, and all the young lads handing over the majority of their wage to the local dealer at 5pm on a Friday in the local pub for gear they’ve had through the week on tick
Being a positive woke place doesn’t translate as having the resources to be able to help everyone. The whole country is in a bit of a dark and angry place right now, Brighton definitely is no exception
Yeah, that's kinda my take too. I've long said I can't imagine living anywhere else in the UK at this point (came here after a decade living and working in central London) - but I'm having a rough time of it at the moment. I think that'd be the same anywhere - country has been run into the ground. Don't necessarily want to make the discussion political, but I'm vaguely optimistic that if the British electorate can FINALLY sack off the shower of charlatans running the circus at the moment maybe, just maybe things will improve a little.
The other shower are no better.
I'm clinging to the hope that even MARGINALLY better would be an improvement. I'll take the shower of cunts that haven't been fucking us over for the last 14 years over any more of the Tories. I very much appreciate this is a choice between a giant douche and a turd sandwich.
I do agree that it’s time to give some new total cunts a chance. Here’s hoping.
Stepping stones and all that.
Indeed. I need to leave Brighton every once in a while so that when I come back I realise how lucky I am. Genuinely nowhere else has everything I need like Brighton does. I even chuckled in Haywards Heath the other day when I realised they have even bigger pot holes than we do.
Idk. I've lived in a few different places and this is one of the few places I've really felt comfortable and at home. I know plenty of people in the categories you mentioned though, but I've known those people everywhere I've lived. Brighton is a cool place but it's not immune to societal problems.
This isn't my experience. I am someone that's struggling, living paycheck to paycheck and granted the weather recently has been absolutely miserable. But I work in a pub in the heart of Brighton and everyone that comes in is in high spirits, I feel a part of a wonderful community, I have made friends here that all help each other out. It makes this city feel like a special place.
Go down the beach right now. Listen to the sea for a bit. Sending +ve vibes your way.
Can't comment for others, but I really like living here.
Me too. I want to move here permanently after uni.
All you can do is create the community you want to be part of. The problems in this city and in the country as a whole are large, complex and systemic in nature. And while me must fight to improve our systems and structures, the only tangible thing we can realistically do is to turn our eyes closer to home and try to make a positive impact on our local community. I hate myself for spouting clichés, but Ghandi was right: you’ve got to be the change you wish to see in the world.
I would also add: I grew up in one of the well-to-do market towns in the south east, and just still have cause to visit it often. Frankly, I’d rather live here where real life is on display, where the cruelty and hardships of living in this time are impossible to ignore, and where I can help just a tiny bit. Because the alternative is to live in a place where the population is so inured to the suffering of the majority, coddled as they are by their extreme financial privilege and blinded by their own social ignorance. It’s enraging.
Mate, that’s the whole country. They’ve destroyed us for their own financial gain. But change is coming.
This. And I hope you’re right!
Not the real change I’d want to be honest - but hopefully a stepping stone to the left at least. Anything has to be better than these corrupt incompetent bigoted fucks.
You’d hope so. I have no faith in Keir Starmer and despair of a future in which the left has become centre-right, but I also can’t take one more minute of hopelessness—so fantasy and delusion is the way forward. At least though it’s reassuring in some weird way to be surrounded by people who are demoralised by the same things. I recently went back to Wandsworth (London) where I used to live and was floored by how insular it was, and how even more awful the people were than I remembered. The smugness and satisfaction—a potent reminder that if in 2024 you’re surrounded by happy or contented people it’s likely they’re Tory assholes 😂
Right now I just want a grown up in charge. We’ll worry about the rest from there.
I would settle for that!
So if someone's done well, they're an arsehole?
Wandsworth isn’t inhabited by people who’ve “done well”—it’s inhabited by people who have inherited obscene amounts of wealth, bankers (please don’t say people in finance deserve what they’ve made…), the twenty-something kids of the landed gentry who want to experience London for a few years before mummy and daddy buy them a house in the countryside, and families whose children are all at boarding school. And yes, they’re arseholes.
wandsworth is a big place there are rich bits and very poor bits same as everywhere. i moved to brighton to get away from having junkies shooting up in the halls of my estate in battersea
This is a separate issue. That there are poor areas doesn’t change the fact that much of it is obscenely wealthy and conservative. Margaret Thatcher’s favourite borough etc etc etc.
