We were all a bit astonished by the vitriolic response to the Burnley Express Online's announcement of our project. It made us wonder about insider and outsider perceptions and how, even within a relatively small town, people are still able to find ways in which to look down on one another. To my mind, the only way to really know a place is to be in it, spend time there, take up residence.
But it seems as though sweeping generalisations about a kind of dystopic society in South West Burnley, still have resonance for those outside the area who are quick to cast judgement. I was surprised to learn that it is twenty years since riots occurred on Stoops Estate in South West Burnley, but the stigma clings; the riots have entered local folklore. See the BBC coverage of the Stoops riots and in particular the references to council housing and male unemployment.
We have been wrestling with our alarm and trying to make sense of the comments posted on the Burnley Express page. Owen Jones' Chavs (2012) has been mentioned a couple of times. Here's a mind-map in which I tried to organise what I knew about the book's contents.
Steph August 2012
