Student beatings

[drbastard]

During my time at Sheffield Uni a strange form of graffiti began to crop up around the campus area. It consisted of the letter S sprayed in red aerosol surrounded by some sort of symbol-usually placed on road signs walls etc. Commenting on it, I was told by a friend that it was known that a local gang was going around beating up students, and the graffiti was their way of proudly marking the location of each attack (the 'S' standing for student). The whole thing seemed absurd to me, and there was no evidence whatsoever to support the story. I put it down as a UL fuelled by a deep-rooted fear of possibly hostile natives with a grudge (Sheffield being, at least once upon a time, an area of high unemployment). I was wondering if there have been any similar ULs and whether this is a variation of a common one?

 

[again6]

I'm guilty of being way off-topic here, but I read the 'letter S' and decided it was too good an opportunity to pass up, regarding something that's puzzled me for years.

In Australia, there is quite often a letter 'S' attached to the exterior of old buildings. The 'S' is always made from some type of metal; probably steel or iron. Usually they're unpainted and are attached to the outside walls reasonably high up near the eaves.

Anyone know what the reason could be for the attachment of this symbol to old buildings?

 

[escargot]

Yup, it's not a sign but the end of a strut (dunno the proper term) which is holding the wall straight and stopping it bowing outwards.

You'll have noticed that it's always older buildings and possibly always brick ones, though I may be wrong on that bit.

 

[Mythopoeika]

We've got those metal s-shaped masonry supports over here in the UK, too. Also, we've got X-shaped ones dotted about.

 

[JurekB]

Back on topic, there used to be a pub opposite my halls of residence where it was claimed the locals did over one hapless student with pool cue's.

I never knew who the student was and neither did anyone else but the story was always retold as gospel and was the reason why none of us ever went into that pub.

 

[sonofajoiner]

Hello there!

I had a couple of friends who were students in Hull a few years ago. The Cottingham Road area was pretty much populated entirely by students and there were several tales of drunken locals swooping on said area at weekends and doing over students. On one occasion when I was staying with one of my mates a couple of 'youths' did indeed run amok along the street and put a wheelie bin through the window of the neighbours house whilst shouting anti-student abuse. Unfortunately the house they targeted was one of a handful of non-student dwellings in the area! My friend reckoned this kind of thing was a common occurence.
Also whilst a student in York, the university accomodation office posted lists of supposedly student unfriendly areas that we were advised to avoid. No specifics were given but the story that most people repeated was of a student house being burned down in Tang Hall by disgruntled residents. None of my york born and bred mates, some of whom lived in Tang Hall had ever heard of such an event.

 

[Leaferne]

Town-gown relations can get awfully strained. I once overhead one of my crazy neighbours berating another for being "Queen's trash" (even though she was not and had never been a student there). There are certain bars here where students are ill-advised to enter, and the townies love to beat students up in general. Kingston also has St. Lawrence College and the Royal Military College, and soldiers from Fort Drum like to come up and drink here so it gets...interesting.

Home-owners upset by students

Homecoming party a smashing affair

Oh, look, even the cops hate students:

Chief Closs denies threatening students

 

[lkb3rd]

here in new haven, we have "Yalies"(Yale students).
i used to work as a bartender here in town, and if i hadn't been working, i would have been hard pressed not to beat a few of em myself. to be balanced, i knew some really cool ones, and even worked with some at the same bar, who were fine.. often they hated the yalies too hehe.
anyway...
it seems quite possible to me that the town DOES hate the students, people beat them up, and the police chief looks the other way if some of em get treated poorly.
i don't know of anyone who works at a bar or restaurant in new haven who likes the students (Yalies are clearly the worst lol)

 

[Anonymous]

A stylised 'S' spray painted everywhere in Sheffield? About eight or nine years ago maybe? Heh heh. Oh, I know the truth behind that one. It's more hideous than you could ever believe...

OK, so, much as I would love to string this along at great length or just leave it hanging, I suppose I should explain. As far as I know, that particular bit of graffiti was related to the local band Avida Dollars (Salvadore Dali's sometime pseudonym). It was supposed to be the dollar sign, plus some spookiness. Worked well initially, but I remember the student community suddenly freaking out about it and a few locals sniggering knowingly. Hey, it's our Yorkshire charm.

There is a lot of very odd graffiti still in the Ecclesall Road area; long ranting chalked up speeches which appear to have been badly translated from some other language and possibly represent the work of someone with a severe personality disorder. I'll try and get a photo sometime.

There was also an epidemic of extremist sloganeering last year, which initially seemed a bit scary until I cottoned on that the handwriting was always the same.

 

[gellatly68]

When I was at Bangor Uni, there was a rumour that the locals were cutting off students' ears and getting some kind of 'bounty' from Meibion Glyndwr :shock:

 

[drbastard]

A stylised 'S' spray painted everywhere in Sheffield? About eight or nine years ago maybe? Heh heh. Oh, I know the truth behind that one. It's more hideous than you could ever believe...

OK, so, much as I would love to string this along at great length or just leave it hanging, I suppose I should explain. As far as I know, that particular bit of graffiti was related to the local band Avida Dollars (Salvadore Dali's sometime pseudonym). It was supposed to be the dollar sign, plus some spookiness. Worked well initially, but I remember the student community suddenly freaking out about it and a few locals sniggering knowingly. Hey, it's our Yorkshire charm.

There is a lot of very odd graffiti still in the Ecclesall Road area; long ranting chalked up speeches which appear to have been badly translated from some other language and possibly represent the work of someone with a severe personality disorder. I'll try and get a photo sometime.

There was also an epidemic of extremist sloganeering last year, which initially seemed a bit scary until I cottoned on that the handwriting was always the same.

Yes MrHyde, 'that’s definitely the one- nice one, thanks! :yeay: . Finally I receive an answer after all of these years. I thought it would be something like that but it struck me even at the time that it must be a UL. I imagine the locals getting a good laugh out of that one.

Oh Lord I miss Sheffield. Don’t know about Eccleshall Road- well I went there frequently but it’s all a blur now- (just shapes, colours, light, movement- nothing more tangible than that ). I’m interested in inexplicable graffiti, particularly the type you mention, so it would be great if you could post those photos, maybe start a new thread on it (don't know if there is one currently).

When I was at Bangor Uni, there was a rumour that the locals were cutting off students' ears and getting some kind of 'bounty' from Meibion Glyndwr :shock:

Sounds like a more disturbing variation on the theme... who's Meibion Glyndwr?

 

[gellatly68]

Meibion Glyndwr, or The Sons of Glendower, are/were a group of Welsh militants, vigorously opposed to what they saw as the continuing colonisation of Cymru by the English language and the English in general. During the 80's they were behind a lot of holiday home firebombings.
But at least in North Wales, they really know how to give a housewarming party...