Excerpt
1. Peoples Protective Bubbles Are Okay
I hear people complain that, for instance, in this city, people dont say hi on the street or make eye contact on the subway. And people try to remedy this problem by doing public art projects that are meant to rouse the bourgeoisie from their slumber. But thats ridiculous! Its perfectly reasonable for people not to want to see your dance performance when they are coming home from work. People are on the subway because theyre getting from one place to another, and for all you know, theyre coming from a job that involves interacting with lots and lots of people, and going to a home where theres a family where theyre going to interact with lots more people. And the subways the one place where they can have some quiet time, get some reading done, not have to smile, not have to make eye contact. Thats what a city is: a city is a place where you can be alone in public, and where you have that right. Its necessary to screen people out. It would be overwhelming if you had to perceive every single person on a crowded subway car in the fullness of their humanity. It would be completely paralyzing. You couldnt function. So dont try to fix this. There is no problem.
Copyright © 2011 by Misha Glouberman and Sheila Heti