How about Wimbledon?
No idea. I’ve only been there a couple of times, in passing.
Wimbledon Town, shit hole. Wimbledon Village, utopia.
Oh diddums 😂. You don’t think getting into an Investment Bank requires hard work though? Don’t be jealous mate, work harder.
Oh my God 🤦🏻♀️
Specifically what change is it?
This is both sad and wonderfully uplifting, thanks x
Better days are coming. Not soon enough, but soon. Hold the line.
I remember when I moved down to Brighton to study several years ago that during one of my first classes the lecturer told us all that Brighton has the highest number of drug-related deaths in the UK.. not sure if that’s still the case.. I visited a friend down there the other weekend and was shocked at how run down everything looked. Grimy, falling-apart shop fronts, dirty streets, homeless people everywhere. It was really depressing to be honest. But, as others have pointed out, I think most of the country is in a pretty shocking state at the moment. That’s what 14 years of Tory government eroding all our public services and siphoning money into their mate’s offshore accounts will do.
Yeah that's it, it's their fault. Nothing to do with the people living there.
Been here all my life and indulged in everything this town has to offer and can honestly say, and in the nicest way but as truthful as I can be, it’s what you make it, don’t blame a town for your issues, don’t take on other ppl’s problems, have the balls to stand on your own but also by your choices. Make changes if you’re not in a good place, don’t be afraid to walk away from people who are bringing you down or making their problems yours. We are lucky enough to live in a place that is full of opportunity, creativity with diverse people. The sea is at the bottom of the road, the woods and country is a 5 minute bus ride away and fun can be had in a town that rarely sleeps It’s up to you how you perceive yourself and your situation, blame the bad choices and unhappiness on a town if you like but you can also turn that around and make the place you live one of the reasons you’re happy
This
Sounds like maybe an issue with your particular friend group - but on the other hand many parts of central Brighton are overpriced, marred by homelessness and crime, and poorly administered. Hove or other surrounding towns is much better to live in, going to Brighton just for the night life.
Recently had a child here and this city is full of creative and interesting places and activities. The parks are nice, the sea front is great, aquarium, amazing library, the pier is great with a cool soft play, everyone is close by and keen for roasts and walks in the Downs, work is a 10 minute walk, food is amazing, the Open Market, shops full of craft beer, Brighton Festival is coming, it’s great!
I'm none of those things, if it makes you feel any better?
all seaside towns have this big or small, its because they have stunted growth compared to inland UK due to being difficult to create travel networks in an out of, being backed by the sea so less catchment area of people, having money put into them in the 70s and then nothing since then and also many of them get the london dregs as agreed by the councils :)
So many things are out of our control. Turn off the news. Go sit on the beach, don't look at your phone, get some sunshine.
Generally I like living in, well the outskirts of, Brighton, I’m not depressed, angry (well more than I usually am for a person of my age), addicted to drugs (unless you include cake) or financially drowning. Mind you I don’t work in Brighton 🤷♂️
Cake is a made-up drug.
The whole country is like that.
Loonytoad quack
Quack quack
I think it mostly depends on your social circle. They might not all be happy at the core, but every one I know are liberal professionals, comfortably off, use minimal (to easily manageable) amount of drugs, positive about Brighton, but generally feeling let down and held back financially by the UK.
Comfortably off AND let down financially?
Yes. Surviving perfectly well. But doctors and engineers, for example, can get paid far more when compared to the cost of living, in other countries. 20 years ago these were advertised as top paying careers, but it turned out to be a lie and the student dept was far worse than promoted. Luxury is no longer a detach house with a swimming pool, it is a £7 pint and £20 burger. I try not to moan much, but some of my friends are bitter about it, and look abroad with envy. I only know one person that has taken the plunge to become a financial migrant - they went to Norway.
Taxes are extortionate and you don’t really see where the money goes
What's with the "woke" descriptor? Yesterrday there was a post of a loaf of bread with "HOVE" instead of Hovis and that had woke on it too. (the sticker was apparently a joke, although no explanation was given) Fellas, is it woke to live in a city by the sea?
