Hunker down, now (part 2)

Yesterday, I got a bit too academic in talking about Putnam’s “hunkering thesis.” So today, you’re getting a picture and a simple question:

“The Strength of Weak Ties,” Mark Granovetter (1971)What’s so important about contact, especially the kind that could take place on sidewalks?

Considering the amount of prejudice and fear that accompany discrimination and bolster it, overcoming residential discrimination is just that much harder if people feel unsafe on their sidewalks anyway. Overcoming residential discrimination comes hard where people have no means of keeping a civilized public life on a basically dignified public footing, and their private lives on a private footing. “The uses of sidewalks: contact” The Death and Life of Great American Cities (p72)

You might have strong ties with close friends. These are the people you’re inviting in on this “private footing.” Human nature leads us to select people similar to us. These people might have similar jobs, beliefs, and have made similar choices in life.

However, these weak ties are more important than you might think. The network is wider and more diverse. The classic case is of a job seeker who finds a job through these ties. Strong ties form a smaller network. These people are more likely to know each other. It might be more insular. A couple degrees out on the weak ties and you’re forging much new territory.

Also, despite the fact that it works against human nature, assuming like attracts like, having others around you who have different life experiences, have made different choices, and have different ideas and perspectives forces you to reflect differently. There’s plenty of sociology to dig through here even stopping short of biological analogies to ecosystem diversity.

Might sidewalks really help us “hunker” less?