Features / Opinion
What are Bristol’s most unpopular opinions?
Banksy is overrated, buses are on time and Stokes Croft is boring.
These are some of the unpopular opinions shared by people living in Bristol on a recent Reddit thread.
Some views have received widespread support, while others have been met with outrage.
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Read on to find out some of Bristol’s most controversial opinions:
Bristol Harbour festival
The festival was accused of being too “white and middle class” in a report released last year – photo: Martin Booth
“The harbour festival is a drunken borefest.”
“When they stopped letting you bring cans into Queen’s square, me and my mates just burst out laughing. Okay we won’t spend money here?”
The Bearpit
“Calling it the Bearpit when there are in fact…no bears.”
An expensive city
“Only small parts of Bristol are actually great, most of it is just a generic UK city and you could live anywhere and probably have a better quality of life (as everything is quite expensive).”
Zoo disagreements
“I’m glad the zoo is gone. It was too small for the kind of animals they housed, they will get a much better quality of life in a larger space.”
Co-opting Brunel
According to one user, the harbour has been sent “into a downward spiral” – photo: Mohiudin Malik
“Brunel hates the city. He found it difficult to work with. They treat his name as a brand on a mug to sell.
“They said how he made rail “world renown” put “UK on a map” or something like that. Yet the city is infamous for having the worst rail and keeps making it worse. Disrespecting his legacy. Misusing the rail. Making the worst choice that affected the city today.
“The harbour treated him so poorly that he left. For context, The place was outdated even back then. His ship SS Great Britain couldn’t get out and was stuck for a long while. Sending the harbour into a downward spiral. It was a joke even during the industrial age.”
Bristol’s hills
“Bristol is uncomfortably hilly with little public transport to ease it.”
Nugent Hill in Cotham is one of Bristol’s steepest hills – photo: Martin Booth
Language conflict
“No one has ever actually said “Gert Lush” unless it’s to do with “things people in Bristol say”. Also, most of the country outside of London says “cheers drive”.”
A hippy paradise
“Fuck it, I’ll burn some karma: there are way too many hippies. It’s like being in 1990 in the worst possible ways. White people with dreads everywhere.”
Is Bristol sitting on a creative high horse?
“Bristol arts/creative scene is actually pretty shit. People who think it’s this out-there uber-cool city simply don’t know any better.”
“The clubs are shit. They’re so empty no matter when you go out and they’re always playing stuff from 2013 if it’s not a “y2k pop night” as if I want to listen to the same 5 songs every weekend.”
And the rest
The real Jason Donovan visiting Jason Donervan in March last year – photo: ITV
“To hell with Jason Donervan.”
“Banksy is overrated.”
“Stokes Croft is boring.”
“My bus is normally on time and has seats.”
“The Bristol underground isn’t a bad idea.”
“Taka Taka isn’t all that.”
“Hot air balloons are really boring.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
- What would every area of Bristol be if they were people at a house party?
- ‘I visited the suspension bridge for the first time having lived in Bristol my whole life’
- We can still shape future Turbo Island
- Stokes croft’s rich history to be revealed in ambitious new project
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