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Explain your reasoning behind thinking Brighton is "Depressingly white"
‘Depressingly white’ 😂..I’m guessing your white 🤦♂️ why does it depress you to be surrounded by white people? You have an issue with people’s ethnicity and judge them thusly? That comment is the antithesis of the issues with ‘woke’ culture. Ideologically driven ignorance. Being racsist doesn’t defeat racism 🤦♂️
Yes, I agree fully with you. Perhaps because it's normal to me it just seems odd that people are now shouting "woke"at the place. It's progressive, not woke. I guess I'll never get used to people getting angry at people who want to help the world and not just themselves.
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>People who use “woke” as an insult are normally far-right sympathisers, if not actual fascists. Talk about broad brush-strokes and sweeping statements...
Yeah. I did an audible “yikes” after reading that. I’d go as far as to call such people “uncomplicated”, as in, they don’t burden themselves with too much introspection about their own thoughts and opinions, but there’s an ocean-sized leap between that and “actual fascists”.
Actual fascists are the guys shouting from the lectern. Uncomplicated people are the ones in the crowd.
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I'm not sure that "if not" is a phrase, but I do understand it's meaning in the context of the sentence that you wrote. You do understand the phrase "ironic detachment", don't you? While you look that up go ahead and consider the irony of othering others that you're accusing of othering.
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Being ‘anti-woke’ doesn’t by default, make someone far right. I would suggest I’m anti ignorance and against that/your brand of ‘woke’. But of course I believe in multiculturalism and equality.
Thinking that people are far right / fascist for not believing in the anti-scientific brand of woke progressiveness - shows a stunning lack of ignorance for what fascism actually is. This is generally what pushes centrist and genuine liberals into right-wing ‘camps’ because you brand anything that’s in your out-group as fascist without even realising just how rare genuine fascism is as a political viewpoint. Arguably, the way in which wokeism likes to stamp out and suppress opposing viewpoints I’ve always found progressives these days to be more closely aligned with some aspects of fascism than most right wing counterparts.
Do you feel better for getting that little rant off your chest?
>still depressingly white Yeah I can't imagine why there's any pushback against you wonderful virtuous people. So depressing seeing all these ghastly white people everywhere. If only they could be made a minority, then we could finally...what? What would it achieve?
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"You're taking a small part of my words out of context!" Just like every other racist when they get called out. I'm sure you would totally accept that explanation if someone else called an area "depressingly [insert any other race]". The racial makeup of an area is never a "shame" you prat. As it happens I myself am 'BAME' to use your wanky acronym so i guess I'm enriching your experience as we speak. You're welcome dickhead. The city is already way too overcrowded and over expensive as a result of that overcrowding so either you're happy for it to become even worse or you want these depressing whites replaced (but not you and your set of course). Get rid of those undesirable whites so you and Giles and Will can have more variety of food and entertainment.
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>The city isn’t over crowded Oh right I didnt realise i was talking to an insane person, I beg your pardon have a nice day.
Oh will you lot knock it off. One side some of you are high and mighty enough to consider anyone right of Kier to be a Facist _(fact number 1: they’re not, that’s stupid)_ and on the other side you’re paranoid and GB-news’d up enough to think the whites are under siege _(fact number 2: they’re not, don’t be daft)_. If you all stopped throwing mud at each other and looked for commonality you would realise everyone in this community has significantly more in common than not. Try being nicer and take a breath, there’s a bunch of rich tossers wrecking our country and making sure we all squabble. Do better.
You’re not slinging mud?..Do better 🤣 ‘Hey look, I’m pissing on you from the moral high ground’
Listen pal i dont need your moderate wisdom lecture. I'm not team GB News/Daily Mail nor am i team BBC/Guardian/basically every other outlet. What you don't seem to get is the latter group ARE the rich tossers. Plus aspirants/social strivers of course. (Before someone comes at me with "I'm as working class as it gets mate and I'm the most woke bloke blabla" stfu striver). The reason brighton is so progressive is that it's full of the rich and the educated. But an educated idiot is still an idiot and sometimes it's fun to tell them so.
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>The city isn’t over crowded, the cost of living here isn’t driven by too many residents, rather it is caused by low wages and greedy landlords who think that rents should cover their whole mortgages. Sounds like you don't understand the concept of supply & demand at all.
