Friday, September 13, 2024

As we get more crowded are we getting more savage? Possible reasons behind vitriol about immigration.

I've heard people say that as the population of certain animals increases in a limited space, such as rats in a cage, the animals become more savage in attacking one another. Some say that will happen with humans as earth gets more crowded.

That may help explain Trump's anti immigrant rhetoric as well as the growing reaction against immigration in some European countries and some other countries around the world. It also may help explain nimby-ism; the not in my backyard syndrome.

How we plan for and accommodate our growing population makes a difference.

I got to thinking that discord often starts from a traffic situation; an accident, road rage, deputes about police behavior when someone is pulled over in a traffic stop. This recent uproar, in Springfield, Ohio, happened after an accident involving an SUV driven by a Haitian.

I keep thinking too much reliance on private automobiles is a problem. Traffic being one of the main complaints about city life.

A rapidly growing population can put stress of housing, schools, infrastructure and various social services. Good planning is a key to making the best of a situation. In some cases, growth can be a good thing. Growth is often seen as good in economic terms as well as, in cultural terms. Larger cities can offer amenities in the arts and so forth.

Much does depend on how we plan and adapt to the situations we face.

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