Wild Speculation

[rinue]

So apparently, city dwellers around the world are walking faster than they did ten years ago (see article). Most interpretations I've seen have to do with the fast pace of post-internet life, etc., etc.. I don't think that's it, though; I walk quickly even when I'm not in a hurry to get anywhere. My reason? Aggressive advertising. Billboards, hawkers, window displays. I don't hate ads in principle, but I hate that I have to devote so much energy to filtering them out. When you're walking quickly, the hawkers can't talk to you, and your peripheral vision narrows until the ads just disappear. When I'm walking fast, I'm not trying to get anywhere but off that street, with its damned visual noise. In parks and on residential side streets, I'm downright torpid.

Comments

[liquidmorpheme.livejournal.com]

You know, there's no real reasons to distinguish between your interpretation and theirs.

[liquidmorpheme.livejournal.com]

And that's "reason" dear, I pressed the button too quick.

[rinue.livejournal.com]

Oh, the distinction I'm making is whether people are in a hurry to get somewhere or just in a hurry. By saying "I don't think that's it" I was using "it" to mean "all" - I'm sure there are a lot of things playing their roles, and I was surprised to find most commentators trying to pin it to one explanation rather than just a broader "hmmm, that's interesting." I like hmmm that's interesting.

I concur.

[bluezybunny.livejournal.com]

I concur with 'Teh C' on this to an extent. However, I find that I tend to drive quickly (and I realize this has nothing to do with walking) because I see a road filled with idiot Americans who are all harboring dangerous weapons. The quicker I can get out of this road, the less likely these stupid Americans are to accidently use their stupidity to kill me. Other than for speeding, I obey traffic laws and am courteous to other drivers whenever possible.

When it comes to walking, I doubt it has anything to do with advertising or even the internet. I was walking quickly before I was exposed to either. You can ask Patrick on this, I'm sure he's heard stories of me barraging through seas of highschool students between classes back in Richardson. The majority of students took their time to socialize between classes and made their merry way to their next class utilizing the entire five minutes they were given; this gave me a window of opportunity to make sure I got the perfect seats in class (in the back of the class where I'm not distracted by people breathing down the back of my neck and watching my every move), to get into the habit of moving quickly so that I can get to class and finish up any leftover homework I have for that or any future classes that day, and to avoid unnecessary social confrontations ensuring that I can accomplish these goals. All of these reasons are supposedly post-internet, and yet I find it's safe to assume I'm not the only person who was walking quickly before the internet came around.

Am I walking faster than I did ten years ago? I'm not sure, maybe I am since I have longer legs. What would really impress me, though, is an article regarding the number of people who walk faster rather than how much faster people walk, then compare this to studies from a decade before. I think the results will be equally unimpressive.

-Bluezy Bunny

Re: I concur.

[rinue.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I wonder whether people's legs have been getting longer - I know the average height has been increasing. Wonder if that's playing any kind of role.

[iridesce-sent.livejournal.com]

And birds' songs have gotten faster, too: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6209498.stm

And because I'm really a 10-year-old at heart, my favo(u)rite sentence: "The research focused on great tits in ten major European cities, including London, Paris, Amsterdam and Prague..."