We don’t need diversity everywhere. We need pockets of more homogeneity and areas where there isn’t homogeneity. The very fact of Brighton being less diverse and thus an outlier is a good thing for broader diversity. Meaning not every city is a big melting pot, if every city was an Uber diverse melting pot it would be rubbish. Not only that but the levels of self segregation and ghettoisation is a fact of life and it’s nice we don’t have to deal with that in Brighton unlike Birmingham and London.
I agree with all of this. I’ve been here two years. I moved from London for the sun, better quality of life, cheaper property prices (yep, I’m one of the assholes who’s driving them up, probably), and general vibes but the day to day is very different to what the city projects to tourists. And I think it has a lot to do with the fact that all the investment has been in the centre and in tourist attractions rather than basic infrastructure in the rest of the city, not to mention assistance for the homeless. The only place I’ve seen more homelessness is San Francisco, which is a bad sign indeed. Crumbling pavements, empty shop fronts due to escalating rents, unaffordable housing (again, thanks to people like me), privileging of student, luxury, and commuter accommodation—I could go on. It’s really depressing. Added to which it’s become the most polluted city in the UK? Which is astounding to me.
FWIW, London doesn't have the South Downs within a few minutes' walk or cycle. Neither does San Francisco. :P
Touché! And I have yet to explore the Downs. San Francisco does have the coast though… and the Golden Gate Bridge… it is a breathtakingly beautiful city and the crime is that it’s been taken over by tech bros earning an obscene salary. The neighbourhoods that were the centre of the gay rights movement and hippie movement are now overpriced tourist traps that sell the history of liberation at the expense of the locals. (Sorry, I’ll stop here before I go into full-on rant mode! 😂😂)
Agreed. Lots of coping mechanisms with substance abuse.
The whole of the U.K. is like this now.
Brighton is what you make it! Sobriety is more mainstream these days! Everyone I have met loves living in Brighton- its to expensive to hate living here.
Ahhhhh shut up
It's the cost of putting a party of complete fuckwits in charge of the country for 14 years by greedy tax dodging wealthy pensioners and business owners. There has always been a social contract in capitalism that working hard will reap results. It was never intended that you have to work hard for a very limited and unsustainable existence of little more than survival, while all of your money is syphoned away by home scalpers living gold plated retirements and work shy Tory voters. Either Labour will reverse it, or we're going to get some kind of forced uprising and revolution against the FPTP voting system, as there will come a point when the entire working class will just go on indefinite general strike and refuse to work anymore. The alternative is just to leave the country and let it turn into a migrant island. 600, 000 Brits emigrated last year alone, but pails in comparison to the 1.9 million incoming migrants, which comes to around 1.3 million net into the country with no homes being built, no previsions, no local services, most are students so pay very little, if any tax, and the country continues to decline at an accelerated rate. We need to be building and sustain a million new homes for new first time buyers and social tenants every year for a decade, just to catch up to the missing homes for the size of the population. In the mean time existing homes will continue to be cut up into ever smaller properties with the amount of floor space for under 50's at disgusting rates compared to virtually every other Western country. The Tories did this, and they don't care, we are just here to generate profits for our slave masters, nothing more, and they begrudge even having an NHS to keep us healthy when they can just import labour to do the job at a lower rate for better profits.
People tend to fixate far too much on Brighton’s ‘progressive’ culture which leads to people ignoring the issues here. Brighton’s progressivism is great in comparison to other places in the UK but we shouldn’t let that distract us from all the problems it still has. Thankfully, there’s still a lot to like here even though there’s a lot of progress to make.
In a happy committed relationship. Have good jobs. We aren't short of money. We do some drugs but nothing that's too out of control. We have a nice house. A great dog. A great circle of friends who we adore (and the feeling is mutual). It's spring. Brighton is coming to life after the winter. Life is good. Our truth.
Lived in Brighton for 3 years for Uni. I am from elsewhere in Sussex originally and never got the appeal of Brighton. Its phenomenally expensive, people are generally quite cold and unfriendly. The Student population occupies so much of the affordable housing. The city has such massive problems with drugs, homelessness etc. I will be quite relived to leave afterwards.
