Is London too rich to be interesting?

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It used to be so easy. You left university, came to London and got yourself a flatshare in one of the cheaper areas: Notting Hill, Maida Vale or Highgate. Living was cheap and if it took you a while to find out what you really wanted to do with your life you could drift about a bit and get by. Many of the slackers of the 1980s and 90s went on to become the capital’s most successful creatives and entrepreneurs, making London a city unrivalled for fashion, music and design. But now thanks to vast City bonuses and the influx of foreign billionaires, London house prices have soared beyond the reach of all but the seriously rich. And London is the worse for it. Parts of Notting Hill and Kensington have become ‘buy to leave’ ghost towns, the houses boarded up and showing no signs of life. Shoreditch and Hackney, not long ago the hip new outposts for musicians and artists, are now home to well-paid professionals. The squats, cheap cafés and markets have given way to Farrow and Ball interiors and coffee shop chains. All the paraphernalia that gave east London its edge a few years ago is starting to feel a bit stale. Spare us yet another pop up restaurant serving chorizo hash with pomegranate labneh run by a former banker with a beard in Dalston, or a ‘secret’ speakeasy selling prohibition cocktails somewhere near Euston station. Meanwhile the true bohemians are being squeezed further out to the margins, barely able to afford the tube fare from Zone 4 to get into town. Money is sucking the life out of London.
That’s the argument of those who worry that London is becoming too rich to be interesting. But is there any evidence that the city is growing bland? Quite the reverse. On any evening almost wherever you go London’s streets are abuzz with life. People here crave a communal experience and the city provides it with its 600 parks, thousands of pubs and dynamic cultural scene. Theatres have been enjoying a massive boom - not just in the West End but on the fringe too. The fact is, London is a magnet. Talented people from elsewhere in the UK and all over the world want to live here, and that’s what’s pushing up house prices, not the small number of multimillionaires who in fact pump £2.3 billion every year into London’s economy. Yes, London is expensive but creative types will always find a way. They may not be able to afford to live in Hackney and they may be having to move further from the centre, but they are making unfashionable areas fashionable just by virtue of being there. They never want to be too far from where the money is because they need patronage. Where would the YBAs ever have got without Charles Saatchi? There’s a dynamic between wealth and creativity that keeps London exciting. If you prefer greater egalitarianism and more cycle lanes, there’s always Stockholm.
Is London too rich to be interesting?

[@Dalisu87]

Who else is here for Akala?

[@cadddie_ai]

i skiped n skipped n got frustrated then was about to type exactly that lol

[@figueiredocelia39]

Me

[@Rebecca57097ssss]

In 2019 still....

[@pauljarvis902]

Always

[@angedora03071981]

Britain isn’t racist kzbin.info/www/bejne/gafLlYCPqp53rck

[@HaHaLooLoo]

AKALA TIMESTAMPS, YOU'RE WELCOME: 5:48 24:41 35:02 37:30 49:02 50:20 58:45 59:15 1:04:37 1:17:42

[@musaajallow3697]

Thank you.

[@alexamauta1]

Thank you for this. I clicked on this originaly for Akala's wisdom, but found myself really trying to understand the ideas behind the rest of the panel. Its be coming too easy to block out the voces we dont like to hear or consider and its so important to keep open.

[@soliyanamulugeta2087]

You are awesome for this!

[@sam-cn8tu]

Alex Bustamante good mindset to have

[@ahmedali-pn4zu]

Y’all rude for this but big facts I’m only here for Akala bless you ❤️😂

[@raneanubis]

Seriously, I'm so glad Akala was putting so much emphasis on the fact that your social status and circumstance will dictate how you feel about these issues.

[@chriscooper8543]

That's because he doesn't want to alienate the people he's trying to reason with, because eventually he will leave them repeating themselves until they give up, catch them in a lie, or force them to admit that he's correct. Either way he realises that slagging matches don't get anyone anywhere or inspire change.

[@dominicdarmanin9866]

But not just social status and circumstance. Education, personality and mental state are some more examples

[@revol148]

@raneanbis so pointing out the obvious then !

[@TheCNSR]

Gavin is just outchea waffling to save his life 🤦🏾‍♂️ Considering he had to stretch an opinion of nothing, he ended up chatting pure breeze for too long without saying anything 😂. Contrastingly, I can never get bored of seeing Akala going on panels like this, drop a couple gems and get reloads 👏🏾

[@galshaine2018]

I was actually waiting to be surprised by seeing the late Graham Chapman emerging under the make up, out of the Gavin figure, in a classic Python sketch about 'the society of saying nothing '....

[@jimbob2826]

😂

[@weedntrips]

Someone needs to do time stamps for when Akala speaks.

[@ibexlove7009]

Lmao

[@buck8ab]

Lol

[@tonytate391]

The idea is to listen to the whole debate, otherwise you’ll start censoring the conversation.

[@shaund4155]

You do it

[@magie0607]

@@skeletonw00t ooooooo.. why are you mad bro??

