Darkness is Unknown is Unsafe is you Scared?

While I was conducting some interviews I noticed a trend between the responses to my question, "do you ever feel unsafe?"

Photograph by me

Nearly every interviewee mentioned being alone and being in the dark as attributing factors to feeling unsafe. It must have to do with the dark impeding what you can see, what you can expect. Because of this trend I found, I thought it worthy of a few minutes of research. What I found was there were studies that focused on the connection between the fear of the dark that children had and the fear that is present in adults (varying from nervousness when walking down an alley to a paralyzing fear).

 ["We were shocked by how many people acknowledged they were afraid of the dark as adults," study author Colleen Carney, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology at Ryerson Unversity in Toronto, Canada, told HuffPost's Catherine Pearson.]

It is theorized that it begins as a fear of the unexpected- which makes total sense. I'd like to provide a why or at least a hypothetical why but I can't, I don't know why. Even more interesting than this, I found that there was a survey done by Chapman University that asked 1,500 nationwide about their fears and concerns and it turns out that among the top five personal fears, involving public speaking, being the victim of a mass/random shooting, safety on the internet, and becoming the victim of identity theft, walking alone at night was number one. (USA Today) Apparently, this fear is far more prevalent between women than it is among men, probably because of safety. In an article from the Washington Post, it said women fear walking at night specifically because they fear for their safety.

[This fear of violence is as profound as violence itself because it shapes -- and narrows -- the lives of women in so many small ways: We forgo a nighttime event because we don't want to travel home alone afterward. We forgo an evening jog because running at night is a luxury only men possess. We forgo a comment or an outfit or a friendship because it might imply an invitation we don't wish to convey.]

So why are men also afraid/nervous? We don't really hear of guys being afraid of being attacked at night, or the stuff that commonly bother women. But maybe it is being attacked, or maybe just seeming 'sketchy.' Or maybe it is media influence. Apparently, one of the predictors to such a fear is watching a lot of talk shows and true-crime shows. This is a cognitive phenomenon known as the availability heuristic where the likeness of something is not based on real data, instead on what they know or see.
Weird, am I right? Maybe this is just inevitable for many of us.

Chicago Chicago vs Sorta Chicago

Escalator to platform

Waiting for the Brown Line at Fullerton

(The photos above are taken by me)

If you are from the City, you must be familiar with the differences between being from Chicago and being from the Chicagoland area. Any 'true' city dweller will without a doubt emphasize the big difference that exists between these two terms, these two groups of people. But how big is the difference really? Why do some of us 'true' city dwellers get annoyed at those who are not (be they suburbans or actual tourists). I recently asked a friend who has experienced both sides, having once lived in the city (14 years) and then moving to Evanston (3 years), if he thought there is a difference in the way people act in the city vs in Evanston. My friend, Lucas Ortiz-Young, told me that he definitely notices a difference. He seems to think it is mainly because of the size. Evanston has about 75,570 residents and is about 8 sq miles vs Chicago's 234 sq miles and population of 2.7 million residents, so its no wonder why there is less crime there and it generally feels safer than Chicago. He thinks the safety encourages people to go out more, I agree. With safety comes a willingness to step further out of comfort zones, and when it comes to interacting with strangers, feeling safe definitely helps. He believes, "the sense of unity within Evanston encourages people to be outgoing."  Now, I understand the impact the size difference has, but why is it that the sub-communities (neighborhoods) within Chicago don't have more of an "Evanstonian" feel when it comes to daily interactions? His thoughts, "the main difference between here (Evanston) and Chicago is the Township High School and Evanston's small size that keeps everything close together. If one were to sit next to someone at a Northwestern football game people would most likely interact. If I take the bus to school, I wouldn't hesitate to speak to the people next to me if they intrigued me."

In a previous blog post, I mentioned the interesting way that the city's demographics change during a long ride. I'm glad I'm not the only one noticing this difference. Because he lives in Evanston, Lucas rides the red/purple lines a lot, and it being a long commute, he confessed he also noticed a difference. "There are times where I start way north in Evanston to end up way south past the loop. During a long commute, you can notice the different types of people entering and exiting the train, and how it changes as you move from area to area. Once I was south of the loop I started to see people that didn't appear to be so wealthy as those who go off/on the bus at the loop. I shouldn't assume, for I do not know their financial status, that people in different areas that get on the train are diverse in their wealth, health, genders, age and race."

It's actually pretty cool to see the transitions between Chicago's people and the areas they commute while riding CTA. It sorta feels like you are an outsider looking in. You're still, and the city life moves around you, without you, as you wait for your stop. 

Lady on bus route 36

This is the quick sketch of the lady that I managed to do before she had to get off.

A few weeks back, maybe three, I was riding the bus to my job. For some really odd reason, I prefer trains to busses, but sometimes that not an option unless I want to take a HUGE detour and end up walking 20 plus minutes... I'd rather bus it. I don't mind taking the bus as much if I am in company, but when I am by myself, I mind it a little bit. Maybe I can trace this back to when I was little and had to take the school bus home– on more than one occasion, I fell asleep and missed my stop, and no one woke me up until I was way from my stop. Maybe its some unconscious fear that has turned into mild discomfort as I have grown up.

