Strangers only become problematic when they appear routinely
Evidence
To say that a people are not equipped to deal with strangers routinely is not to say that they are not equipped to deal with them at all or are equipped to do so only with great difficulty. As long as strangers appear infrequently, there is no need for routine handling and thus, the lack of a capacity for it poses no difficulty. One might even argue that killing the stranger, for example, not an uncommon response in times past, was a rather efficient method of “dealing with” unwanted visitors. It is only when strangers appear routinely among a people unarmed with routine handling procedures that we can begin to talk meaningfully about “difficulties.” — Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order and Action in…, 1052
Categorization
Category: Contrarian or Surprising Claims
- XREF: Connects to Simmel’s blasé attitude and the psychic limits of strangers-amid-strangers — the difficulty of routine urban encounter is itself a constructed, historical condition.
Related
- Stranger arrivals always disrupted everyday life in pre-urban communities (similarity 0.82)
- Urban dwellers evolve from fearing strangers to managing them easily (similarity 0.82)
- Strangers always disrupted daily routines in small communities (similarity 0.81)
- City order makes strangers identifiable enough to be tolerated (similarity 0.80)
- Urbanites categorically avoid ‘odd’ persons because unpredictability threatens conspicuous interaction (similarity 0.79)
- Urbanites still read strangers by appearance despite spatial ordering, and err (similarity 0.79)
- Urban life is possible because strangers remain categorically identifiable (similarity 0.79)
- Urban strangers can avoid situational incompetence by avoidance and instruction. (similarity 0.78)
Broader Connections
- Urban life is possible because strangers remain categorically identifiable
#qualifies(0.70) — Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order and Action in…, 151 - Stranger-encounter desirability judgments read appearance, location, and behavior cues
#expands(0.60) — Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order and Action in…, 996