I have a friend who thinks I'm too idealistic. Now, I don't think I'm particularly naive, like I'm often accused of being, I simply try to be positive. You can't always change what will happen—sooner or later, life will shit on you and pretending otherwise makes you stupid, not an optimist. Taking the shit in good humour makes you an optimist.
Anyway, he tells me (quite often) that I need to stop thinking of the "public" (the people, strangers and friends and homeless people and lawyers all alike) as public radio, public service and public hospitals. He says these things are too shiny, too good to represent the public. I disagree. These things are not shiny or good enough to represent the wonderful and kind people that create the majority of the public. People concerned as concerned for their friends and children as I am.
He insists the real public should be thought of as public phones, bus stops and washrooms. These, he says, are the true grimy, bumpy and graffiti-ed reality of the public.
Which of us is right? Is the public dirty and gross or are we a shining of example of how the Greeks were wrong: Man would not decline into an age of bronze, but remain silver and prosecute those who dirty us with crime?
I look around the city I live in—I see graffiti. But I also see that woman juggle her coffee cup and pastry box to pick up some kid's juice box and toss it away in the trash half a block off. I see a teenage boy fall back from his friends to help a little kid and his ten-year-old brother with their bike locks. I see a girl with many peircings help and old lady pick up each and every pencil she dropped moments before.
Doesn't this seem like a shiny and good public? Sure, I see the man slamming his car door into the parked Camry next to him and not caring. I see the woman flick her cigarette onto the sidewalk. But still! We're good people, we're a good public! Love actually IS all around!
PS - I was buying pens at a local Walgreens, and I purchased sidewalk chalk as well. I was waiting for my friend (the same as mentioned above, coincidentally) and figured I'd pass the time by drawing nice things on the sidewalk. Some Walgreens lady came out and yelled at me for drawing on THEIR sidewalk. I thought it was public. Apparently not.
sadness. no one seems to comment very much. i actually agree with you. people think of the public so poorly. people too. everyone seems to think that the world is full of terrible people, and it is partially true, but most people do what they do for a reason. and most of the time they think they are doing right. or trying to make things right. we are all essentially good people, unless you're Hitler or something. if cole had used Taylor Swift as one of his examples as to why he thinks the world is in a downward spiral, then I would agree, but otherwise, no.
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