How Sunderland is viewed

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Bakerlooline said:
Some good points made on here. Just to pick up on a few...

Regional bias - I’ve mentioned this on other threads before. Since I took a job on the Tyne I’ve been in many discussions and meetings that related to either regional infrastructure projects or regional tourism projects and many others regarding regional funding. Sunderland is generally poorly represented, that’s one issue. The more significant is the constant anti-Sunderland propaganda (dramatic, granted but it’s the best word for it) that comes from the mouths of very senior people within the region. Often it’s said as a joke, but it stays with people who start to believe it. These little jokes and the “banter” (f***ing hate that word) are insidious, it grows and grows until the bants become a perceived reality. How we stop this I have no idea, but it starts by not laughing and not joining in with the tossers that instigate it.
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Used to be a constant bone of contention in my family that practically everyone working in regeneration or public services in Sunderland at a higher up level actually all lived in Durham or Newcastle - very very few of them had any actual stake in the city they were allegedly working to support.

Round here (apart from there being some ridiculously bonkers cluster of exiled North-Easterners - it's completely nuts) the perception of Sunderland tends to be "bit grim but we all went up there to the Stadium to see Take That a few years ago."
 
monkeytassle said:
I think the university plays a part tbh. Newcastle and Durham are very good uni's with a fairly long history. Attracts affluent students etc. Plus we only "recently" made City status and have pretty shit transport links to the rest of the country. Durham and Newcastle have mainline stations (yes I know we connect to it) and Newcastle has an airport and metro links. Both arguably longer history and let's be honest the visitor attractions in Sunderland are pretty much the glass centre and the beach.
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One of my lads at uni in ncle..loves it.Visited Sunderland Uni with another of my kids re teacher training(Sunderland was recommended by someone in that field) and have to say was very impressed.Buildings top notch and very new.Passed the uni many times never set foot in place its great.As importantly the staff and general welcome stood out.Perceptions of a city can be misleading and diffcult to shake off..after all Brexit is down to Sunderland!
 
Where i live not many people know much about the city unless they are football fans. I have to tell them it's close to Newcastle.

Often when I say I support Sunderland the first thing they say is either 'unlucky' or 'why. They find it strange I support the team where I was born rather than a top 4 team.
 
Dodgy said:
Whatever age you are, you think your clubbing years were "the boom time". Boom time had already finished by 88, in my eyes.
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Once Finos shut and they changed the barmaids early 90s in the Ivy for me ..downhill ever since..
Town centre boozers have improved recently for match day
 
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I have a particularly pleasing view of Sunderland from where I live.
 
JL1985 said:
Where i live not many people know much about the city unless they are football fans. I have to tell them it's close to Newcastle.

Often when I say I support Sunderland the first thing they say is either 'unlucky' or 'why. They find it strange I support the team where I was born rather than a top 4 team.
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Say Durham next time.

People tend to know where Sunderland is now, more so than the early 80s. I put it down to Auf Weidersehen Pet.
 
I am darn sarf and have never been to Sunderland, but it is one of those places you can throw in as the cliched (rightly or wrongly doesn't matter) run down northern hole. A bit like Grimsby or Wigan.

sorry all
 
Mainze said:
It does goes on probably a lot more than you think. I’ve seen people punched, head butted, beaten the shit out of, stabbed and glassed over literally nothing over the years. But you are right it doesn’t happen often and it’s usually people working their ticket.
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This also happens in more 'desirable' nightspots such as Newcastle, but is strangely ignored - it's not a specific 'Sunderland issue'
 
Bakerlooline said:
Some good points made on here. Just to pick up on a few...

Regional bias - I’ve mentioned this on other threads before. Since I took a job on the Tyne I’ve been in many discussions and meetings that related to either regional infrastructure projects or regional tourism projects and many others regarding regional funding. Sunderland is generally poorly represented, that’s one issue. The more significant is the constant anti-Sunderland propaganda (dramatic, granted but it’s the best word for it) that comes from the mouths of very senior people within the region. Often it’s said as a joke, but it stays with people who start to believe it. These little jokes and the “banter” (f***ing hate that word) are insidious, it grows and grows until the bants become a perceived reality. How we stop this I have no idea, but it starts by not laughing and not joining in with the tossers that instigate it.

Pleasant surprises - I’ve brought loads of people to Sunderland from all over the UK, Europe and North America. The UK based people are always pleasantly surprised because their preconceived ideas are generally very negative. Those from further afield generally don’t have such preconceived ideas and therefore just think it’s a really nice place, but the shops are shit close really early.

Self-deprecation - as Mackem, Wearsiders , whatever, we have crossed a line. The self-deprecation That is preprogrammed as part of our ways and our sense of humour has become self-hating. It pains me to say it but you will find no bigger critic of Sunderland than the ordinary man or woman in the street. Just look at the threads on here, whenever the city centre is talked about or something new is announced “it’s shit”. Even the Netflix documentary, before people had seen it “it’ll be shite, not for me, wont watch that shite again”, what f***ing chance do we stand when we destroy ourselves from the inside?
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Best post I've read for a long time.
 
EDGE said:
Say Durham next time.

People tend to know where Sunderland is now, more so than the early 80s. I put it down to Auf Weidersehen Pet.
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And you do you think people around the country actually know where Durham is? The people who ask "is that next to Newcastle?" more than likely couldn't point out Newcastle on a map either. This "it's near Newcastle" line doesn't help people understand where Sunderland is IMO, if you want to do that "it's in the North East" will do.
 
Biscuitz said:
I am darn sarf and have never been to Sunderland, but it is one of those places you can throw in as the cliched (rightly or wrongly doesn't matter) run down northern hole. A bit like Grimsby or Wigan.

sorry all
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Would you see any difference between Consett and Sunderland as per the opening post?
 

The Bakerloo line is my favourite tube line. I regularly go from Paddington to Baker Street, nice and easy.

CatRyan said:
Would you see any difference between Consett and Sunderland as per the opening post?
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I have never actually heard of Consett. I will go and look it up.

I am in the home counties right now and my north east knowledge is minimal
 
Paddy O'Dors said:
Mainly on here from people who never even visit place.

They always go to great lengths to tell you how much they avoid it and have done for years, but despite this they are absolutely bang up to speed about how crap it is.

"My Geordie accent is too much hassle"? There's loads of Sandies around the town on a matchday without trouble. Plenty of people come from all over the northeast to visit the Empire absolutely hassle-free.

People spouting utter nonsense, the people are great and friendly on the whole.
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Spot on. I’m from Shields, worked in Sunderland for about 17 years until 2015 and never had any stick for being a ‘Geordie’. Drank in loads of pubs away from the centre as well without issue.
 
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