Effects of no time, overcrowding, urban living?

by Country Girl 4 Replies latest jw friends

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  Country Girl

  In a very quirky web site: www.johntitor.com a "supposed time traveler" from the year 2036 appeared in a newsgroup and on various web sites. As the weeks went by, various people began questioning him about his physics, time travel, future world events, and thoughts about our time. One of his more interesting posts that I found absolutely fascinating because it mirrored very closely my own thoughts, was this:

  "In the future, sociologists spend a great of time discussing the collective mentality before the war that led to the demise of "Homo Materia". Many of them point to an experiment that was done in the 1970's or 1980's. The experiment isolated various sizes of rat populations in varying cage sizes with varying food and cleaning schedules. It was discovered that no matter what, there was a certain ratio of rats to space that once overtaken by population would always lead to aggressive and destructive behavior in the rats until enough of them had died or been killed to get back under the ratio. This was true even when the rats that were given plenty of food and had their cage cleaned every day. "

  Are we, as humans, like these rats who engage in destructive and aggressive behavior because we are so crowded together, so angry because of the presence of too many other people?

  Just a thought...

  CG
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  Frannie Banannie

  YUP! And because of it....I'd rather live in a less populated environment....too many peeps with strange attitudes in my face here....

  Frannie B
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  RAYZORBLADE

  Hey Country Girl: that was an interesting topic and subject.

  I think there's something to be said about how people react in a crowded area vs. sparsely populated area.

  Just wondering: Canada and the United States are similar in size, but Canada has about 1/8the population of the United States. We (Canada) are sparsely populated, and there are still lots of wide open spaces (there are in the U.S. too).

  I wonder and suspect that this contributes to how we interact with people in our respective countries.

  I used Canada and the United States, simply because they're my neighbouring country, and am familiar with both.

  But the same analogy can be used more quickly: city vs. rural

  Interesting topic, and when I think of this topic and the comparison of rats, I think of Billy Corgan's "Smashing Pumpkin" - "despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage".
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  Country Girl

  I was just thinking of my own personal reactions when I go into the city and have to fight the traffic, the honking, the rude drivers and how angry that makes me. Why does that make me so angry and full of rage? Is "road rage" a natural consequence of overcrowding? Out here in the country, sure there are crazy drivers, but they are fewer and farther between. When I pass someone on a road out here, they wave and I wave back. In the city, I'm afraid the closest thing I get to a wave is the finger.. LOL! Not to mention waves of anxiety when someone passes too close! Yikes!

  I think each of us needs a certain amount of "down time" and our own amount of space for peace of mind! Does all this "busyness" foster a certain level of aggression that festers and ends up in certain annhilation of a percentage of the population? Do we, naturally but unconsciously, seek to reduce this ratio, like the rats in the cages?

  I wonder what the stats are on various crimes, frequency, etc. in a ratio aspect, between Canada and the United States. Very good to bring up that bit of food for thought, Ray! Thanks! Think I'll look around...

  Hugs

  CG
• 

  maxwell

  I think my dad would probably agree cities are too crowded. When we were growing up, he used to say he hated the city. And he did something about it. When I was about 9, we moved out of the city. They still live on their almost 9 acres of land. He had a job outside the city for a while, but now he has to work inside the city.

  I think the city provides the opportunity for more violence (more people more potential victims and temptation for the criminal), but there are other causes for higher violence in cities like greater numbers of people in poverty and without jobs. These people may have to look at people who are privileged more often since everyone is crowded together and some decide they will get material things also by any means possible including taking from those privileged or taking from those in same situation that they are in. Definitely flawed thinking that I don't sympathize with at all, but it happens.

  As far as driving, when I do choose to drive in the city, that's fine with me. Most of the streets in this city have a 25 mph speed limits which is quite calming. It's when I start to use the freeways to go out toward the suburbs that I see the most dangerous behaviour and I try to stay out of the kamakaze drivers' paths. When I stayed with my parents and drove into Memphis everyday, there was a time when driving would really get me, but one day I decided my psyche didn't need that, and neither did I need to die in car if I could help it. I try not to worry about being first now or my "right of way" as long as I am safe. Some people get inside the steel box and become different people. They're whole identity becomes big steel box and they see other big steel boxes, not other people. Most of the time I ride a bicycle now anyway. Never a traffic jam on that and often other cyclist and I will exchange a "good morning" or "hi" since there's no glass or steel preventing us from hearing each other.