I'm reminded of a section of Edward Bernays' "Crystallizing Public Opinion," where he argued that people are inherently tribal and assume identities for themselves, which, by necessity, requires that they also view their identity as being not a part of the other side.
It's like the Dr Seuss story where one guy gets a star tattoo, then everyone wants stars, then one person wants to be different so they remove their tattoo, then everyone wants to be different so they remove theirs, and it continues back and forth.
I think the perspective to keep in mind about this piece is not that people are afraid of new things, but rather, different things. When I lived in the city, I couldn't imagine life without walkable access and being in the middle of the action. When I moved to the suburbs, I couldn't imagine life without abundant space and tranquility. Now I'm back in the city. Technological advancement had nothing to do with those perceptions, but my resistance was still there, on both sides.
It's like the Dr Seuss story where one guy gets a star tattoo, then everyone wants stars, then one person wants to be different so they remove their tattoo, then everyone wants to be different so they remove theirs, and it continues back and forth.
I think the perspective to keep in mind about this piece is not that people are afraid of new things, but rather, different things. When I lived in the city, I couldn't imagine life without walkable access and being in the middle of the action. When I moved to the suburbs, I couldn't imagine life without abundant space and tranquility. Now I'm back in the city. Technological advancement had nothing to do with those perceptions, but my resistance was still there, on both sides.