On Friday, April 16, 2004, at 02:51 PM, WizardMarks wrote:
All of us who live in this general area (So. Phillips, Central, Powderhorn, Corcoran) have worked our fannies off to change this stuff for a very long time.
Another observation: gangbangers throw litter to lead a trail through the streets to themselves. Any corner where street dealers want to work, they nest in. Litter, self created, along with urine, condoms, chicken bones, pizzas, etc. are their nest building materials. It's a form of urban guerilla warfare.
Except, I'd spell that gorilla. We often feel that we are so distant from our close cousins in the ape world that we can't possibly have behavioral crossovers. But I think Wizard is onto something with the nest building.
When archeologists dig up old living areas, invariably there are refuse pits. So neatness counted even back then. Yet we know from living cultures (stilt houses for example) that refuse and dung can also be used to ward off predators. So there is that nest building aspect.
I guess the question is, what is the behavior we are looking at? It isn't helpful to me to say people are responsible and they need to fall in line.
On the one hand small communities of humans always seem to desire order and compliance so the community can live together harmoniously. That's what we have to work on in our neighborhoods.
But when community is fractured and neighborhoods lack cohesion and identity the junk yard dogs move in with their nest building.
Thanks Wiz, for the inspired insight.
Best,
Laura
Laura Waterman Wittstock MIGIZI Communications, Inc. 3123 East Lake Street Minneapolis, MN 55406 612.721.6631 ext 219 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.migizi.org
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