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Date Posted: 03:08:34 06/11/03 Wed
Author: Kevin
Subject: Re: Fracture zine in Hull
In reply to: Kevin 's message, "Re: Fracture zine in Hull" on 03:05:21 06/11/03 Wed

Here it is to save everyone looking. It made me laugh heartily:

I can confirm that everything written herein is true. Me and Leanne escaped, spare a thought for those still trapped...

How can I describe Hull? Take a prosperous and thriving town, a gem of the North East, with a rich maritime industry. Sprinkle it generously with Luftwaffe bombs for a few years until it's heart is a gutted shell. Then kill off its seagoing heritage and plunge the young men and women of it into generations of soul destroying unemployment. Then let a bunch of lunatic architects loose in the 60s and 70s and apply gallons of concrete.

Hull. What a shit hole. I apologise to any readers from Hull who are reading this, I intend no offence to you personally. Hull was dealt a shitty hand, and played it badly. The streets act as wind tunnels and litter and dog turds lie upon the pavements as numerous as grains of sand on a beach. I'd seen teenage mums before, but I seriously thought for the first day or two that older sisters in Hull were really nice and helpful for taking their little brothers and sisters out in prams like that. There are loads of Fish and Chip shops, but no fish. Any fish that are brought in by the pathetic fleet of stubborn fishermen are immediately shipped off, they are too valuable for the good people of Hull.

The silent threat of violence hangs in the air, along with the smell from the chocolate factory. Chocolate factories, by the way, don't smell of chocolate, they smell of death. If the wind comes from the South East it brings the smell of Grimsby docks - enough said. If it comes from the other direction it brings the smell of the tanning factory... rotting carcases and rancid flesh.

Although aware that people may assume I have some kind of psychotic vendetta against Hull, I feel I must speak out. Again.

The cost of living is low in Hull, this I cannot deny. But is cheapness compared to London a redeeming factor? Downtown Kabul is currently cheaper than London. Downtown Bucharest is cheaper than London. They are however, both shit holes. Cheapness does not a good city make.

Apparently Betjemen once called it "a wonderful city of domes and spires" or something like that . All I can say is that he must have been on some seriously heavy hallucinogenics at the time.

In reality Hull is a sad story of unemployment, teenage preganancy, heroin addiction, crime, violence, and rampant self-neglect. I was born and brought up in this miserable shit arsed excuse for a city and could not wait to leave the place. Why? Because my memories of 'home' are of the flat and boring landscape, the seemingly endless housing estates, the architecture - which is most flatteringly described as 'municipal' in style - and the narrow minded, bigoted attitudes of the vast majority of the populace.

Hull's got innumerable problems: racism, sexism, and violence were the main ones I remembered. When I used to go back for visits I used to think, "What's strange?" and I'd suddenly realised there's not a black person on the streets. Admittedly it does seem to be getting more racially mixed when I went back this year but I'm not sure if the attitudes have changed.

And why do the men in the city centre think it's okay to be lecherous wankers? The worst thing is half the women seem to accept it as if it's a fantastic compliment. It's not. They just like your tits.

Yes, lots of people say you can "have a great night out" but that's totally dependant on staying out of the city centre (and most of Beverley Road, Newland Avenue, and the estates).
I think it could get better as I know they have a great digital network and there's a lot of European grants pouring into the city. I do think it's a shame that one of the Universities pulled out of the city as now big areas can't be rented out easily, which is causing the landlords to rent to anyone (can't be pleasant to live in a neighbourhood of drug addicts).

I quote from "The Times" of Saturday 9th June: "Yob Chaos. On the streets of Hull and Grimsby drunken yobs celebrating the England victory had caused chaos, Humberside Police said. About ten arrests had been made. Beverley Road in Hull was closed because a number of drunken people were lying in the middle of the street".

The whole of the Anlaby road area of west Hull has been boarded up and abandoned to the local teens who remind me of Kids Rule OK from Action Comic. Totally fearless, they can't wait to go to prison as it's the first step on their career ladder.

There is an ample supply of cheap and hardcore drugs washed down with 10% white cider at £1 per litre.

Once a week The Hull Dailly Mail leads with an article about the latest great scheme for the town centre invariably accompanied by an artists impression which looks like it came from the Eagle in the 1950's.

Sit in a cafe and everyone is reading the Hull Dailly Mail - not a Sun or Mirror in sight. Like London the occupants are unaware of a world beyond...

The schools have 'schoolgirl mums project' signs outside.

Hull did teach me one valuable lesson. No matter what happens to me in later life, no matter where I live, or how bad things are I will know that it can never, ever be as bad as living in Hull.

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