Changing public behavior

I've observed people of all stripes here (old, young, rich, not-so-rich, male, female, etc.) "get comfortable" in public spaces. "Getting comfortable" could mean anything from openly and with great relish picking one's nose on the bus (a favorite hobby of bus riders here) to taking a nap under a tree on the main drag in town (another favorite activity). Getting comfortable also seems to mean doing whatever the hell one wants so long as it doesn't inconvenience someone that one personally knows. That is, the attitude that prevails here is, "If I don't know you, I don't owe you anything." Here, you take care of "your own" and ignore everyone else. Kind of like the mafia.

Due in large part to the upcoming Olympic games, the powers-that-be have started broadcasting Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that try to change some of the behaviors that can make city life in China off-putting to (cash-rich) non-Chinese visitors. In one scene from the most frequently aired PSA, a heart-shaped red balloon (which is supposed to signify something good) is given to a person who chases after a stranger to returns something that the stranger dropped. In another scene, kudos are given to people who don't try to run each other over with their cars. Very mundane stuff to those of us living in most parts of the U.S. (Los Angeles and New York City excluded here, I think).

Rather than use the gentle hand of PSA's to persuade people to change their behavior, our town has taken a decidedly more severe form of behavior modification:



If you look closely at the photo above, you will see that there is barbed wire separating one sidewalk from another. This is done so that the hordes of shoppers, residents, and lookers-on who populate the area will not trample the landscaping that the city paid for. Not pictured in the photo is the barbed wire that the city has thoughtfully laced through the ground cover that lines the sidewalks. And just to drive their point home, the city has decided not to post warning signs. This is a smart decision -- word of mouth is so much more effective.