[@TheTruePhantomX]

I was just thinking... Akala doesnt belong in that room but then i realised, everyone else doesnt belong in the same room as him.

[@testaccount2335]

+CTID17 wow, I don't think I have read such a racist remark in my life...

[@BlocksmithBuilds]

+Dennis Bradberry shutup you troll, the colour of his skin had nothing to do with his comment

[@testaccount2335]

+Milkymanz It has everything do with the comment, CTID17 here has suggested Akala does not belong in a room with whites.

[@returnoftheredeye]

I'm pretty sure the original comment just meant that the other members of the panel weren't fit to debate Akala. The race angle seems to have been invented by you.

[@testaccount2335]

Ahh sorry - I must have been watching too much Akala, everything is race related don't you see? You stepped on dog shit? You are a racist. You checked the mail in your letterbox? Racist.

[@gageiiiiitttt]

Akala nails it again. I'm gona start calling him sensei.

[@raymond942]

I discovered Akala quite late, but having seen this discussion, he’s infinitely more intelligent & articulate than all of these other ‘experts’...

[@dannygarcia3863]

Bait they put Akala on the thumbnail cah they knew it would bring bare views😂 only reason I clicked tbh

[@jorrgfromage9929]

Abolish the notion of identity. Ban the concept of identity. Do not identify as british, male, white, black, female, rich, poor, jewish, muslim, gay, bi, christian, londoner, mancunian, welshman, etc Have no identity. problem solved.

[@CoreySenderson]

@@jorrgfromage9929 yes we are all one, human.

[@zeinabadam958]

jorrgfromage well done you've just solved racism might want to tell Boris your idea might not go down well tho

[@aqueminiarts]

Akala just absolutely shines everytime he speaks, and speaks so much truth and knowledge.

[@iamfonejacker]

Loooooool at Akalas face when Simon said Brixton is more interesting now

[@tiddlerz]

when akala speak you learn or you live in denial ...

[@Typiicalz]

that girl sitting next to Akala was ready to risk it all LOOOL

[@haza123b4]

*He keeps talking about cleavage*

[@mumblerocks77]

@@haza123b4 😭😭 too funny

[@benmcconaghy3313]

Oh boy! Akala is just sublime. On the Notting Hill Carnival : it's become white people enjoying Afro-Caribbean culture without Afro-Caribbean people. I am paraphrasing but it is so true. London is interesting despite the homogenising and dumbing down effects of the easy money that sloshes into this great city. London is a city built on struggle and strife and its majority minorities have created its real flesh and blood reality. And I include the white working class in that grouping would that they but realised their common bond with the Bengalis and the Jamaicans.

[@luckydave328]

I wish Akala would give a thought to why the housing estates opposite Canary Wharf are Bengali. What happened to the Cockneys that used to live there ? They were evicted from their homes to make way for Canary Wharf and were not prioritised for the new housing estates that were built. They are marginalised and nobody seems to care.

[@skeletonw00t]

Yeah... god forbid white people enjoy other peoples culture. He’s nothing more than a racist, tool. I saw some speech he did at Oxford and all it boiled down to was “we was kings” and how basically all of history was Black. Massive chip on his shoulder, yet he’s raised up as this academic messiah

[@southside-hornbaby5325]

skeletonw00t NO!! He showed you the evidence for alternative history that the “WHITE “ washed away. Don’t be so bigoted, I know it hurts to know that shit didn’t started with you, and it won’t end with you either✌🏾.

[@luckydave328]

@@southside-hornbaby5325 Are you referring to either of my comments or someone else's here? It's not clear.

[@skeletonw00t]

@@southside-hornbaby5325 RACIST

[@sdigital0]

Akala always dropping knowledge gems as usual

[@fp7486]

***** correction - Akala always dropping knowledge turds as usual

[@6Zebulan9]

B London prove it.

[@fp7486]

ATuM OsiRis Proof?...Hmmmmmm, when he opens his mouth...listen!...You will hear the pseudo-profundity/adolescent guff - slowly squeak and squelch out like a big baby messing its nappy..

[@6Zebulan9]

B London I don't see how your critisims contradict his points. Read and you will see the facts.

[@richardthelionheart8656]

sonydigital1 I'm assuming he just says f some bullshit about race and white people as always Oh, he did how surprising

[@robotic.justice]

It’s admirable the way Akala patiently waits to give his opinion then eloquently cut through the bs in a given topic

[@TheShebulba]

I'm still watching this. But the man closest to the host of the discussion. He is a rambling waste of my time. I'm a little bit upset when he opens his mouth. What a shame. Akala is always on point.

[@chriscooper8543]

Why is he a waste of your time? because he's trying not to offend people or be misconstrued? Do you know anything about him? Akala is always on point and I didn't see him labelling that guy as such. The guy is a little slow and sometimes confused, but I found his ability to try and evaluate what he wanted to say before it left his mouth on a public platform very acceptable.

[@TheShebulba]

+Chris Cooper It was acceptable but like you said really just skating around trying not to give any ' straight to the point' opinion on anything. I personally find that a waste of my attention as I'm quite a forward person. They could have found someone that doesn't just fill silence up so the others can think of things to add. Anyways I'm glad you found his input acceptable.

