5.03.2010

Delineation of Space

Got a new radio piece in the works. Three minutes about... walls. Lots of interviews. A little bit of free-association with the word "wall," questions about what makes a wall good or bad . All of my conversations took place at the anti-SB1070 rally last Saturday, though I spoke to a bunch of pro-1070 folks, too. I wanted a crowd that would be thinking about walls already, but I steered all of the interviewees away from the immigration debate. I'm trying to dip beneath current events and take a look at how we think about the delineation of space and the division of people.

When it comes down to describing walls, it's nearly impossible to tell the left from the right. For both groups, walls offer the same benefits and the same hazards. They offer protection to the fearful, but they also exclude, dehumanize, and tend to fail. The question is entirely of placement. You can't hear it, but one group is thinking about Berlin while the other thinks of Mexico.

More when the editing is finished...