if you are struggling to fill your column with something really interesting, knocking out a quick rant and using a whole bunch of stereotypes at an 'easy target' group where you'll get some quick sympathy from the readership is the clear way to go!
I totally agree with you. This sounds like the kind of "quick, deadline approaching, how can I knock out a few hundred words of outrage... dunno... time to dust down some cliches about Little Hitlers and fussy bureaucrats... will this do?".
I'm sure that if this schoolgirl whinge had been published on a more left-leaning publication (rather than one which Boris Johnson edited), the Spectator would be outraged at the lack of morals - "FARE EVASION IS A SIGN OF BROKEN BRITAIN" / "THESE ****LESS TICKET DODGERS HAVE NO RESPECT FOR THE LAW" etc etc.
It's funny how some people insist that we respect the rule of law, until they become inconvenienced by having to respect those same rules themselves (like having a valid ticket).
In a world of clickbait, the once-sober world of columnists seems to be a hysterical "LOOK AT ME" environment where the more outraged you sound, the more clicks you get, this kind of nonsense will probably become more typical (sadly).
