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SilasBarta comments on Typical Mind and Politics - Less Wrong
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My thought on the difference between rural and urban political beliefs is:
The denser the population, the more pressing and pervasive the problem of externalities is. In blunt terms, when you're out in the country, everyone can pretty much "do their own thing" without much conflict, but in a dense urban area, you feel much more impact from much more trivial actions of others.
-In the country, people can paint their houses ugly colors and it's largely ignorable, but in the city, a large, ugly building will be in constant view of lots of people.
-In the country, land can be cleanly divided in terms of ownership, but in the city, millions of people will need "usage rights" in many more common resources.
-The "nobody knows each other" effect in the city removes many of the social mechanisms built up to contain selfishness.
For people living on their own in the wilderness with no neighbours for miles, perhaps. But both small town America and rural England are known for everyone knowing everyone else's business and their oppressive atmospheres for those who do not fit in, and even for those who do. For many people from those backgrounds, moving to the big city is a liberating experience.