East Dulwich in the New Statesman

[Tanza]

New Statesman:Buggy Moms

Hope this link works - just spotted this article on East Dulwich in the New Statesman.

[Fliss]

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Tanza. I think it's safe to say the writer of the article, Michael Hodges, "has issues" to say the very least.....

[Fliss]

As for the assumptions he makes in his last paragraph - sheer conjecture - does he know these people? - I think not!

[lorraineliyanage]

you are right fliss, there are clearly some issues going on here. the article's not even funny either! :P

[iaineasy]

Oh god I was thinking of getting a papoose, is it an essential piece of ID for me to get into the coffee bar? Will there be a sign that says if you are lucky enough to look over 35 you will be asked for your ivf reciept? I'm having new dad angst. Perhaps this guy needs a slap from an east dulwich mum to knock the tongue out of his cheek but apart from that its a pretty harmless article.

[????]

An article which just moans about other people spoiling his read (MY) coffee experience with the line "They spent the early Noughties caring about nothing else but themselves" in it. Priceless.

[Pickle]

I really hope that "journalists" who turn out pieces like this don't get paid for it!

[tulip]

*

[toast]

If you check out his other articles rage is his thing. Feel flattered to living somewhere interesting enough to rage about.

[Gimme]

The article is hilarious because it is totally true.

My mate who doesn't have kids refers to the mums who swarm ED as Lactating Brood Mares (LBMs) and he goes to Lucas to avoid them as it apparently isn't big enough for buggies.

The funny thing for us is that we're due to become parents in next two weeks and we're totally going to become LBM / buggie mom and papoose pop whether we like it or not (although we'll try not to nip ankles with buggies the way some people seem to). Our only fear is that we won't be welcome in the club because we have not got a bugaboo.

I'll need to ask my mate if he wrote the article....

[SeanMacGabhann]

Michael Hodges also writes a column in Time Out every week - I feel I should like them more than I do - he is witty but he tries too hard. He's no Ted Max or *Bob*

As for buggies/boos whatever on LL - people haven't got too much wrong in their lives if that's what they get upset about - there are whole swathes of the capital with nary a bugaboo in sight but you wouldn't want to live there

[????]

Ooooh Tulip, you've been dying to get out that anger and spleen to all those horrid people who you didn't talk to you for ages haven't you?

[candj]

He's hardly witty Sean and definitely has some kind of anger concerns.

It's amazing what makes people boil over in anger. Buggies? Children? Come on now people, keep it in perspective.

[????]

PEOPLE NOT LIKE ME :X

[SeanMacGabhann]

I should have said he "can be" witty - but more often I read the first paragraph of the weekly article and go "that's what he's whinging about this week"

but he can be...

[candj]

to you he can be...

Now off to Luca's with my children and pushchair(s).

[*Bob*]

Poor Tulip

Did you think simply knocking out a pup would give you a golden ticket to a club where people become busom buddies (arf) regardless of age, life experience and personal circumstance?

Why would anyone who was 25 want to hang around with a group of people knocking-on 40 anyway? Or vice versa, obviously.

Come to think of it, why would anyone want to hang around with a group of random recent mothers anyway - unless there weren't any other options to fill-up the day?

Ooh, look.. we've all had a baby. We've got that in common at least. Let's meet-up for coffee and slightly uncomfortable conversation, make half-hearted attempts to be interested in each other's children and listen politely to varying opinion on sleep training.

[reggie]

I think what we have here is a Middle Class Warrior.

Middle Class Warrior

[stillthinking108]

I agree with what too few people have said on here, that the article is entirely true. I moved to the area only 4 or 5 months ago, just up from Nunhead Green, by the cememtery. Nunhead seems to be full of Irish and African people. Peckham Rye is a great mix of cultures, my personal favorite is the 'Irish-Jamaican Butchers'. But the first time I walked into Dulwich, I saw less and less Irish people, less and less African or Jamaican people, and more and more middle class white mums who seemed to be engaged in some kind of maternal arms race, its as though the fetish of oversized 4x4s has now spilled over into the world of pushchairs.

[Growlybear]

I agree with what some others have said as well; I think the article is very funny and really has hit the nail on the head.

[*Bob*]

You're right. Clearly there are not enough Irish and Jamaicans in Dulwich. One can only pray this worrying population imbalance is rectified in the very near future.

It's amazing what kind of an impact fifty or so highly visible Bugaboo-pushers can have on a short stretch of street - whilst the other ten thousand are at work.

[Growlybear]

I wonder why the author of the article has confined his comments to coffee bars - has he never been confronted with the true horror of pram gridlock in the Herne Tavern?

[*Bob*]

Well he was only lazily re-wording one of the other 400 similar pieces written on the same subject, in exactly the same way - over the last few years.

So I guess one trip to Nero was all he really needed.

[woofmarkthedog]

Reminds me of zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[steveo]

My piece predates the NS piece and is less vitriolic dulwich on view