I was in Oxford city centre yesterday - a place I avoid if possible - I still haven't been to the new Westgate Centre, despite a shiny new John Lewis store. It was already a city overcrowded with a seething mass of humanity, before this new temple to overspending opened. I simply don't find it at all pleasant to fight my way through all the people. Nothing I want seems worth the effort & I am quickly completely exhausted.
Whatever brings everyone into this beautiful old city, & they do come here for many different reasons, they make it a place that you cannot enjoy. Simply making your way from one place to another is a slow & tortuous lack of progress because of the tide of humanity.
So, I only go in when I'm ushering at The Playhouse Theatre, or when I have something specific I need to buy which I can't buy on line. Isn't that sad? I live in one of the worlds best tourist destinations & tourists are some of the people who are making it a "No Go Area" for residents.
Seeing this seething mass of humanity does make one think about the disconnect there is now between people. Everyone is intent on going somewhere & doing something. In Oxford usually in groups - tourists & students & of course shoppers. I feel sorry for workers who have to face this every day.
People, either individually, in pairs, or in groups, have their own imaginary conveyor belt on which to travel to their destination at their own speed. People who are in a hurry are constantly blocked & frustrated by people who amble, don't know where they are, or where they are going, or who want to take photos or look. There is usually no human connection whatsoever, other than possibly locals helping non locals. Or the interraction between members of a tour group, usually very large & usually oblivious to the needs of other pedestrians. Or the interraction between groups of students, usually equally oblivious, but louder.
Shopping & Tourism - Joint biggest income generators in a world where making something is becoming more & more unusual. "UK households are expected to spend a total of £3bn during the Black Friday sales despite the fact that only 8 per cent of shoppers plan to buy most of their Christmas presents there". "Britain will have a tourism industry worth over £257 billion by 2025 – just under 10% of UK GDP and supporting almost 3.8 million jobs, which is around 11% of the total UK number".
We are changing the face of our cities, our economy & our interraction with eachother. Our cities are simply marketplaces for spending & consumerism - in a real sense when you look at the huge number of places to eat & drink. I walked past an Italian restaurant yesterday on my way to the theatre & the queue was well out into the street - Blocking the pavement even more! Eating is no longer something to be savoured with family & friends - "fast food" doesn't even begin to cover it.
Not sure I like this Western, largely reasonably affluent, world much. I think the Slow Movement, with it's emphasis on making connections, has got a lot going for it. http://www.slowmovement.com/
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