Speaking of Londoners, a stereotype comes to mind -a man in a dark suit with an umbrella in hand and Big Ben barely visible against the foggy sky. Londoners often give the impression of being reserved. But The News York Times recently issued a report headlined True Londoners Are Extinct. What defines a Londoner exactly? The criteria can be tricky.  The newspaper discovered that over the last decade, the foreign-born population in London reached 2.6 million, about a third of the city's population.  "Foreigners can't be Londoners," a British political campaigner told the newspaper.   A true Londoner would never support Manchester United, the newspaper quoted a man in a pub. Fair enough, since one has four other top league clubs to choose from, you must be too ignorant to be a Londoner. Next issue is where you live. There are those who believe that true Londoners are cockneys--those who were born within earshot of Bow Bells.  The oddest claim of all was from a pub goer: "A real Londoner would never, never, ever, eat at one of those bloody Angus steakhouses in the West End. That's how you tell." Indeed, London is a city "prejudiced" with directions. You quickly discover which part of the city suits your temperament. West London, one woman said to The New York Times, was too "brittle" for her. But the West End is the place where the noble accent was born along with shopping malls and top flight residential estates.  South Londoners hate going north. North Londoners forget there's a south beyond the South Bank. East London is close to the port and the site of early industrial development. It's often considered one of the poorest areas in the city.  "You can't cut the prejudice out of London," a university student said to the newspaper. But it is this uneasy charm that gives the city its unique dynamic. If a Londoner supports Manchester United, he will be considered_.
tricky honest ignorant tolerant