Wednesday, June 29, 2005

English Mall Bans Shoppers' Hooded Tops

This story is getting a little old but I've been meaning to get to it for a month or so now. Hooded tops, baseball caps and swearing have been outlawed at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. The retail and leisure complex is bringing in a zero-tolerance approach to intimidating conduct.

BBC NEWS: Mall bans shoppers' hooded tops

 Posted by Hello

 Posted by Hello

 Posted by Hello

None of these people can go shopping

I'm all for a ban on annoying seniors who wear nylon speedwalking gear and stomp around malls, getting in the way of those of us who want to go and wave at the rabbits in the pet store or window shop at Hillshire Farms. I doubt I'll have much luck though unless I can entrap them into a little light group loitering and menacing.

Once again, rather than address the behavior of the unruly, we are back to blanket categorizations based on dress. Those who complain today probably dressed as mods or rockers in the 1960s (notorious for gang fights at British beaches), Teddy Boys (infamously branded as knife carrying thugs), punks, new romantics (a real chance of blusher burn fo the unwary), or had mullets (a sure sign of a disposition towards mindlessness) back in the day. This is not to say that mobs of sullen teenagers are not intimidating (I work with them; I'd say infuriating rather than intimidating but eh) but once the initial reaction to their vague loutishness has passed surely grown adults can apply a bit more nous to sorting the wheat from the chaff rather than condemn the rather utilitarian and comfortable hoodie? Bah.

1 comment:

Wisdom Weasel said...

A very good guess and close..... actually from another English movie with pubs and rain in it.

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