Are Londoners horrible? I don’t know, but Glaswegians definitely are not

A post from our Project Manager Rosie McIntosh @rosiehopes


This video has popped up a good few times in my facebook feed. Have a look: it shows people in need of help, then congratulates those who provide it with a dance.

It’s set in London and part of the appeal of the video is the element of surprise. You might expect people to ignore an older woman struggling with a suitcase or someone who wants to be woken up at their train station, but strangers step in to help. People are alright after all.

Of course, for those of us who live in Glasgow, it comes as no surprise. Glasgow has two reputations: it’s friendly and it’s scary.

I know it’s purely anecdotal, but my experience is that people, almost literally fall over each other to help out. Seriously, I’ve had to mediate between tough-looking young men who were eager to hold the door when I was pregnant or help me carry a double buggy up the stairs at the train station (no mean feat).

I live with anaphylactic allergies, so I’ve often had no choice but to throw myself on the mercy of strangers. When I collapsed in the street recently, several people came to my aid and one man sat with me and kept me calm and conscious until my husband and the ambulance arrived. He was great and I’d like to thank him. But what stuck with me is what he said to my husband before he left.

“Here mate, you can check her bag to make sure I’ve not taken anything.”

It made me so sad to think that man would worry that we’d accuse him of stealing. Glasgow (like most places, I’m sure) is full of friendly, helpful people. But it’s also burdened with a bunch of other labels that we struggle to shake off.

I know people will have stories of being treated badly, but my experience and this video are a reminder that there are plenty of good people out there. And they’re not always the ones you’d expect. Let’s sing and dance for them!

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