It’s curious, what escapes people’s idea of rudeness. For instance: pointing out someone’s weight is a unanimous no-go, but height – surely even more arbitrary – continues to be fair game. Ditto commenting derogatorily on where someone’s from – at least, as long as it’s Birmingham, England’s second city and first punchline for jokes about idiotic accents and general urban bleakness.
As an unusually tall woman who grew up in that much-maligned metropolis, I have direct experience of both, and can confirm that while they’re equally annoying, the latter is much more pernicious. It is extraordinary what comes out of generally polite people’s mouths when I tell them I’m from Birmingham – from hilarious faux condolences to variations on, “Oh, I hear it’s horrible.”