[@TheShebulba]

+Chris Cooper and don't get offended I don't know anything about to man prior to this conversation so my judgement is completely based upon this discussion. I'm sure he's a lovely man. But here he was not a good addition to the topic in my opinion.

[@olivierkepo]

39:00 is the key point. The system isn't broken, it's working exactly as it is designed to work.

[@samyoe]

I found the three on the right to be quite interesting. Especially, Akala who kept the conversation open-minded and acknowledged cultural appropriation. The man with the beard was painful to listen to however. EDIT: As it went on, I realised the guy on the far-right had a very conservative attitude which is what Akala was indirectly getting at. He seemed to carry a lack of empathy towards anyone without a similar means to his own demographic. I believe that character trait to be rather inhumane. I also think it's sad that people with his sort of mindset are the forerunners of our society's media. No wonder progression is happening so slowly.

[@JarrelEmmanuel]

He's a dinosaur. A man with a mindset of a freemason.

[@samyoe]

It's true. It's sad we live in a world where open-minded thinking is often confused with being crazy. So the reality is that we're mostly led by conformists.

[@ibexlove7009]

Hit the nail on the head with that observation. Salut

[@ibexlove7009]

Ze Couves Akala is speaking on gentrification and the plight of the working class in general. If a white person made the same statement you wouldn't say that. Its obvious an intellectual black man ignites your dormant inferiority complex

[@DaftFader]

Being on the far right and having a very conservative attitude go hand in hand ...

[@returnoftheredeye]

I don't know if it's him, me, or a bit of both, but I can't extract any meaning from anything the artist in the purple suit says.

[@danielzapata5723]

😂😂😂 within the 1st minute of him speaking I was like what did he actually say?

[@graffitijunkiejfk]

+returnoftheredeye As soon as any of them other than Akala was talking I found myself scrolling through the comments...

[@XeniaGeorgiou04]

+returnoftheredeye He seems to hear a somewhat simple question as something very very complicated that he's unable to answer properly

[@ReverendParasite]

+Xenia Georgiou Mark of a smart man if you ask me. Glib, shallow answers are easy to reach for. If he gets all plodding and meandering about it, it at least means he's thinking seriously about things.

[@HiyaitsMark]

He's no idea what he's talking about. One of those people you can't wait til they shut up

[@xenuworriorprincess]

did anyone else stop listening when the "artist" started talking? jesus christ.

[@XeniaGeorgiou04]

+Kalpana Amardesh He seems like he's half asleep, not listening to the question asked and then scrambling a statement which doesn't seem to answer the question the way the others have

[@nurahmed7584]

Kalpana Amardesh yeah I skipped to akala part lol

[@magie0607]

I actually really like the artist...

[@LaVarTrayVell]

AKALA is my Favorite Artist of all time God is Good im glad I found him

[@BIG7STAKiiN8MO]

La Var TrayVell go record some banging reactions fam 😂😂

[@palmtrees5459]

I can't even wrap my head around the fact that this is really a thing. When you're so rich that you're question of whether your city interesting or not is not just in rhetoric but there is recourse at your disposal to put together a panel to discuss it. I'm from Detroit you think we have time to sit around and wonder if we're interesting or not? We'd starve if we do so.

[@mesfer19800]

I live in Ireland and travelled to London few times. London for me is the quirky outskirts camden and Brick lane . always amazed by how multicultural the city is. It's the divide between rich and poor ! Simon for example quite ignorant to how expensive London is because he can simply afford a nice meal there. Akala seems to understand the struggle because he simply seen his culture live through it. he's the best to make his point with very convincing and well spoken argument.

[@bernardbruno3789]

I don't understand the question

[@thelaurels13]

I think the chap in the blue suit accidentally walked into the wrong room.

[@therealjesus2970]

akala is too real, man makes me depressed still

[@mikeltruss9695]

Loool

[@Enidub]

+Shweep hahaha

[@ELCNUmorFnaMehT]

+Shweep The truth was never going to be pretty.

[@drknow2006]

take strength from knowledge.

[@reimourrpower9357]

The only thing interesting about this conversation is Akala.

[@jojoman24]

Akala speaks at: 6:08 24:44 35:10 49:07 59:16

[@nokwandasthokomkhize5218]

Underrated comment! Thank you 🙏🏾

[@pazza8421]

Oh my god thank you.

[@TheGammaray22]

THANK YOU!

[@flowfreely]

Akala's face at 28:17 is too much! I know that EXACT face! That's the face you have when you try to highlight privilleged but the privilleged don't even realise how very privilleged they are so the conversation soon becomes a roundabout. HILARIOUS

[@chriscooper8543]

true true.

