As I reflected on my initial post, I became concerned that I sounded prejudiced. But I forced myself to ruminate on the idea of being prejudiced. I certainly don't consider myself to be prejudiced. I believe all humans equal. If I'm feeling overly anthropomorphic, I'll argue that all species are equal--humans just have the upper hand for now. But in this new village, I have met certain neighbors, and I have made snap judgments or have actually felt fear. There is a sizable contingent of neighbors who routinely hang out, smoking and drinking in our common areas. They're not doing anything wrong, per se, but they are affecting my space, and I feel compelled to have conversations with my daughter that I would rather not have, e.g. never going to the playground when only adults are hanging out there and certainly never going into someone else's unit unless I am with her.
Sure, some of this is common sense, but there is an element of prejudice, isn't there? Afterall, I haven't actually had enough time to get to know my neighbors. I've just made judgments. Many of the folks who live in this village would be welcomed in neighborhoods in this community as long as they are working on yards, cleaning houses, or part of the street crew. It's harsh, I know. But is there not truth here, too?
When I think about zoning laws and ordinances, I realize that they are in place in order to control our environments, to make us feel safe and comfortable. It is easy to say that rules and regulations are in place for our protection. But protect us from what? The reason I come up with most frequently is from people who are different from us.
Over time, as I get to know my neighbors better, I expect to introduce these folks here. For they all have stories that I expect to be worthy of telling. They may just need to find their voice and a medium.
No comments:
Post a Comment