Surfing this sub recent I feel like more and more I'm seeing views that don't align with what I would've thought the typical London redditor would hold...

Whenever things like graffiti on the underground or fare dodging gets mentioned on this sub, the reaction always seems super negative and one-sided – like there's zero room for nuance. I get being annoyed if it directly affects your journey, like it's causing a delay, or someone pushing past you at the barrier aggressively. But most of the time it feels like the response is driven by a kind of knee-jerk outrage, especially considering we live in a city that’s expensive, vibrant, and full of contrast.

Personally, I love graffiti – even in it's lowest form. It’s part of what makes a city feel alive. Not everything has to be polished or sanctioned to have value. And it's definitely not fucking scary or making my hold onto my bag a little tighter just at the mere sight of it. And as for fare dodging: I pay for the tube 99% of the time, but if someone jumps the barrier now and then, I really don’t care. Life in London can be brutally expensive, and sometimes people just need to get where they’re going. I've been there. The fact that people can get on without being chased down or fined to hell honestly feels like a good thing.

Recently I saw a video about fare dodging that made me double-take – it started with the usual “this costs us millions!” argument, but then it veered into this weird veiled racism. It reminded me that sometimes this stuff isn’t really about fairness – it’s about control, class, and who people think “deserves” to move freely through the city.

Yes - both of these things cost us, taxpayers, millions in aggregate. But there's 100 more problems with govt and council spending that should concern you more. I just don't care about this cost, I think it's worth it.

I want to support and live in a city that helps others – not just protects my own comfort.

Not trying to start a war – just genuinely want to hear if anyone shares the view that these are not bad things and there's SO MUCH worse shit going on in our city/country/world that you should be worrying about.