Rail Quest
Member
On suggestion by another user, I thought I'd create a thread about bullying of trainspotters in schools and/or general abuse that may be received at all ages of life as this is an element of the hobby I've long accepted as being "part of it". However, recent discussions in another thread have suggested that it may not have been as long ago as I'd expected that trainspotting was, at the very least, not something people would be targeted for.
As a bit of backstory, both myself and my friend who got me into the hobby were bullied in school for having this hobby (we're in our early 20s now so would have been in school during the mid 2010s) and this ranged from relentless but simple name calling to (on rare occasions) physical assaults. Speaking to other trainspotters of our age - I'm yet to find someone in that age range who didn't get bullied because of it aside from those who never told anyone in school out of fear of being bullied. This also has extended beyond school and I have, on occasional, heard abuse being shouted at spotters on platforms of particular stations (particularly by football fans) and have heard some worrying stories in the past on similar cases.
My question to forum users is - what is your experience with both bullying in school related to trainspotting and abuse at transpotters when out and about if you are comfortable sharing experiences? It would be interesting to hear your perspectives and peoples opinions on the wider affect this could have on the hobby/community.
As a bit of backstory, both myself and my friend who got me into the hobby were bullied in school for having this hobby (we're in our early 20s now so would have been in school during the mid 2010s) and this ranged from relentless but simple name calling to (on rare occasions) physical assaults. Speaking to other trainspotters of our age - I'm yet to find someone in that age range who didn't get bullied because of it aside from those who never told anyone in school out of fear of being bullied. This also has extended beyond school and I have, on occasional, heard abuse being shouted at spotters on platforms of particular stations (particularly by football fans) and have heard some worrying stories in the past on similar cases.
My question to forum users is - what is your experience with both bullying in school related to trainspotting and abuse at transpotters when out and about if you are comfortable sharing experiences? It would be interesting to hear your perspectives and peoples opinions on the wider affect this could have on the hobby/community.