[@chriscooper8543]

not very hilarious though I feel sorry for brainwashed people

[@KKG3388]

Gotta love the tour de force that is Akala! He brilliantly shone a light on Cultural Appropriation, Classism, Colonialism, Gentrification with a crystal clear speak that some in the audience found it too difficult to swallow! Akala you legend!💪🏽👊🏿✊👏

[@alexanderspear9464]

Oh, you mean he blamed white people for knife 🔪 crime committed mainly by blacks. And, the fact blacks underachie on whites. The fact lots of blacks are wrong uns, on white people. WOW!!! HOW ORIGINAL!!! I've never heard those critiques before!!!

[@THISISLolesh]

London is depressing as fuck, leave central & you have drab architecture, ugly council estates, horrible weather and young adults/teens in some fake gangster illusion, it's embarrassing. Not to mention the housing prices for all this shit, the place is laughable.

[@THISISLolesh]

***** Yes, I live in one of them council estates & came from somewhere far worse than the UK. You can produce all of that without an ugly, poor quality of housing just look at other European countries so don't give me that mess. The gangster illusion is exactly that, go to any london college or school & you'll see almost every kid trying to play a role, there is no need. Places like Pollok in Glasgow I can understand but a lot of it today has to do with sheeple & cultural influence from other countries I.E the united states and Caribbean, there is a lot you receive here that is taken for granted, playing hard is cool apparently. 90% of the time creative people come from tougher walks of life? can you provide that statistic because creative people means artists, businessmen, inventors in fact it revolves around everything so don't pull a number out of your ass and relay it to me like it's fact. Creativity is not limited, creativity is not always the people on tv. What actually produces the best sportsmen e.c.t is resources and training programs and youth schemes. What you're saying is keep London depressing and ugly when it doesn't have to be? Youth unhappiness is not a good thing to encourage, the UK is far behind other countries in Europe in so many departments its embarrassing. Providing a better quality of life for people & future generations is paramount. Next time don't reply to my comment with nonsensical bullshit.

[@THISISLolesh]

***** If you ain't read my whole post why even reply with the same shit? Don't waste my time.

[@ghettostewie373]

Compare the amount of evictions in past decades like the 1970s removal of Victorian graded properties. It's madness starting over again in the same cycle of overly gentrification and coincidentally where ever their is a Caribbean community to kill it off with a bunch posh trendy art students that moved their yesterday and know nothing or street history or crime rate from Postcode gangs about the area they are planning to live in. Obviously I'm not saying I wan't to go back to the 1970's either it was swallad shithole sewer. But certainly London in the 2000s was perfect when the New Millennium arrived, thing got to improve a lot thankfully the Tony Blair era. London really got its name then as capital to world with all the Millennium's & Jubilee's.

[@Aman1nFull]

+Axeman K9 Well spoken brother.

[@herrlichkeit4418]

+Axeman K9 Compared with where? Where isn't "laughable" in comparison with London? The Architecture of London is representative of the time when it was the centre of the industrial revolution and the enlightenment and the empire, it's not necessarily the oldest in Europe but its beauty is subjective. By drab architecture I can't help but be confused are you calling edwardian/victorian housing drab or are you referring to modern estates that were built to house low income working class? If the latter can you name me a city you know that has built masses of wonderful architectural marvels for its working class? Because as someone who has travelled all over western and Eastern Europe, that is alien to me. Rome is the most beautiful city in the world IMHO, but its outskirts stink of piss and are covered in graffiti. I can't help but feel that the comments underneath Akalas videos carry a similar rhetoric as Akala can sometimes himself: passive aggressive anti white/British/Western culture, desperate attempts to degrade Britain or its people in any way seem prevalent.

[@haza123b4]

*This moderator is like Neo in the matrix dodging all of Akala's points.*

[@mumblerocks77]

bruv 😭😭

[@StrobeFireStudios]

Akala in the thumbnail? I click. I'm a simple man.

[@grgr487]

I love how the old guy in the white shirt appears to keep looking for Akala's approval when he talks after he got put in his place after his first ignorant comments.

[@shanefox5458]

Akala......too good, thank you for your genius. You made this video

[@cazzaparrphysique]

THE ARTIST STOPS CHATTING SHIT AT AROUND 20:00 YOU'RE WELCOME

[@cazzaparrphysique]

PT 2 32:30

[@elyes8436]

omg thank you!

[@jaywilliams6357]

cazzaparr 😂😂😂😂

[@SJO897]

Thank you lmaoooo

[@JACKSONVILLE1200]

Akala dropping knowledge

[@SonOfaHowler]

London was interesting because of its diversity. That included financial diversity as well as cultural diversity. The problem with it becoming too expensive for poorer groups to live there is that it becomes homogenous. You get a lot of the same type of people rubbing shoulders with each other, which, at the very least, sounds dull.

[@mikeltruss9695]

Interesting debate, Simon Jenkins was incredibly insensitive about the realities of gentrification, hard to tell if that is what he truly believes or if he was just trying to be provocative, either way he did not do himself a great service in my opinion. Akala raised so many points that had gone over my head with regards to carnival and the class make up of particular parts of London, points that I very rarely hear getting brought up. He was clearly Simons nemesis, lol The others seemed to live on the fence in my opinion. Fortunately the exchange between Akala and Simon unearthed some very oppositional descriptions on how the entitled hierarchy and the everyday working class man navigate the lived experiences of being a Londoner.

