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So in the last thread I asked people to provide some icons of Sunderland and life in it, things which gives the area meaning and symbolism to them. There were a few jokes as to be expected, (as well as Dave the Rave getting mentioned more times than any other thing!).
icons of Sunderland and local life
But I wanted this to lead into something bigger. It's easy to be downtrodden about Sunderland as a city, and as a football club, but the mentality of things needs to change. Rather than talking down the place at every opportunity, we should take pride in it and strengthen our personal connections to it. We should seek to be optimistic about Sunderland, to generate an atmosphere of positivity which can drive things forward.
To do that, as the thread above shows, we need to build up our local identity. We need to think more about "who we are" as people from Sunderland, what this "place means to us" and "what it should be".
For example, for me this is what Sunderland "means". Despite the things people say about the area and its imperfections, it is part of who I am. Sunderland is not just a city, it is a heritage and a way of life. We are ultimately an egalitarian city, we value humility, equality and a spirit of community. We embrace a proud industrial past whereby we were once the "largest shipbuilding town in the world", a hub of coal mining and glass making too. Although this was taken away from us in unjust circumstances (no politics intended), it is a part of us. Past generations of my family were shipwrights and miners, whom came from other places in the 19th century to seek work in an industrializing Britain (Scotland, Ireland and vast corners of the world for some). The football club is an extension of that heritage and identity. As woeful as things are, I cannot detach myself from SAFC not now or never.
My mind contrasts the humility and spirit of Sunderland (as well as the North East a whole) with the perceived snobbishness of Southern England and wealthier areas, or the community spirit with the busy, metropolitan and impersonal scenes of London. That is not making any negative statements about London, it is merely a personal reflection on how Sunderland is different.
Whilst everyone's "identity" is ultimately subjective, we really do need to come together as a city and start being passionate about this place, having the confidence to promote ourselves. If you look up the road you can see how the identity of "Geordieness" has propelled Newcastle on the national and international stage. We need something similar, becoming more confident about local history, heritage culture, community, dialect and so on. The pessimistic culture which shadows our city needs to end, we need to start reflecting about who we are again.
icons of Sunderland and local life
But I wanted this to lead into something bigger. It's easy to be downtrodden about Sunderland as a city, and as a football club, but the mentality of things needs to change. Rather than talking down the place at every opportunity, we should take pride in it and strengthen our personal connections to it. We should seek to be optimistic about Sunderland, to generate an atmosphere of positivity which can drive things forward.
To do that, as the thread above shows, we need to build up our local identity. We need to think more about "who we are" as people from Sunderland, what this "place means to us" and "what it should be".
For example, for me this is what Sunderland "means". Despite the things people say about the area and its imperfections, it is part of who I am. Sunderland is not just a city, it is a heritage and a way of life. We are ultimately an egalitarian city, we value humility, equality and a spirit of community. We embrace a proud industrial past whereby we were once the "largest shipbuilding town in the world", a hub of coal mining and glass making too. Although this was taken away from us in unjust circumstances (no politics intended), it is a part of us. Past generations of my family were shipwrights and miners, whom came from other places in the 19th century to seek work in an industrializing Britain (Scotland, Ireland and vast corners of the world for some). The football club is an extension of that heritage and identity. As woeful as things are, I cannot detach myself from SAFC not now or never.
My mind contrasts the humility and spirit of Sunderland (as well as the North East a whole) with the perceived snobbishness of Southern England and wealthier areas, or the community spirit with the busy, metropolitan and impersonal scenes of London. That is not making any negative statements about London, it is merely a personal reflection on how Sunderland is different.
Whilst everyone's "identity" is ultimately subjective, we really do need to come together as a city and start being passionate about this place, having the confidence to promote ourselves. If you look up the road you can see how the identity of "Geordieness" has propelled Newcastle on the national and international stage. We need something similar, becoming more confident about local history, heritage culture, community, dialect and so on. The pessimistic culture which shadows our city needs to end, we need to start reflecting about who we are again.