A couple days ago at lunch, one of my friends, who is from New Jersey, but studying in London, made an interesting statement. She said that London is a city of 200 smaller cities. I have been thinking about this over the last couple days. It is a lot to take in because my life I grew up in a small town Arkansas (a state in the southern part of United States). It was segregated at the time (this was 1980s and 1990s). My complete existence in my town was with southern Blacks many of whom I was related to. We shared a homogenous experience in not all but many respects.
These small cities in London create a heterogeneous experience that changes from stop to stop. The train serving as a symbolic gateway to these new experiences. Today, I met friend who is from London, that I met in Morocco last summer at the Old Street Station. Old Street station was the first station that shops and eateries in it. It looked more like a mini mall than. I see a stand for Louisiana chili and think, “really”. Someone was speaking Spanish and walked to the Columbian food stand. The areas are wondrously heterogeneous in structural but there is a Leaving the tunnel to the street by glass skyscrapers (the first I have seen in London) and beautifully designed buildings. The street intersections are uniquely designed and gave me a sense like was sort of in a Rubix cube (lol). My friend is young Black doctor and we go to a café, where I have the weirdest looking and tasting orange juice in my life (lol). It was in a wine glass, with an orangish, pink color and a white foamy top (like a root beer lol). I asked the worker if it was orange juice and non-alcoholic, he said yes but can I really be sure. I don’t drink alcohol, but after I drank that, I did find myself staggering, screaming at buildings and saying I love you to strangers lol (I am just kidding). Areas of the cities may feel different. We began to talk about my time here and the observations that I have made. He asked, “so how does race here compare to here to the US.” I lean back in my chair, pause and say that’s a really complex question. I could see people becoming squirmy the way a child does when they are to leave or need to use bathroom. He noticed it as well and casually motioned to me. I then said generally speaking and from my observation the culture around the discussion of race, gender and other social issues are conservative. (A recent article agrees). Discussing race here is a little like the rules of the movie Fight Club. In the movie, Edward Norton famously tells his group. "The first rule is we don't talk about fight club." Well, here in most areas it seems to be, The first rule is you don’t talk race. The second rule is you don’t talk about gender. It’s hard for me to fully describe this general sentiment (maybe by the end of the trip I will be able) in general discussion around race and gender. Its nuanced and complicated but ever present. As we continued, there is an uneasy tension around us. It is like a bubble slowly getting bigger. I think, "typical." In London, the areas change, the stations, buildings, and landmarks in each area often are different and unique but the core cultural understandings of life seem stay the same. Its Ignore and hope it goes away. But of course all that does is end up only continuing a system of structural inequality.
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5/16/2023 11:33:48 pm
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Myron Strong
professor. learner. traveler. emerging artist Archives
November 2018
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