[@mirikiri9956]

My God I'm hollering lol.Akala makes me so happy. He is so knowledgeable they cannot tell him shit.The guy on right was so entitled and arrogant but he knew he couldn't back it up with knowledge.The beard oh well maybe he was high? He literally didn't contribute anything of substance.

[@JarrelEmmanuel]

He did admit at one point, that he perhaps wasn't fit to be on the panel and thus engage in those discussions. He was however equally aware of his luck, as a result of him registering for an artists education course just as grants were being discontinued.

[@shelgerson]

NO! Nonononono....no.. Wrong question. It doesn't matter how rich a city is. Pave the f-ing place wih gold! The question is how unequal is it. Are there equal opportunities for education, elevation, advancement? Does everyone have the same chance? If I want to be the veey best garbage collector in the city and raise a humble family in safety and security, do I have the same chance to have a good life as one who wants to be a financial tycoon lugging around bags of gold and precious stones? Do the rich oppress the poor. THAT is the question. Are the rich to stupid and self absorbed to see they need the poor in order to BE rich and should therefore care for them. That's the question.

[@auduterkimbi3971]

Lol it's also very important not to build castles in the sky! Be realistic

[@SamHarrisonMusic]

Akala you legend xxx

[@georgearoyewun4016]

It's as if the bearded man was on drugs

[@happyclappy1805]

just so so so awful. rambling a load of rubbish

[@auduterkimbi3971]

😂😂

[@Neovelipureunity]

I like the way Akala puts his point's across with ease , By speaking truthfully about history and tying it in with modern day politics . Very talented and educated brother .

[@pauljarvis902]

The other panelists and host look so uncomfortable. It's clear they recognise they are not in the same ballpark intellectually as Akala and have a level of shock/indignation about it.

[@AlterMythic]

Akala could destroy anyone in a verbal confrontation

[@Thoughtlibrary777]

Akala 🔥🔥🔥

[@eyedeasneverdie3348]

"I dont speak for myself, but a unit" - Akala

[@ByteMwen]

Bigup Akala for mentioning Lucia (and for keeping it 100 in general)!!!

[@bofhead92]

I love akala

[@MrDebKar]

Why are such uninteresting people talking about why they think London is interesting?

[@nokwandasthokomkhize5218]

I was also asking myself the same thing

[@HB-md8ly]

Akala being Truth and Fire!!!

[@MrAkgunner84]

We must protect akala at all costs!

[@langegemi-fob4414]

MrAkgunner84 lol 😂

[@petezefeet]

think Akala had some good points about Carnival

[@thobanivitaleous2837]

i love these forums. they are so inspiring and it gives me hope we still have people like Akala who are young yet so intelligent about global affairs.

[@jermainelong1843]

LOL!!!! The artist guy in purple starts answering the question with a hundred speculative questions about the original question!!?! :-)

[@glendoralashley]

Akala has been ripping my head open these past few days! Refreshing and depressing at once.

[@kristak.1625]

I think what the question was meant to ask is "is London too rich to be enjoyable" only because the term 'interesting' is too vague. 'Interesting' can be anything new that you haven't experienced before, even frightening and terrible; for instance to someone who's lived in a democracy their whole life; anarchy or dictatorship might be interesting to them because it's foreign and or new to them and in the same way, to someone who lived under an oppressive government like in North Korea, a democratic country lie the US might be interesting to learn about. In other words, 'interesting' is too intangible, but 'enjoyable' is not because no one (in their right mind anyways) would prefer oppression to freedom, although one might be fascinated or 'interested' by oppression but not want to leave their freedom to go experience it. And the way the question was approached was from the angle of 'enjoyability' or 'admiration' because they were wondering why people would leave where they're from to come and partake in London's culture. Now that I've redefined the question, let me answer it, I believe a place like London is 'enjoyable' and can attract many people because it offers something unique that tourist most likely never get a chance to experience from where they're from; a place with one of the largest populations in the world so people from many walks of life can be encountered and many cultures are present within it's borders, obviously through the fact that it's the 'birthplace of english' the most spoken, lingua franca, of the world, the epicentre of a former empire that colonized scores of nations who still to this day have some relation to England, one of the oldest cities in the world rich with culture, history and architecture and many other attributes which I don't have the time to number. But the question asks if the fact that London is so 'rich' the reason why it isn't enjoyable, but now I would come in and say that not only is London 'enjoyable' or 'interesting' to use the term in the question but unlike the question suggests, this 'enjoyability' or 'interestingness' neither exists despite or because of the wealth of London but it's rather because of it's history and that the wealth also happens to be the result of that history. Therefore the wealth should not be confused as a factor or cause but rather a byproduct of sorts.

[@starlyt8066]

akala came with facts and nobody clapped lol

[@OpiTheFitnessAnimator]

Akala setting it straight as usual. Always interesting to listen to. Dropping gems consistently.

