Political Views

nearly all people are uniformly locked in some form of self-defense, tribalism, and denial of their violence. In this kind of society, views and parties don't matter because they describe social locatedness, not deep inquiry or grappling with reality.

Westlake Mall: We let you build a mall here. Why won't you let us enjoy it?

Nice afternoon. Hour to kill downtown. Overstimulated by long week at work. Looking for a nice place to relax a little distance from the traffic:

Perfect. 

I buy a smoothie, grab a chair from the food court, and relax near the railing looking over it all.

Security guard 1:  "I'm gonna have to have you move. I can't have you sitting out here."

Me: "Well then why did they build the deck?"

SG1: "Sometimes they have parties and bring their own chairs out here."

Me: "Where can I get one of those chairs?"

I brought my chair inside, found the name of the management company, General Growth Partners, on a sign, and went to sit on the steps.

Security Guard 2: "I can't have you sitting on the steps. It's a security concern."

I look above me to see if any of the overhang looks immanent to fall. "How is it a security concern?"

"You're blocking people on the steps."

"That's cause I can't sit up there."

"That's also a security concern."

"How is that?" 

"If there were an emergency and people needed  to come out the doors, you'd be blocking them. That's why we have the chairs inside."

I ask who I can talk to about this and he hands me this official looking card: 

I took the picture so I can submit my comment here with some accountability. @GeneralGrowth, you can respond with a comment here or to my tweets:

We let you build a mall here. Why won't you let us enjoy it?