Have you ever sat on a seat right after another person, and it was all warm and...odd?
I have yet to meet a person that likes that feeling. It's weird, but common. I have this one friend that hates busses because something about sitting on the same seat as multiple other people makes her really uncomfortable, especially if she's wearing shorts or something that exposes her skin directly to the seat. Weird. But she's not the only person. As I was riding the bus, I met this woman (who's name escapes me since I forgot to write it down!) who told me a similar thing. She's the lady depicted on the sketch above. I started drawing her because I felt really tired and was afraid I would fall asleep and miss my stop! Plus, her hair was really cool looking. She seemed a mix of mad and a tired. So I was slightly startled when she got up and came to a seat closer to me and asked if I was drawing her. I probably forgot her name because I was so nervous she was going to be upset that I was drawing her! I showed her what I had done so far and she complimented it (thankfully!). I then asked her where she was heading and she told me she was heading home from work. Then I asked her if she liked riding the bus and she replied very loudly, "oh god, no! Sweetie, look around, people look miserable while riding it!" It was kinda true. I asked her if she felt that way. And thats when she explained to me her discomfort. Whenever she would ride the train, she would immediately begin to think about the hundreds of people that sat on the same spot and all their not-so-lovely germs. We both wondered,  how often are busses cleaned? We mean, REALLY cleaned, with disinfectants and all that good germ-killing stuff.
I really hope that it's more often than we think, otherwise, I guess I can add that to my list of discomforts while riding the CTA.

Female's Fear?

Over the weekend, as I rode the train with my sister, I came across a sadly, very viable reason for not interacting with other people, mainly those of the opposite sex. A week or two ago, my school provided my grade with the opportunity to address sexual harassment issues. They gave us a mini seminar on what it means and ways in which it can take form. For those of you who are not that familiar with this topic, sexual harassment is defined as the harassment (typically of a woman) in a workplace, or other professional or social situation, involving the making of unwelcome sexual advances or obscene remarks. Although it has been a constant struggle in our society, lately, I have been noticing a lot of protests against such behavior. Little less than a week ago, Ohio University had a rally protesting rape culture and trying to put forward the idea that women should not be objectified, ever.
So back to how this relates... Riding with my sister, we noticed how women tended to sit away from men. Many who got in alone, gravitated towards seats next to other women rather than men, and some of those who found seats that were not next to other people, put their bags on the empty seat next to them. I also realized that to that point, most of the interviews I had done were of women. Maybe it's a subconscious decision or maybe it is a fully conscious decision, but could it be related to feelings of insecurity?
Before I got off the train, I had the opportunity to speak with a girl, Emma, and ask her if she had a preference when picking her seat–women or men? She told me she would much rather sit next to another girl, preferably young, than a man, and if a man, an older man. I found this interesting. Why did age factor into her preference? She told me that she felt more comfortable next to a girl around her age (teen) because there was a sort of unspoken sense of "yeah, I get you. I wont speak to you unless you want to." I laughed because I related to her thinking... Speaking to people my age just comes easier! Then she told me why she would rather an older man than a youngish guy. She told me, "when I ride the train, I'm just trying to get where I need to go. I don't want to be hit on. I just want to listen to music and see the city pass by and not have to tell a guy to back off. It's uncomfortable. Always. If the guy is older or looks professional, I feel like he wouldn't hit on me because he can tell I'm too young, or realize it isn't appropriate."
I think it is also interesting to notice that the chances of getting cat calls varies in area– it says something about the different cultures and forms of interaction in this city.


EDIT***
You should check this campaign out if this post was interesting to you.
http://chicago.everyblock.com/improvement/oct13-cta-courage-campaign-end-street-harassment-6444462/

Alone Together

Is Urban Loneliness a Myth?
While searching the internet for good reads on this topic I am exploring, I stumbled upon this interesting article. Although Jennifer Senior writes about urban loneliness more in the context of New York City, the theme is extremely relevant with Chicago's Strangers. If my study interests you at all, I definitely recommend you to take a moment and read at least the first page. Jennifer Senior does a very good job of elaborating on the theme of people living as if they were their own islands in a city full of other islands... (but with better metaphors than mine)! Backed up with research, her article is very thought-provoking. The idea that the type of isolation many willingly live in actually forms a bigger picture of community unity and togetherness is contradictory. Yet, I can see how that many be true. Then again, could this mean something more, something else? If true, could it mean we have simply normalized the lifestyle (the behavior) to the point where we are becoming nearly unaware of it as an issue? Is isolation an issue?
Although not something I will be exploring in my study, I definitely think that the idea of the Internet as something that is making people lonelier (or not) is also worth a mention. I'd bet that many of you reading this blog have at some point heard remarks made about how technology and social media drive us apart. I know I have, mainly from older people... mainly from my parents! But what is this idea of loneliness? Is it a product of society or is it a personal choice? Feel free to comment and share what you think!
Once again, I really, really, think you should take a look at the article: Is Urban Loneliness a Myth?

The Why's to this Blog

Hi,
My name is Camila and I am a senior at Francis W. Parker School.
Many of you are probably wondering what Chicago's Strangers is about and whether it is worth your time. Hopefully this satisfies your curiosity a bit:

This blog stems from an idea I had my junior year for an independent study. Actually, this blog is the live stream of consciousness that results from my interactions and experiences throughout this study. I intend to focus on the behaviors of random pedestrians and CTA passengers as I try to explore the overall response the people of Chicago have when approached by a stranger. Why? Mostly because I'm interested in the why’s of people's impassivity and of the preconceived notions that city-dwellers have when it comes to meeting new people.
I became interested in this topic while riding the CTA brown line one warm fall day last year. As I rode from the Sedgwick stop to the Kimball stop, I wondered, "how can one sit next to another person and not acknowledge their presence?" With my earphones plugged in and my bag occupying the seat next to me, I came to the realization that I myself was an unknowing participant of this frigid city culture. I wondered how many others unknowingly shut the world out when they went out and about. I can't even begin to speculate how many do so knowingly...
Through this study, I hope to gain a better perspective of the diversity that inhabits our city and maybe (although I highly doubt it) end up with answers to all my questions.