[@garvey6333]

52:00 listen to what Akala says completely truthful and insightful??? Then spec ed over there comments "GREAT" in complete sarcasm made my blood boil😳

[@Dalisu87]

The first guy talking rubbish, London is interesting because its now rich, and its only rich because of the historic effect of colonialism.

[@lechevaliermalfet1]

no it was rich before that.

[@nograviti2388]

+the dab It really wasn't. Prior to empire and industrialization London was nothing compared to many other cities across the globe at the time...

[@lechevaliermalfet1]

Nograviti2 it was in roman times,and it all ways has been,them many other were not rich for long,they come and gone,but London has all ways been a financial centre.

[@nograviti2388]

+the dab Nope even in the heyday of the Roman Empire, London was tiny compared to Rome. After the decline of the Roman Empire London became a very insignificant city with no global influence at all. Beijing, Baghdad and Istanbul have been larger and more prosperous for much longer periods of time. London only took the crown of the worlds largest city in 1825 so what are you talking about.?

[@lechevaliermalfet1]

Nograviti2 maybe tiny compared to Rome,but it was one of the biggest in the empire.and the biggest north of the alps. and Baghdad by 1900 was as big as Norwich,come to think of it,maybe not as big.I give you that it had a lot of influence from 762 to 1500,but seem that it spent most of that time,being sacked.

[@Urbanlegend7]

I just came here to watch Akala go in on snobby white middle class people * eats popcorn *

[@roybatty2269]

+Samuel K Yes, racists do enjoy watching their pseudo-intellectual racist role models being racist.

[@Urbanlegend7]

+Roy Batty Lol. The only racist person here was the white guy who was too blinded by his privilege to acknowledge gentrification and cultural appropriation.

[@Urbanlegend7]

+Roy Batty you're just throwing insults without explaining why what I say is untrue * yawn *

[@roybatty2269]

Samuel K Not insults, facts.

[@roybatty2269]

Samuel K Whatever tickles you tiny IQ mate...

[@slowdownthere4802]

Continue Akala, Continue.

[@90jimmychoo]

Akala could never be just a rapper, his message runs way too deep

[@topboi17]

Talking sense akala

[@iaintmadatcha]

The world needs more Akalas

[@muqy1010]

You just said the world needs more "a black guy" lmfao

[@dicerevo]

since when was the noun Akala synonymous with black guy? I though what was being said was the world needs more people who critically question the society and the construct in which they live like Akala. But hey that's just my interpretation.

[@muqy1010]

Akala means a black guy in Arabic/urdu which he grew up around he even said thats what his name means because he simply is a black guy he loves the simplicity of it.

[@NextSound170]

Louise Engels Such a beautiful woman with an immense missunderstanding of Racism, it is pseudo scientific nonsense created by the scholars who wanted to put them and the rest of themselves as superior. London being too rich is true, it's not about skin colour. No one has a say in which nation they're born under, love transcends all religion, creed, class all those things are text book ism, no more ist or ism and schism. It's human nature, understanding and common sense. Common being inate, this black vs white mentality is the reason why we're in this mess. Beauty but no reasoning love.

[@jorrgfromage9929]

Abolish the notion of identity. Ban the concept of identity. Do not identify as british, male, white, black, female, rich, poor, jewish, muslim gay, bi, christian etc Have no identity. problem solved.

[@elliotstannard5621]

Listening to Gavin speak is like listening to Minister Jim Hacker answer a journalist's questions on Yes Minister.

[@deanreeve8097]

Good luck to all the rich folks and all their interesting lives 'beavering away'.

[@rubenrichardson22]

Akala is incredible

[@Alchemistic88]

The artists opening speech heavily reminds me of Mr Bean's speech about the 'Whistler's Mother' painting at the end of his movie when he goes to Hollywood. Everyone made eloquent points and this guy bumbles in, saying NOTHING useful.

[@garvey6333]

Again 1:20:00 Akala gave an undeniably valid and interesting point which I was very surprised he didn't get applauded yet the finance guy got clap up for counteracting Akala with OK a fairly good statement but nowhere near as valid as Akala's ☝🏽️ and he got an astounding around of applause🤔I don't think a lot of the audience are fans of Akala (romantically stated)😂

[@nathanielrichards3494]

Akala is too intelligent for this conversation these people have no clue

[@ConservativeBiscuit]

The gentleman with the beard was painful to listen to

[@Jon_H_S]

Gavin Turk was a waste of a seat. That man could dither for England!

[@CampbellsAdventures]

Akala is fantastic, I love his mind and how he articulates his views supported by facts. I wish they had called on him more in this discussion. Actually I would love to see Akala debate any of our top tier politicians, I can guarantee it would be revealing

[@Commentcoach]

I used to listen to Akala and then he became conscious... I was like, don't no one want to hear that ish Shaiff! NOW, I'm up to speed. We eventually get there... Good show!

[@KaiusKing]

Great panel - all gave different introspections! I watch this at least once a month lol

[@BrownSkinnedDiva95]

the artist talked shit and loves sound of his own voice...snooze fest. Big up AKALA I am in love with authentic fearless human beings who not only talk sense but talk from their heart

[@jimjerry1525]

We are blessed to have Akala on our planet 🌍 he is always drops off the real organic knowledge and intellectual energy/tips

[@jakalamanewtown6814]

Variety of performers , here, make their points, yet the show must go on.

