So I have been exposed to sci-fi tropes and one of the most compelling, to me, are the scenes of the perfect world separate inextricably from the imperfect. The most recent manifestation of this that I can think of is Serenity with the inside planets living “beautiful” ordered lives and the outside planets living “free” dangerous lives. I find this a compelling idea because it seems so incredibly sad that the “beautiful” people have closed their eyes to the suffering they cannot see. And compelling because I think my world does that same thing much of the time. Which brings me to my recent trip to Haaaaavard (I am there now). The campus buildings and surrounding areas are amazingly beautiful. Every time I turn a corner, I find another historic plaque mentioning names I know (and don’t know) who stood on that site hundreds of years ago. For someone who grew up in the mostly new and shining West, but loves history, this is quite charming. My favorite coffee shop at the moment is inside the house of the blacksmith who inspired one of Longfellow’s poems. The upstairs has murals on the walls, fireplaces, and colonial-looking tables and chairs.
About 3 blocks from where I’m staying is the heart of Harvard Square, where there is the metro stop, a corner of the Harvard campus, the vast network of the “Coop” (Borders and campus bookstore/clothing together), and many posh shops. And a large number of homeless people, with their bags and their persistent requests. Some of them are fairly well dressed on the order of homeless people. But it has really startled me. There is nothing else in Harvard Square that I normally association with the number of homeless people–little graffiti, little litter, streets cleaned, etc. And just three blocks away at Radcliffe, or inside the Harvard yard, there are no homeless people.
So why do I bring this up? First, because it has made me consistently uncomfortable as I have walked down there. Not unsafe, necessarily, but very aware of the amount of money I carry in my bag and purse in the form of electronics. This was not helped by the sign in one shop announcing how very prevalent pickpocketing is in Harvard Square. And aware of my inability to interact with them. Just look away and walk faster. I don’t tend to meet them as humans, nor do I have an answer for their plight. Though I am usually unsure of what to do with myself when I confront a stranger. Does one make eye contact and smile? Or just look straight ahead and keep walking?
But at any rate, I guess my discomfort stems from the sci-fi dichotomy set up in the beginning of the post. Ann Arbor has mostly decided to redirect homeless people to shelters and to make panhandling illegal. Clearly, from the strong police presence, Cambridge has not made that decision. They are letting very rich and very poor co-exist. So, the “beautiful” ordered world has been infiltrated by the “free” dangerous world–just what the sci-fi movies preach is desired and what I go along with them and believe. And yet I am uncomfortable.
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