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EP 48 - Suburban Savages
7 Plays1 year ago
We’re facing a crisis of civility in our civilization. From my perspective in the suburbs of New York City, I’m struck by the carelessness with which some suburbanites treat others. Suburbs are meant to provide more space, quiet, and ideally a community of neighbors you can actually get to know. On this episode, I’ll attempt to unpack my feelings towards these Suburban Savages and some of the root causes that permit them to thrive.
For more info and to download a free PDF of today's episode notes, visit: www.chriskreuter.com/CDWI
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Transcript
Bridging the Gap: Wisdom & Techniques
00:00:15
Speaker
Crystal Deal with it focuses on bridging the gap between where you're at now and where you'd like to be. We'll explore wisdom and techniques from a wide variety of domains and industries, and apply them to your unique challenges. I love developing frameworks, processes, and storytelling metaphors that enable personal and business growth. Through actionable next steps, we'll build momentum and confidence. My goal is to help you clear roadblocks, do more with what you have, and realize the potential of yourself and your team. So throw your challenges my way, and Crystal Deal.
00:00:50
Speaker
First, an AI statement that all elements of this episode are products of the author, Chris Kreuter, and made without the use of any AI tools.
Episode 48: Decline of Suburban Civility
00:00:59
Speaker
Welcome to episode 48 of Crystal Deal With It, Suburban Savages. We're facing a crisis of civility in our civilization. From my perspective in the suburbs of New York City, I'm struck by the carelessness with which some suburbanites treat others. Suburbs are meant to provide some more space, quiet, and ideally a community of neighbors you can actually get to know. On this episode, I'm gonna attempt to unpack my feelings towards these suburban savages and some of the root causes that permit them to thrive.
00:01:28
Speaker
Now my intent with this episode is not to cancel people. While I'm certainly about to call out particular behaviors, I want to express why I consistently feel that many in our community have blinders on towards the well-being of their neighbors.
Shopping Cart Negligence & Weather
00:01:41
Speaker
Let's take our first type of savage, the shopping cart abandoners. We've all seen it. Our fellow shopper unloads their cart, shuts their trunk, and just drives off.
00:01:52
Speaker
Perhaps the savage is aware enough to prop the cart's front wheels on a curb, yet the cart return, often a short walk away, is left one cart emptier. While certainly an example of extreme laziness, these savages display a lack of care towards others. The degree of savagery increases in awful weather. Consider these impacts.
00:02:11
Speaker
The cart collectors, often making minimum wage, scouring the parking lot for wayward carts. Their jobs are rarely as straightforward as they should be, gathering carts at the cart returns and pushing them back to the storefront. Instead, they have to weave through the entire lot, plucking individual abandoned carts. And while the increase in risk of getting hit by parking lot traffic is minimal, it's not zero, especially in miserable weather with less visibility for both them and drivers.
00:02:39
Speaker
Think about vehicle damage. The typical metal shopping cart weighs 40 to 60 pounds. That's 18 to 27 kilograms for my friends that use the metric system. Winds can catch abandoned carts, sending them careening into other vehicles. Dings, dents, and scratches are completely avoidable nuisances.
00:02:56
Speaker
Consider the store owner. While not weeping for corporate overlords, many stores are owned by local community members or franchisees. They pay wages to the cart collectors, who are often spending more time outside than they normally should. And they also face the increases in cart damage, which do cost hundreds of dollars apiece.
Elevator Etiquette & Phone Distraction
00:03:14
Speaker
Let's take our next savage, the elevated jerks. There's a basic etiquette we should follow involving elevators, and all of them share one requirement, paying attention to your surroundings. All too often, people will board an elevator, press a button, and their head goes straight back to their phone. The result is doors not held, space not made, and minor delays for their fellow humans.
00:03:36
Speaker
While the least offensive of the savages in profiling today, I included to introduce one of the major influences on this significant uptick in suburban savagery, the cell phone. These glowing, addictive, digital pacifiers have created surges in inattentiveness, decreased social connection, and an epidemic of self-centeredness.
Distracted Driving Dangers
00:03:56
Speaker
At the extreme end, we're gonna take our next savage, the distracted drivers. At their worst, cell phones have created a drastic epidemic of savagery on our roads. At nearly every red light, you'll see someone staring into a phone. You'll see them texting while piloting their metal missile down the interstate. I've seen drivers face timing and watching movies while actively driving. These savages do this in parking lots, bad weather, through pedestrian crossings, and even through school safety zones.