[@apexinfovore7309]

8:30 Akala asks "Why is London creative, how did it become creative?" Because London is a major city in a continent which for many centuries has consistently produced great minds that have transformed human society, culture and technology. This can be attributed to the secular traditions that emerged from the enlightenment, which should be a source of pride for every European.

[@dannyhughes4889]

At one point in recent times there was a stipulation that a certain percentage of the cost of any new Commercial building constructed in major cities in Australia had to be allocated to Art. I don't remember exact details of the sums that flowed to this creative sector but it caused a flurry of activity for Artists. I lived in London at the time the Canary Wharf project opened and was shocked as I walked through the almost deserted streets where nothing was going on. It wasn't until the Tube was extended to include this area that it took off.

[@luckydave328]

A bit of spin from Akala. Firstly the Carnival attracts 11 times the number of people there are at Glastonbury. But that is not the only reason for the police presence. The police are not at Notting Hill Carnival predominantly for drugs... particularly weed which they tend to turn a blind eye to. They are there because of violence and robbery which takes place every year and has done regularly , (I think ever since the sound systems were introduced.) Glastonbury is less policed despite the more dangerous drug abuse because there is much less violence and virtually no robbery. Last year there were 12 arrests at Glastonbury despite increased security and police presence including airport style metal detectors and sniffer dogs. Most if not all bags were searched on entry. Only one arrest was for assault and criminal damage. There were 343 arrests at Notting Hill half for violence and carrying deadly weapons. This included 37 assaults on police. The rest were for robbery and supplying hard drugs (not weed!). I think Akala is well aware of this and is being disingenuous because amongst this group he is perceived as an authority on both Carribean and street culture so he will not be questioned or contradicted on the matter. He seems to have forgotten that there is a much wider audience on youtube !

[@luckydave328]

@Ewarton Charlton I totally agree about the football violence (though it is mostly between willing participants who go there to fight, whereas at Notting Hill it is either attacks on police or on victims of robbery and other passive recipients.) I don't know about the drugs but as I said that is not a top priority and it is mostly dealers who are arrested. But in any case that was not my point. Akala was comparing Notting Hill to Glastonbury so I did the same. That's where the spin came in and that's what I challenged. I stand by my comment and you haven't disproved it.

[@luckydave328]

@Ewarton Charlton Btw Glastonbury is a live event. So you were wrong to include that. Most live events (besides football) do not have the level of violence that Carnival has. I used to attend every year from almost the beginning btw but stopped going after I witnessed a steaming gang going through the crowd- and I saved a few toddlers and mums who were getting crushed, by persuading the guard to open the gates quickly at Ladbroke Grove Station which were closed and take the pressure off the crowd who were being pushed to one side as the gang went through, robbing tourists and others as they went. I forget which year that was now but it was in the early 90's. I used to enjoy it before that.

[@luckydave328]

@Ewarton Charlton When you google it a lot of different reports come up. I looked at 2019 there was one assault at Glastonbury. (Most years there have been none.) There were multiple assaults at Carnival including four stabbings. Sorry it took me so long to respond. I only just now saw your comment. There is violence every year at Carnival. I stopped going a while back after witnessing quite a lot of it for several years in a row. One year a 'steaming' gang came through the crowd robbing people as they went. They caused a panic which pushed people up against walls etc and children were in danger of getting crushed. I decided to call it a day. I used to love Carnival in the old days.

[@GreenOrchid9]

Akalla's spot on!

[@smartcookie79]

I would have thought its pretty simple. Interest is a highly subjective concept so by default the more homogeneous something is, the narrower the range of people will find it interesting. But not necessarily to more or less people, pop culture being a prime example.

[@charisayton4469]

what is the bald guy on about?

[@langegemi-fob4414]

Charis fudge knows

[@yomidahl8323]

+Perry Rogers The white race is the dominant ruling race in the UK and Europe. There is a difference between racial prejudice and racism. Any race can be racially prejudice, however only white ruling class can be racist, As racism means when one race using its powers and control to disadvantage or oppress another race. This without a doubt is at play here!

[@Kim-xe4kc]

This debate for the most part pained me. an appealing but problematically framed question making the answer rely on notions of the word interesting which is far too vague without prior definition and contingent on what you find interesting, as Akala pointed out. Devolved into a political debate in which no side could agree to what they were talking about and vague assertions that London was or is interesting... In defence of the artist in the purple suit, his sense of time may have been different but he had good points. at least he was not saying that the english language draws people into london ... as if that’s not because we have colonised enough of the world to speak it and giving it colonial precendence over every other language spoken in london 🤕

[@funkyrodent66]

Actually painful watching gavin turk answer questions

[@apexinfovore7309]

5:30 Simon Jenkins claims that places like Newham, New Cross and Brixton have become interesting because people are being forced to live there. Were the original residents not people? Is he suggesting that increasing the number of people makes a place more interesting? Or is he referring to a better and more interesting sort of person?

