4 ms·

> This isn't necessarily bad, and there are plenty of innocuous unpleasant designs: doors with locks, fences, car alarms, even those faucets in airport bathroom

> This isn't necessarily bad, and there are plenty of innocuous unpleasant designs: doors with locks, fences, car alarms, even those faucets in airport bathrooms you have to keep pushing to keep them from turning off. Sometimes you need to make something less friendly in order to prevent certain unwanted uses. I think the key difference here is that these things prevent burglary, trespassing, grand theft, and thousands of gallons of wasted water. The Camden bench just makes it so you don't have to see a homeless person. There's something distinctly dehumanizing about that, moreso than door locks.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
TeMPOraL 10y ago
The difference between locks/fences/car alarms and those benches is literally the difference between criminals and homeless people. All those designs are purposeful attempts at deterring a particular social group. The question to ask is when it's right to act this way.
- kgwgk 10y ago
  Do you think is right to prevent homeless people from sleeping in your car or your home?
  - TeMPOraL 10y ago
    It is. But we're talking about preventing homeless from using public space to live.
    - kgwgk 10y ago
      I think we agree in that case that the difference with locks on doors is not literally the difference between criminals and homeless people.