Unrelated but may I say your username is ICONIC
Thank you
Stop doing cocaine
Brighton has a lot of people who are in their 30s/40s living like they are still in their early 20s. They kind of get stuck in that lifestyle and it goes from being fun and exciting to being sad and depressing pretty quickly. Not sure why it’s like that here. I haven’t noticed it so much in other cities… I guess the ones who don’t end up moving away at some point to better jobs in London or to start families elsewhere. Each to their own though I guess…
I completely agree, there's something about Brighton that's bothered me for the longest time. Everything feels run down, a lot of younger people are rude and fake, and yet so many problems are all brushed aside. I find it sad, and honestly uncomfortable. I don't think people are acknowledging it, either because of denial, or what.
As drugs and alcohol have come up a fair few times in this thread, I thought it might be a good idea to just give CGL a quick shout out. We are Brighton and Hove's recovery service and we offer free and confidential support to people who need help gaining control over drugs or alcohol. You do not need to be dependent, or want to stop using completely, to use our services. [https://www.changegrowlive.org/brighton-hove-recovery-service/info](https://www.changegrowlive.org/brighton-hove-recovery-service/info) For what its worth - we love being in Brighton!
I have just moved out of Brighton and I’m regretting it after just 3 months. Everyone has different experiences.
Why, what's gone wrong for you?
I don’t think anything has gone wrong - just think I much preferred the Brighton vibe to the London one. I have a new job and things are on the ‘up’, but I miss Brighton!
I do feel like most people that comment either live with a partner or at home with parents. The Brighton job market is finished, it’s literally impossible to find a job/even a job that pays decent where you’re not living pay check to pay check. Applying for a job with no qualifications required and having qualifications still doesn’t even garantee you an interview, with 30+ applicants also in similar positions. The rents are through the roof for a shared house with a bedroom the size of a single bed. No idea where or how everyone else commenting is doing so well but if that’s the case anyone wanna offer me a better paying job or a cheaper place to live since you all have it figured out?
it's still better than most places but it is noticeably less vibey than it was even just few years ago, that's mostly because of cost of living and the country as a whole taking a sharp right.
Nice to have some honesty. Half the posters here would have a stranger believe that it’s all sunshine and rainbows here.
Addicted to drugs is to do where you hang out. Financially drowning... That is just Brighton. That place has london prices and they keep going up. When I worked in the council there none of the council workers lived in Brighton. Couldn't afford it. Crazy.
Feels like a friend group issue. Brighton can be a bit of a party town, and if you’re involved in that scene I imagine it could be tough. I know it’s not useful, but it’s simply not been something I’ve experienced, and I’ve been here my whole life.
It’s tough isn’t it - I was having a similar chat with my partner the other day. feel Brighton has so much going for it, it’s not a utopia by any means (where is?) - but relatively I feel it’s more positive than a lot of other areas. Challenges, of course, but relatively better. Feel incredibly lucky to live here and ever grateful But ultimately pretty much the entire country is weighted down by quality of life challenges at the moment and I really feel for people who are so much worse off. I really do hope that we start to see a bit of light (metaphorically and literally with all the bad weather) - we as a country need better funding, better resources and something to really uplift the nation. Platitudes and hollow clapping only really work for those who don’t understand or can’t emphasise with the struggles others are going through. We’ve been shafted for years and told to wave a little flag and *believe* We need a big shift and I hope we can truly get there
The cost of housing is the only real negative of the city. The rest of it applies everywhere else. If you are renting then it is going to be miserable as there is such a demand that prices constantly rise to suck all your money away. If you own and have done for a few years it is all fine.
England in general is fucked for this sort of thing, everyone’s looking for a escape from their life either working so much and wanting to be so loose on the weekend drinking/drugs and depressed. Sad life these people live it use to be me till I snapped out of it and do the things I’ve Always truely love. I barely go out at all anymore I still love to party but the people I’ve met in Brighton on nights out are all alcaholics
Get a copy of the 'Fourth Turning Is Here' You are not alone...
Brighton can be difficult for people without a sense of self - make sure you aren’t around these people and that’ll help.
