This is… odd. But strangely interesting and rather revealing too.
It’s an autocomplete map of the UK – what Google thinks you’re about to ask when you put in “Manchester is…” or “People from Birmingham are…”. This shows us the stereotype of each city in the UK:
Of the places I’ve lived, Sheffield is my planet (ok), Newcastle is a hole (I disagree) and Oxford is hellish (it had its moments).
Have a look around, but a couple of highlights include “Swansea is the graveyard of ambition” (allegedly a Dylan Thomas line), “Worcester is the Paris of the ’80s” (apparently a T-shirt slogan from Worcester, Massachusetts) and, in the words of Hugh MacDiarmid, “Edinburgh is a mad god’s dream”.
Meanwhile, it turns out that Cape Town has the disappointingly predictable responses, “Cape Town is it safe” and “Cape Town is a racist city” – the latter just like Aberdeen. Maybe it’s something to do with granite.
As for the title of this post, Sheffield is my planet is revealed to be a city council initiative to combat climate change.
How exciting.
It doesn’t have Leicester or Southampton… look forward to playing this game when I’m back home. Cape Town’s is so disappointing. Wonder what my birthplace Bloemfontein’s will be
and no Walsall…..but that’s probably a good thing
Ronnie > “Bloemfontein is it a city”
and
ItsStillAyoba > “Wallsall is…lamic schools” Lol!