Town v Gown?

[mcf86]

A 23-year-old student is in hospital with a suspected fractured skull after he was attacked with a bottle.

The man was part of a group of students confronted by a larger group of people at the corner of South Parks Road and St Cross Road in Oxford on Saturday night, police said.

The victim was hit with the bottle before the larger group ran off at about 10.45pm, spokesman Rebecca Webber said.

The incident is being treated as GBH but no-one has been arrested.

There seems to have been a spate of such incidents in Oxford recently, including a stabbing.
There has always been a 'Town v Gown' mentality in Oxford, but i think things have got out of hand, can't understand why this seems to have kicked off of late?
Anyone experienced/witnessed confrontations such as those mentioned?

[junior1]

Plenty down the cowley rd. Students think they own the joint...

[HKYellow]

Wherever you go generally the working population hate students and vice versa. I have seen and experienced a lot of anomosity between the two in my years.

But when I was back for Wembley last year noticed it even more. The student population in Oxford is increasingly coming from Asia and India. When walking around Oxford it appeared the centre was either students or "working class" people. In Summertown that appears to become a more affluent area of Oxford.

Thats why I have said, Oxford is in danger. Housing is ridiculously expensive yet jobs are hardly well paid. Whereas a lot of people, including my father use to commute from Oxford to London each day, because of house prices and the economy in general, people are preferring to live in or around London. Also contributing factor is "Oxford is not as nice as it use to be"

[Pogue Mahone]

Result of an earlier altercation.

[loveandpride]

I'm always surprised how few of this kind of incident we have, large scale ones anyway. A friend of mine tells me about a large row involving Oxford football lads and a group from Hertford (I think) College. Apparently the Hertford lot had been hassling some ladies known to the Oxford group and they were followed back to their college where a big row ensued with one of the Hertford group shouting "HERTFORD MEN STICK TOGETHER!" The oxford lads came out on top but Hertford apparently were worthy opponents giving a good account of themselves

[amarillo]

I agree, I'm surprised how little goes on considering the gulf between the ponsiest students and the chavviest locals. I guess the gulf is so big in Oxford, its mostly segregated - Cowley Rd is about the only area where you get both and that tends to be the more "normal" of both student and local populations.

[loveandpride]

Another excuse for someone to use the C word.

[ox4eva]

Students, Mmm.....

[amarillo]

Oct 18, 2010 12:57:42 GMT loveandpride said:

Another excuse for someone to use the C word.

How else would you describe such people then?

As long as you call people that based on their behaviour not where they come from or what they look like then I don't see a problem with it. I'm not a big fan of the word but I can't think of a more PC term...

[loveandpride]

Such people? This was a general post about university V local trouble. My post describes how a group of football fans and a group of undergraduates came to blows, both sides were willing participants. would you describe the 'town' pugilists and their 'gown' contemporaries as "chavs" I think not!

[amarillo]

Oct 18, 2010 13:09:11 GMT loveandpride said:

Such people? This was a general post about university V local trouble. My post describes how a group of football fans and a group of undergraduates came to blows, both sides were willing participants. would you describe the 'town' pugilists and their 'gown' contemporaries as "chavs" I think not!

My point was nothing to do with your post, simply a general one that Oxford has a much wider social divide than you get in most places. I'm not by any means calling all students ponsy or all locals chavvy, just pointing out that Oxford has more of the extremes than most places and therefore more potential for them to clash.

[loveandpride]

Still find that word offensive, sorry.

[Ricky Otto]

I remember after Leyton Orient and the relegation to the conference, walking down the Cowley Road to go and get a Curry with a group of Oxford.

Some students started singing 'going down'. The subsequent moments are my only experience of town versus gown. Harry Monk led the town that day. Captain of Brookes rugger seconds led the gown.

Home win.

[loveandpride]

I remember it well, bunch of rotters! I offered to fight anyone of them under Marquis of Queensbury rules in a gym of their choice and they declined to a man! Was an emotional night though I nearly resorted to fisticuffs with one of our own as he stretched the neck of my Salmon pink Johm Smedley!

[amarillo]

So what would be a less offensive term to use? In an ideal world of course you wouldn't need to have generalised terms for people, but how can you discuss issues without it?

[loveandpride]

I don't know, you need to explain who you're defining? Young working class males in tracksuits?

[kassyite]

I guess the problem at the moment are the "Freshers" they are not really experienced in how to behave when tanked up and often are a bit too gobby for their own good

Also when theyre doing their "inbetweeners" bit scoring a bit of puff i would think they are easy prey to a dealer.

[amarillo]

Oct 18, 2010 14:42:35 GMT loveandpride said:

I don't know, you need to explain who you're defining? Young working class males in tracksuits?

What I meant was people, male or female, who behave in an
aggressive and antisocial manner. I used the term chav in an attempt to avoid snobbery because it refers to behaviour, not social class.

[ConcreteBob]

I live in Leamington Spa, which houses a number of Warwick University students. There have been attacks on students by local pondlife for years sadly.

[loveandpride]

Oct 18, 2010 15:04:16 GMT amarillo said:

Oct 18, 2010 14:42:35 GMT loveandpride said:

I don't know, you need to explain who you're defining? Young working class males in tracksuits?

What I meant was people, male or female, who behave in an
aggressive and antisocial manner. I used the term chav in an attempt to avoid snobbery because it refers to behaviour, not social class.

Sorry to disagree again but I think it most certainly does refer to people from a certain class, the working class. If you wanted to avoid class-specific terms you could have substituted 'chavviest locals' for 'most thuggish locals' in your original post.