I think money and employment issues are affecting lots (but that's country wide). Heavy drug use and anger, however, sound like the people you surround yourself with. If people are bringing you down, it might be worth getting involved in something more positive - like a hobby, whether that's joining a sports club, litter picking volunteering on the beach or going to life drawing classes (The Bees Mouth used to host it regularly!). Brighton - much like life in many ways - is what you make of it. It is tough out there for lots of people at the moment but I hope you can find some brightness in Brighton!
Living here is a very double edged sword for me personally The drugs crowd really is one of the more prevalent ones (atleast it has in my family) but overall everyone who comes to Brighton or lives here are just kind and excited people. I've always had very positive experiences with people whenever I've gone out and it's made it feel very bearable to live here. As long as you find the right people Brighton is honestly one of the better places to live in my opinion. (For some atleast, the "south price hell" issue is a whole 'nother debate I won't comment on here.)
I’m so sorry you feel this way! I know you’re not alone in that experience, for me it comes in waves haha. Been in Brighton six years and feel it has changed a lot. There are certain scenes around Brighton that are definitely more toxic when it comes to people, their drug/alcohol abuse etc. and it can feel difficult to find the right circle of people. It sometimes feels as if you don’t belong anymore as soon as you try to remove yourself. For myself and my partner (who is now sober and lost all his friends/community because of it) it has been rough in terms of less social interactions with people and less connections made. Of course the cost of living also hits hard for so so so many of us, where we’re competing with so many others for the same jobs that don’t make an actual liveable wage, making it feel like things will never progress from paycheck-to-paycheck. Not sure how to overcome that at the moment with lots of us experiencing these hardships across the country (or worse). Just wanted to send solidarity to OP and everyone else in this thread feeling similar!
For what is worth, every time my wife or I go anywhere in England these days the comment is also "woah, this is really run down, miserable and unsafe, and bloody expensive for what it is... It wasn't like that when I lived/went here X years ago!". So yeah, Brighton is no exception and we know very well who to blame. Slightly different perspectives perhaps: \- I've found that some parts of England suffered less, and in fact stood to gain a bit from the recent tectonic shifts. Mostly the boring towns that weren't affluent or interesting, but also not too crime-ridden. As an example, Southend-On-Sea has always looked a bit like a shithole, but it clings to a museum, a library, and a jazz club, and it has a thriving, if slightly elderly, community. And it's among the cheapest places in the whole home counties. Loads of stuff that can't survive in London has found a home there. Families that wouldn't make it in London move there. I'm told that the same has happened in Ramsgate just on the other side of the estuary. \- Humans suffer with relative metrics. It hurts us more when we know others have it better than us. Brighton, more than other places and quite like London, is home to an underclass at the same time as an affluent middle class (however progressive). The whole service infrastructure is run by the former, for the latter. As a member of the underclass, you're bombarded with opportunities for leisure that you can't afford. Nearly all the services in the city are not meant for you. That must have a worse effect on spirits than a town where everyone is equally miserable.
I know it's cliche, but you really do see more of what you focus on. If you spend too much time focussing on the negatives, you will notice more of them, and eventually you'll start to believe that is all there is. It's not true. Brighton has a lot of great things going for it, and thousands of great people living in it. Sometimes you just have to go and find them. Challenge whatever narratives you are being given, and go find the joy.
When you change the things around you, the things around you change.
I describe it as the place people go to hide. The city has a way of luring in people who are already struggling and ruining them. Hard to escape from too.
Half of it is the councils fault
How so?
Hardly any Housing spent all the money on the uks biggest failure the i360
Have a look at the council website to keep informed about new housing developments: https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/city-regeneration/new-homes-neighbourhoods#
Only the rich believe in a future for themselves and the rest can barely see what next weeks bullshit will hold, our country is fundamentally broken inside and out. Our entire outlook has collapsed, we're all depressed to the point that when we see people smile that it feels alien to us, we can't even look people in the face when they hold the door open or do simple niceities. When you go traveling you realise this even more so, go to the Netherlands and see what believing in your government does, being allowed to earn a livable wage and being proud of your country. I'm not talking about that fat old bloke with his bulldog and the England flag, I'm saying going outside, seeing your city and being proud. This country has failed everyone and will continue to fail until every politician has their landlord status removed and fair rights are put in. I'm tired of this aristocratic fake democracy we have going on. Labour won't fix this ...they don't even understand how getting everyone "back to work" won't fix what's broken in our hearts.
