I watched the film Falling Down yesterday. It's one of my favorite films. Right from the opening scene you can just feel the tension building. It's a great film.
But thats not what the this post is about. I can relate to a lot of what I see in the film, maybe not to the extent we see in the film, but I can see it in my every day life.
What am I going on about? The effect that living today in a city has on people. Cites are basically are machines, that run on people. And this, to me turns people in to machines.
I know this because I see it and I'm part of it. Okay I don't live in a huge city, Bristol isn't small, but it's no London or LA, but I feel it when I'm in the city. Every one has a place to go, a deadline to meet, some where else to be. And they are effected the same as me, they just want to get on, they don't want to make contact with me, nor I do with them.
The collective effect of all of these people, far more than any one person can ever know, trying to avoid making contact with another human being, effectively dehumanises us. We didn't evolve from a herd animal, we evolved from a social species, one with a small social group. Living together in a city, with such a huge group of people causes us to hide away.
I've seen this happen, it happens to me.
I don't like cites very much.
Okay, well that's one heavy post out of the way. My next post will be lighter weight, I hope.