Fire!
So, last night while Katelyn and I were coming back from the post-circusing pub, we happened upon a small fire that was merrily burning its way through the hedge outside of someone's house.
That's weird!
Having critically analysed the situation (see above), we proceeded to put the fire out with a stick and our boots. What was really bizarre and made the whole thing seem that much more surreal was the person who was in front of us. She walked within one pace of this little Neighbourhood Hazard and didn't miss a beat. I find it difficult to believe that, at night, she could fail to notice it, yet her behaviour showed no register of this anomaly.
This brought to mind two things: the incredible ability of people generally to fail to properly/appropriately perceive things that are outside of their expected experience. Fires don't happen on London streets, so this one is clearly not worth noticing!
I also realised that there was a possibility she actually wouldn't have the faintest clue what she should do about it. At many points throughout my life I have constructed, cared for, and put out small to medium sized fires. It occurred to me in that moment that this could be a realm totally alien to many city dwellers, especially in countries where proper camping is not a regular outing. Perhaps she just wasn't aware that you can put out a small fire with just your boots and a stick. It still doesn't explain why she didn't alert anyone or take any measures at all, but then maybe she's just a dick.
Final curiosity in this incident: residents of one of the houses whose front yard is bordered by this hedge arrived as Katelyn and I were putting the fire out. They got out of their car and asked us what we were doing (us being shady characters and all), and when we told them, they shrugged and went inside. So, I maintain my earlier position that these people were simply unable to find an appropriate response to cope with this phenomenon, so they ignored it and just... went away.
That's weird!
Having critically analysed the situation (see above), we proceeded to put the fire out with a stick and our boots. What was really bizarre and made the whole thing seem that much more surreal was the person who was in front of us. She walked within one pace of this little Neighbourhood Hazard and didn't miss a beat. I find it difficult to believe that, at night, she could fail to notice it, yet her behaviour showed no register of this anomaly.
This brought to mind two things: the incredible ability of people generally to fail to properly/appropriately perceive things that are outside of their expected experience. Fires don't happen on London streets, so this one is clearly not worth noticing!
I also realised that there was a possibility she actually wouldn't have the faintest clue what she should do about it. At many points throughout my life I have constructed, cared for, and put out small to medium sized fires. It occurred to me in that moment that this could be a realm totally alien to many city dwellers, especially in countries where proper camping is not a regular outing. Perhaps she just wasn't aware that you can put out a small fire with just your boots and a stick. It still doesn't explain why she didn't alert anyone or take any measures at all, but then maybe she's just a dick.
Final curiosity in this incident: residents of one of the houses whose front yard is bordered by this hedge arrived as Katelyn and I were putting the fire out. They got out of their car and asked us what we were doing (us being shady characters and all), and when we told them, they shrugged and went inside. So, I maintain my earlier position that these people were simply unable to find an appropriate response to cope with this phenomenon, so they ignored it and just... went away.