Population Density One Striking Image

¶ … Population Density

One striking image exists in my mind of population density on an international level: Amsterdam. Amsterdam is a highly populated city, yet it has become known as the world bicycling capital, rather than the world's capital of automotive congestion. It is a place noted for the willingness of people to sacrifice cars and personal comfort for the sake of their neighbors. The commonality of the culture of its citizens clearly facilitates the relative harmony they enjoy. So does widespread respect for the city's rules pertaining to civility -- visitors note that cyclists wait at red lights, even if no cars are coming.

But this level of respect for law and order is not the primary reason for the lack of strife: an even more important aspect of Amsterdam's low levels of conflict and high levels of population density is its relatively equitable standard of living -- social services provide cradle to grave protection for the poor, unemployed, elderly and young, and the highly progressive taxation rate ensures there are few disparities of wealth. The United States, in contrast, has been characterized by an increasingly seismic gap between the haves and the have-nots, which has only been growing. The rage that this has created across American society is evident in the anger over how many bankers have benefited from the bailout designed to help extricate the nation from the crisis the financial industry helped to orchestrate, while millions of homeowners face foreclosure. The gap between rich and poor is also very visible in America's congested cities, where wealthy districts are only blocks away from very poor areas.

It is difficult to find examples in the United States where there is little concern over financial status: perhaps the housing boom can partially be explained by the American desire to enjoy home ownership -- and utter privacy from one's neighbors. But although I do not enjoy the luxury of privacy, I am one of the few Americans privileged to experience what I consider a truly classless society. This exists in the military, where quality of service and dedication is more important than one's status as a civilian. Similar haircuts, similar uniforms, and similar duties are a great leveler: while there is a hierarchy, the hierarchy is respected because it is based upon merit, not upon the financial status of one's parents. Rank must be earned, respect cannot be bought.

Perhaps this sense of equanimity is why the fact soldiers must live in such close quarters is tolerated with relative ease. Also, the small spaces we do possess must be kept clean and orderly. Although we may personalize things to some degree, we do not have the freedom of someone living in a college dorm to create an entirely individualized space. In many ways, this is a relief. There is none of the rage and resentment that often results when someone with morning classes must struggle to deal with a roommate who begins to study at midnight or the disgust of someone who is neat who has to share a room with someone who uses his bed as a garbage can. While the lack of opportunity to express one's self through decor may sound frustrating this also prevents the use of economic status to distinguish one's 'space.'