00:04:24
Speaker
I literally see this on a daily basis walking my kid to school. What frustrates me even more is how many of these savages are driving vehicles that have Bluetooth and other hands-free technology embedded into their systems. You can throw on some music, a podcast, or an audiobook. Use Siri or Alexa to dial your friend over the speaker system.
00:04:45
Speaker
but keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. For me, this is the worst of the savages since this wanton neglect for safety has the highest human cost. I'll save the audience the rundown of statistics as my argument is easily provable. Driving a vehicle is a privilege, not a right. While I feel there should be significantly higher penalties for the act, there also needs to be greater detection and accountability. When people reliably feel that they'll never get caught, the path to savagery becomes that much easier to follow.
00:05:14
Speaker
I am hopeful here that the incredible advances in cameras, image detection, and automated violation processing will result in crackdowns. But in the meantime, be hypervigilant for the savages among you, and do what you can to avoid falling victim to this savagery yourself.
Political Yard Signs: Impact & Waste
00:05:30
Speaker
Our next savage is the political polluters. It's election season here in the United States, which means nearly every intersection, red light, and from my fellow New Jerseyans all-add jug handles are swathed in plastic yard signs advertising local and state candidates. In 2024, this is going to reach epidemic levels with the presidential election as well.
00:05:51
Speaker
These are visual eyesores, often featuring questionable graphic design choices. The mashup of them adds to the visual and mental clutter in our lives, all for the most minimal of impacts on the voting public.
00:06:03
Speaker
All this political signaling bleeds into our neighborhoods as lawn signs can become dividing lines. If good fences make good neighbors, what happens if we paint them red or blue? More importantly is the environmental cost. Corrugated plastic, the plastic bag style, and coated cardboard styles, most of all of these end up in landfills.
00:06:24
Speaker
There are those out there who will recycle what they can or reuse them for later elections, but they're in the minority. I'm a firm believer that this environmental cost far outweighs any practical benefits. And this is the sort of visual noise that distracts us from finding the true signals within our lives. Your name on a sign isn't going to sway me to vote for you. It's your stance on issues, your knowledge and ability to handle the job, and the sense of integrity that you carry.
00:06:50
Speaker
So focus your efforts on better ways to display that info rather than shout a mere name from every street corner.
Community Civility & Quality of Life
00:06:56
Speaker
So avoiding this descent into savagery. These were just a few examples that I believe highlight the common threads between them. Distraction, egocentrism, and a lack of care for their fellow humans. I think many of us forget why we create communities in the first place. These cornerstones of civilization evolve from an understanding that humanity is a stronger species when we work together.
00:07:18
Speaker
Technological advancement, social services, shared infrastructure, arts, and entertainment, these are all products of our experiments and cohabitation. They require civility. Take the example of a concert. Some people decide to stand up to get a better view of the band. That forces the people behind them to have to stand up to see the band, and so on and so forth until the entire crowd is standing for the entire show.
00:07:43
Speaker
These are called coordination traps, and it's a mass bending and breaking of rules just to function and enjoy a concert.
00:07:50
Speaker
The decisions we make on a personal level should at least consider their impacts on our community and our fellow man. Permitting our landscaper to start leaf blowing at 8am. Letting our dog bark its head off in the backyard for hours at a time. Screwing with your muffler to make it pop louder as you tear through a residential neighborhood. These are all examples of behaviors that detract from the quality of our neighbor's lives. And these are all just the symptoms of the disease.
00:08:15
Speaker
And like an illness, we should heed the warnings and take direct action before these symptoms worsen and our society starts falling apart.
Fostering Positive Change & Engagement
00:08:23
Speaker
Making positive change in the world starts with our own intentions. Then we can extend our awareness to our neighbors, community, nation, and the world at large. Today's quote comes from Czech statesman and communist dissident Vaclav Havel.
00:08:38
Speaker
A better system will not automatically ensure a better life. In fact, the opposite is true. Only by creating a better life can a better system be developed. And with that, have a great day.
00:08:50
Speaker
If you feel that Chris dealt with it, I'd appreciate your support of the show by sharing it with someone who might benefit. Ratings on your favorite podcast player are also helpful in growing the audience. Visit chriscroiter.com for free downloadable PDFs, notes, and resources from today's episode. Sign up for the CDWY mailing list, or to send in your problems or requests for future shows. That's C-H-R-I-S-K-R-E-U-T-E-R.com. Or use the link in the show notes. Thanks for listening, and Chris will deal with it.