Fear In Public Space Summary

What is fear in a public space? The concept of fear in a public space is associating danger with someone who doesn’t belong or is considered out of place. Many times being feared in public has a lot to do with its surroundings and the people who live or makeup that place. Kristen Day makes a strong argument that fear in public spaces have a lot more to do with the people who occupy the space rather than the space itself. In other words, the people who live, work and enjoy these public spaces also define these spaces. Based on Kristen Day’s research, men seemed to be the object of fear more than women. Women in society are supposed to be these damsels of distress who fear things rather than be feared. Once the gender being feared is established,

“Anti essentialist perspectives on race which seek to deconstruct race as a ‘naturalized’ hierarchy of biologically distinctive human groups, while exploring processes of racialization which place individuals and groups within racial categories and have material effects in terms of the unequal distribution of power and wealth,” (Nash 639). Day proceeds to explain the research of social constructionists which deals with the geographical consequences of race. The acceptance of the concept of race by people is what racializes a place, it's those invisible boundaries that keep us separate and keep the levels of power constant regarding certain racial identities. It's not so much the media that has a biased towards racial groups but how people interpret the news given due to this programmed idea of race. As a result, fear, a psychological emotion, has now been attached to specific racial and cultural groups. The criminalization interpreted from the media, not just based on racial identities but more specific to the male gender also, have rationalized this fear of individuals in public settings. Fear in public spaces generally come from what or who we associate with crime. “Young men and men of color are especially the targets of fear, though findings vary with neighborhood composition,” (Day 573). This fear is typically due to the ignorance in society.

This is going back to the idea that people make a space public to a certain group of people, however, ideally, public space is supposed to be public for everyone. Day states, “It may be both that men are more often feared in places where they ‘stand out’ in terms of race and class…” (Day 574). Not all fear in public spaces is necessarily race-based, it could be a difference in culture, economics, etcetera. However, based on Days multiple interviews it appears that these topics have one thing in common which is ‘standing out’. Most people generally feel more comfortable around people of their class and race. This could be a result of feeling as if you’re less likely to be judged because the people surrounded by you are just like you or if someone looks like you they probably understand you more. This understanding is what reduces the fear element in public spaces. This struggle to be understood and less feared is what leads to assimilation. “They kind of tend to look like gang members...A lot of people there were also scared because some of my friends have tattoos and stuff…” (Day 581). Day interviewed a young Latino man whose friends were feared based on their physical attributes and stereotypes associated with racial identities. He, however, was not feared and he assumed it was because he didn't dress like them and spoke