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The drawbridge mentality is increasingly common in major cities. A place was perfect when you moved there and fell in love. Any changes since then are but a fal
by Kalium 9y ago
The drawbridge mentality is increasingly common in major cities. A place was perfect when you moved there and fell in love. Any changes since then are but a fall from grace, an unwelcome change that destroys everything you love and insults your wonderful memories.
It's a deeply human and very understandable response. Of course, that isn't the same as making good policy.
- csours 9y agoThere's a walking/hiking trail behind my house. One of my neighbors hates the fact that the trail has been 'improved' and now other people use it. He was used to it being 'his' trail.
- hkmurakami 9y agoLife is obviously about collecting positive externalities. ;)
- Spivak 9y agoIs this supposed to be an unreasonable opinion? I run all the 'bad' trails in my city because it's nice to be alone. Just because something is a net gain doesn't mean some people don't lose.
- csours 9y agoThe reason I bought that house in particular is because of the trail and green space. I think its funny(?) that he was complaining to (at?) me, and I'm part of the problem. > Just because something is a net gain doesn't mean some people don't lose. See also free trade. Consumers benefit, but some workers lose.
- trophycase 9y agoEh I can understand it. In our society it really seems that nothing is sacred and it's really easy to empathize with someone who just wants one thing to go untainted by capitalism
- Kalium 9y agoIt sounds like this person wanted the public to maintain a resource (trail and green space) but also maintain near-private access. It's possible that improvements to this public good are capitalism in action, destroying something beautiful and wonderful. But, some might see this scenario as someone attempting to capture public resources (the trail and its maintenance) for their own gain, which is one of the worst expressions of capitalism. It's perhaps less easy to empathize with that.
- murftown 9y agoYeah ... I don't think someone who celebrates a bit of mostly untouched nature in the city they live in represents "one of the worst expressions of capitalism". I follow your line of thinking, but I think it's a bit out of context.
- Kalium 9y agoI understand how you feel. Untouched nature isn't one of the excesses of capitalism! Yet, perhaps a government-maintained trail that someone feels entitled to treat as their private property is something less than a shining example of virtue.
- davidw 9y agoI get perhaps a feeling of "wistfulness" for how things used to be, but getting angry or hateful that other people now enjoy something too seems like an unhealthy attitude.