[@b1ueocean]

Apex Infovore Akala resolved the riddle - interesting to who? 😂

[@guguncube2308]

Gentification

[@JaySmurkzTV]

London can never not be interesting, there have been times I found it boring but it depends where you're at in life. There is a danger of it selling out to the international rich, I'd hate to see that happen. The city does have a balance and that's key.

[@davidebertoncello2336]

tbh all the speakers provided interesting perspectives

[@alexthompson5172]

bbk in da house

[@rpx1979]

that bearded guy does like to waffle...

[@xevious2501]

the problem is the question itself is rooted in racist perspective. Interesting to who? by what measure? Who deems something to be interesting or not? And who has given authority for said deemer's to be that authority?. Thats the problem. Im from Brooklyn NY, Brooklyn was always a great Borough, yes there were periods of high crime,like all of the city, and not just from blacks but from all its residing culture thru the ages, Blacks Jews Italians, whites etc. it was always known to be a hardened place, yet it also was always a great place to live. Before 911 people didn't care a thing about Brooklyn, that was the 'Bad place" where black people and Jews lived. It wasn't interesting to most whites who had long taken it off their radar excluding those living in the bushwick section. in the early 90's the city began imposing rent-control that inevitably began forcing families having lived in various sections for generation to move out, as such their homes, Row houses and brownstones well know for their beauty and luxury became a target for real estate companies to acquire and renovate for the rich. Peoples who discovered the benefits of being in short distance to Manhattan, easy commuting, great schools and all that no longer was available in Manhattan, and certainly not at its cost. basically they found gold. and whites began flooding in. first a trickle then the whole dam broke. the city of Brooklyn looking to get rich turned on its native residence allowing gentrification to invade. kicking the undesirable natives out by measure of raising cost or by buying owners out, underselling what their property was truly worth. only then did this 'interest' in Brooklyn take shape. Only then did Brooklyn become a name of wonderment, because the wealthy had moved in. but before then. it wasn't even a place that yellow cabs would cross a bridge to go. now... an entirely city of office building and multi million dollar sky rises have risen. I dont think it bad for many to move into Brooklyn, but Brooklyn is not Manhattan, its not a place for snobs, and certainly not a place where such people come in sit down and start demanding changes to suit their needs. we've seen many cases of that, people moving into neighborhoods, and imposing that the neighborhood should cater to them, no knowing nor caring that Brooklyn neighborhoods are built from generations of families who interactively shaped the area culture to their ways, the very essence of a neighborhood. these people come in as typical European white invaders. calling the police on their neighbors because they dont like something. and the police more than happy to chase that wealthy dollar. as such tensions arise. Interesting enough we see the same thing in the Uk, with the Arab invasion into such areas that were exclusive to wealthy whites, rich snobs and their neighborhoods being imposed on by even wealthier Arabs. and those realestate companies more than willing to chase oil wealth. Now such places become even more 'interesting' and with those whites being pushed out, and moving into area's that were once undesirable to them, now.. all of a sudden those places are interesting? you see its all about greed. and peoples worship of wealth and those who have it. if warren buffett buys a hole in the wall, then we deem the hole in to have value. but morse is the mindset of those who move into neighborhoods, in their minds they can care less about who their now, but they see it as a place to be when the natives are pushed out. and thats what i despise. not that people of any race move in, but know that your moving into neighborhoods and that means you should get to know the neighborhood the people its cultures. not coming in with a bulldozer and a snobby attitude. people like that i truly hate. its not about money, its about respecting people, respecting your neighbors and their cultures, not pissing down their backs because you think your privileged to. Brooklyn was always chock full of culturally bonded neighborhoods, Italians , polish, Jews, African american. and thru the years ive seen the migrations, Italians move out replaced by Russians, some Jews replaced by Asians, African Americans replaced by Caribbeans so on and so forth, but in all the transitions none have been so imposing and careless about such neighborhoods as wealthy whites.

[@wilfredsterling2124]

Simon Jenkins as a historian seems to disagree with the relativity of the terms interesting and rich - although although he does allude to the importance of environment to aid interesting pursuits. And therefore an understanding of social constructions ...he comes across as tribal.... Tanya Gold provided an excellent analysis of the way financial wealth can suck the life out of culture... And uses social cleansing as the prime example...

[@wilfredsterling2124]

I interpret Jenkins ideas of financial wealth and interesting culture, as both coming about as natural, innate, hereditary. Speaking of the people who make these things happen in very categorical terms.....as artists as having a distinct identity, different, even alien to other people...

[@CoreySenderson]

This question doesn't make sense to me. The more money you have theoretically the more potential you have to produce interesting things. So the idea that you could be too rich to be interesting sounds silly. The better question in my opinion is where is the money going and how it it affecting the city.

[@mace2k3]

Its about diversity, the more different things there are, the more 'interesting' it is. The point is, yes things will change, but it must happen in a way which encourages access and diversity.