Today we were engaged in a fascinating conversation about safety, people, and places, especially thinking about how we associate safety with certain groups of people based on class, race, and neighborhood stereotypes. We also talked about nature and how we sometimes want our nature manicured versus "natural". Again, I would like us to define terms, what do we mean by natural and unnatural? Are humans part of nature? Are the things humans build part of nature, the same way a beaver dam might be considered part of nature? Why do we care about access to nature and do we all have equal access to it? Our group asked us to respond to the question of how we imagine our ideal communities? What kinds of images come to mind for you when you think about ideal communities? Who are the people, behaviors, and places that make up our imagined u
6 Comments
Emila Markovic
5/28/2013 09:41:17 am
i thought it was interesting that when looking at both Jasons and Rebecca picture a lot of people said they would feel more "safe" in Rebecca neighborhood do to how each student was describing their neighborhood. Rebecca described her neighborhood with white Jewish and old people while Jason said that his had gang members and people have been attacked, when they were describing how they feel safe the question of race and how race plays a card in feeling safe in an area; in my opinion it all depends where you grw up, someone from a suburban area where there are most;y white people wont feel as safe in the heights or Spanish Harlem, and someone from the Heights or Spanish Harlem wont feel safe in a suburban place.
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Luna
5/30/2013 04:38:22 am
I agree with Emila, I feel as though where you grow up really helps define your comfort zone. Often times, I find myself comparing my current home environment to the one I grew up in, defining my comfort zone in comparison to the many environments I've been exposed to. It is through my previous environments that I've been able to identify my comfort zone, which will be very different from the comfort zone of the people who live in the same neighborhood as I do. Stereotypes and negative experiences that one may experience in their communities cannot solely be blamed on the flawed structure of the community. Many times, it is one's experiences that shape their views of their community, affecting whether or not they feel safe and like their neighborhoods.
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Marionette
5/30/2013 01:17:32 pm
How has race played the role of fear? I feel people are fearful of people depending on generalization about what their skin color is or prejudging a person based off their appearance. We are all taught to not judge a book by its cover; however, in actuality we all do whether we try to or not. It is an subconscious thought sometimes since we think back on what we were taught growing up.
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Mandee
6/8/2013 06:44:04 am
I guess what this group was trying to define as natural was more of a "green" space. Even though it may be artificial green, it is still more green than that of a playground or an ALL man made space, such as that of Columbus circle. We do not consider humans to be part of nature, we are considered to be the disturbances of what can be defined as nature or natural. The things that we make are definitely not considered to be natural, they are the exact opposite (even using "natural" materials to construct something can still be debatable). Natural by definition means to "exist in or be caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind." Because we see beavers as a part of nature, we consider their construction of dams to be natural. Why is it that we see other organisms part of nature and not ourselves? Is it because humans have become so accustomed to utilizing un-natural objects? We find so much comfort in spaces that resemble nature, and yet we do not care for/ spend much time in them. When I picture an ideal community, a diverse, "well off', safe, somewhat commercialized, yet green space comes to mind. I picture a suburban community with a fair amount of green space, and with people that actually interact with each other and know who their neighbors are.
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John
6/8/2013 10:09:45 am
Safety! this term constantly pops out everywhere. Its understandable, everybody wants to feel safe and welcomed in their community. We view certain groups of people as safe and this leads to the development of stereotypes. Some people feel safe in a heavily populated neighborhood, but on the other hand people might feel safer in communities where there aren't as many people. Appearance also plays a factor on a persons thinking of what is safe and not. The city of New York constantly renovate parks and other public places to make these areas appealing and attract a certain group of people. Why would you make a appealing park in such a dangerous neighborhood? Sometimes I wonder why the city even does this it makes no sense. They should prioritize on make every community safer for people to walk in. New York City already looks nice and has such a rich culture within it.
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Rachel
6/9/2013 08:36:13 am
Safety is something that every person feels that they deserve in a community. However, a safe place to someone can be an unsafe place to someone else. Some may think safety comes in numbers while others feel more safe in a quiet area. This goes back to the same idea of comfort and where one feels most comfortable. I know that I sometimes feel unsafe in a place if I have never been there but may feel safe in a place where someone else feels unsafe. I feel safe in places I know and where I feel most comfortable or where I find myself often.
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