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"Helping each other" is a radical idea ... what a strange world we live in. Interesting podcast episode from Freakonomics talking about the loneliness epidemic
by Swizec 4y ago
"Helping each other" is a radical idea ... what a strange world we live in.
Interesting podcast episode from Freakonomics talking about the loneliness epidemic[1] and a related episode from Freakonimics MD[2] both mentioning the 1995 Chicago heat wave and how it impacted different neighborhoods differently. Living in a neighborhood with a communal spirit increases your chances of survival.
But here's the kicker: It seems that certain neighborhoods are specifically targeted by policies to disrupt said communal spirit. Primarily through zoning regulations and methodical removal of "3rd places".
[1] https://freakonomics.com/podcast/is-there-really-a-loneliness-epidemic-rebroadcast/ https://freakonomics.com/podcast/is-there-really-a-lonelines...
[2] https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-will-we-handle-the-heat/ https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-will-we-handle-the-heat...
- nyanpasu64 4y agoNeither of your links (nor the source article) references zoning or 3rd/third places, let alone "methodical removal". Do you have a source for that?
- Swizec 4y agoPretty sure I heard it mentioned in the podcast episodes, perhaps between the lines. Freakonomics transcripts aren’t word-for-word from what I’ve noticed. I could also be mis-remembering or mixing in yet a 3rd episode from the same hosts. But here is a source for how freeways were designed to primarily go through black neighborhoods (and thus disrupt them) -> https://www.history.com/news/interstate-highway-system-infrastructure-construction-segregation https://www.history.com/news/interstate-highway-system-infra...
- WarOnPrivacy 4y ago> Neither of your links (nor the source article) references zoning or 3rd/third places, let alone "methodical removal". Do you have a source for that? His links support the paragraph they're referenced in. Why would you assume they support a different paragraph where me makes a tangential point?
- barathr 4y agoKlinenberg's book "Palaces for the People" is very worth a (quick) read. Talks about the importance of physical, "social infrastructure" (similar to the idea of "third places") in cities that enable people to weave communities ties that then lead them to be resilient in times of stress.
- ericmcer 4y agoWhat really kills communal spirit is low rate of home ownership. I can walk down my street and tell who rents vs who owns based on the front yards. People who own actually invest into making it nice, and will be out front gardening or wave when you walk by. Why would you do any of that when you're going to be gone in a year or two? It makes more sense that people riot and burn their own communities when you realize they are just renting everything they have.
- thimkerbell 4y agoI think what destroys communal spirit is a sense of futility, a sense that good deeds get discouraged or outright punished. Whether that's just local to some environments, I don't know.
- cycomanic 4y agoMany countries have much higher rates of renters and still more communal spirit, so I don't think you can just attribute it to renting. One thing that those places typically have is protection for renters so they have an actual long term perspective. In contrast to other places where your landlord can throw you out or raise rent with little notice. Moreover in many places renters can't even make improvements to their house, I mean in Australia you are not even allowed to put a nail in the wall when renting.