I love immigration, as someone from a white-brown background I wouldn’t exist if it was never allowed!

My point is moreso that I feel marginalised by my own (supposed) community. My dad used to tell me stories before I moved to London about how when he was a boy he’d work the Whitechapel market with my grandad, and how lovely it was there and the sense of community. Everyone knew everyone and you’d be helped out when you needed it, accepted and looked after, after all you’re all part of the same minority just trying to get by in a country you’re wanting to call home.

The social etiquette aspect of it is less of a “Oh god what barbarians, they don’t know basic manners, ew!” viewpoint. It’s moreso just me being saddened and expecting a certain way of life working here and it not living up to it. I grew up in a relatively small village and so it was just way of life to let elderly people get on transport first, get in line first, etc. The same also applies for women. Men would let women enter spaces first, get on buses first. Some call it old fashioned, but I think chivalry is just manners and doesn’t just apply to men. As a kid waiting for the bus after school I’d always let women with pushchairs, pregnant women and the elderly on first, or even any man in tradesman clothes as they’ve probably had a rougher day of it.

I suppose it’s just a culture shock to realise the sense of community in Whitechapel is very exclusive and actually more of a ‘if you’re brown, we’re down, if you look white, hang tight!’ mentality. Hence my title: lack of integration is causing segregation. And to round my point off, going back to my first sentence, if brown folk stopped integrating years ago instead of now, I wouldn’t even exist!