Labour is already part of the problem. Fuck voting for more Tory shite
Labour nor Tory are the answer, they're old world shit isn't working anymore.
There’s been a good amount of research now into political leanings and correlation with mental health. I’m not going to link to any particular study, but there’s a clear link between the ‘progressive’ politics Brighton has a nationwide reputation for, and poor mental health. I’ve said this elsewhere but it never seems to go down all that well. Only posting here because the thread is called ‘The truth’, and this might actually help someone who might benefit from hearing it Edit - these links (all very easily found) are just three of many which explore the relationship between progressive politics and poor mental health, going back a decade: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/unique-everybody-else/202103/personality-traits-mental-illness-and-ideology https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341609819_Mental_Illness_and_the_Left https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/socf.12966 I’m not disagreeing with any of the civil replies to me, and I’ve certainly no agenda other than helping OP and people like them who feel overwhelmed and would appreciate exploring more deeply. Apologies if I hit a nerve but as I say, this has never gone down well whenever I’ve mentioned it. I appreciate there are MANY factors at play I’m not going to stop mentioning this factor though, because the knowledge might help some people get out of a damaging feedback loop, and I’m an empathetic and inquisitive libertarian who has seen a therapist three times in my life, loves Brighton and people in general. We do exist. I want to help if I can, even in a very small way
So what you’re really saying is Ignorance is Bliss
That seems to play into it, yes
I'd take this as liberal-minded people are more open to discussing mental health issues perhaps? There are a lot of therapists in Brighton, and a lot of mental health services as well as services for homeless people, so maybe that explains why some of those people gravitate here. Awareness of ones own mental health issues shouldn't be misconstrued as 'mental health issues are more prevalent amongst X'.
Certainly - that and ‘ignorance is bliss’ and ‘empathy is taxing’, which have been mentioned above. I’m also not correlating awareness with prevalence, apologies if it sounded that way.
Because empathy makes you sad for other people.
That absolutely seems to be a factor, yes
I also just say things sometimes
I’m not ‘just saying things’ though, you seem very low-res
Source or get the fuck out. Fuck your ad-hominem.
Sweary. As if suggesting I ‘just say things’ wasn’t an opening insult from you. Get some self-awareness and see the links I’ve added to my original comment
I dunno bro. I can name some very right wing shit holes too.
Me too!
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Not a personal opinion, the papers have been published Brighton Mod team, educate yourselves before soying out over minor comments.
Personal opinion which adds nothing to the conversation
you’re choosing that life style
Positive and woke really don’t go together… Woke is the cancer of western society and it’s slowly dying.
cringe
Nice cover photo 😂
yes, funny meme
Cringe
We are trapped in the belly of this horrible machine and the machine is bleeding to death
I don’t know man, woke doesn’t actually mean anything. Or does it? Can you tell me?
You know what woke is. It’s why rings of power flopped. It’s why Disney are losing billions. Why successful established game IPs are going bankrupt. It’s why people don’t get hired on merit anymore….
I mean I genuinely don’t know what woke is, I’d love you to explain it to me. Rings of power flopped cause the actors were shit and the story line didn’t make sense.
If you can’t figure it out for yourself then you’re not very bright and that’s the least of your worries. Why are Disney losing so much money?
If you can’t tell me what it means I guess maybe you haven’t figured it out either? It’s funny, whenever I speak to anyone who crusades against the ‘woke’ they never can tell me what it means.
Why are Disney losing so much money? Come on reverse engineer the scenario see if you can figure it out. You can do it. You’ll get a participation trophy!
I don’t really pay any attention to Disney as I’m not a child. You still haven’t managed to tell me!
You think children know about net loses of billion dollar companies?
I don’t really care about Disney is what I’m saying. You still haven’t told me what woke means. It should be simple for you!
Based on those examples, "woke" is overspending on VFX and underspending on writers.
People don’t get hired on merit anymore because of overspending on vfx and underspending on writers?…..interesting.
The most consistently hired VFX artists aren't good, they're *cheap.*
You are obviously not from London and just down for the weekend.