Free In My Space
"OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!" You've heard that phrase once or twice before, haven't you? But did you ever stop to think what it actually means? Public is defined as - Of, concerning, or affecting the community or the people; Maintained for or used by the people or community. This means that public concerns anything and everything that has to do with people. Who determines whether something is public or not? I don't have an answer to that question, however I believe I have a well-developed answer to the question - what is public space? I believe public space is an entire different concept than public alone. Just as anything else, public space needs to abide by certain requirements in order to fit the definition of public. I perceive public space as a place with concrete rules that are followed and enforced, proper behavioral patterns are obeyed, and finally freedom is not taken away from anybody. I consider a shopping mall to be a public space. Just like in any other public space, there are rules that need to be monitored. What will happen if a teenager walks inside a mall and begins running around? Most likely, the teenager will get kicked out of the mall. The teenager did not obey rules of the mall in this case.
Many would agree that rules/restrictions and behavioral pattern are similar to an extent. I believe that both play an integral role in deciphering whether a space would result to be public or not. How one acts changes the entire environment that surrounds them. For instance, imagine you're in a forest preserve with your entire family. Three 18-year old individuals decided to urinate all over the grass. What would be your reaction? Not pleasant, right? Their behavior costs you and your family not to feel comfortable therefore making you want to leave the park. Behavior plays a huge role when looking at public space. Following the three teens and their adventure through that forest, I would no longer call that forest preserve a public space. In order for that forest preserve to become public again, I believe that those three teenagers would need to approach every person that was present at the time of their adventure, and extend their apologizes for acting in the manner, in which they did. Now, the forest is considered a public space. Families can once again come on the weekends or weekdays to relax and enjoy the weather, not to provide behavior lessons to teens. People come to the forest preserve and follow the rules and their behavior is civilized and abides by the norms and morals of society. A mall or any other public space has its own rules and restrictions, which need to be followed in order to be present in this space. Can you imagine what this world will be like if there is no rules or restrictions? Chaos and terror will occur. Crime rates will elevate rapidly. No one will listen to any type authoritative figure including police, government, and the
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Approximate Word count = 1124
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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