The rise of mutual disassociation that is emphasized by the essay of Sennet arises from the loss of the durable sense of common interests among people within the city (Sennet, 25).
Contributing to this is the fact that the sense of “community” that used to exist prior to the development of the present day “capitalist orientation” has given way to the inclination that it makes no sense to develop relationships in the long run due to the temporary nature of interpersonal connections that is emphasized within workplace environments.
What must be understood is that the basis behind the creation of communities and societies in the first place was the inherent common interests (i.e. the need for protection, the necessity of companionship, to be close to particular services etc.) from which people at the time derived a certain degree of mutual benefit.
As a result, this created the concept of the “social contract” which takes the form of people agreeing to follow the rules of society in order to benefit from the common interests shared.
Once factors such as mutual disassociation and the loss of common interests enters into the picture, people no longer derive any benefit from being part of society and thus the social contract between that individual and society dissolves resulting in adverse patterns of behavior and action.
The train of thought of such individuals follows this particular method of implementation: “why should I follow the rules when I have no common interests nor derive any benefit from society?”.
Given sufficient traction and enough individuals this may result in the complete dissolution of society as a whole with people acting for their own personal interests rather than the shared interests of the community.
In order to remedy this situation it is advised that a sense of “belongingness” be implemented in that practices that emphasize the temporary nature of job assignments, the dissolution of interpersonal relationships and an emphasis on competition rather than long term cooperation be dissolved in favor of practices which create a greater feeling of community for those employed within corporations.
It is only by doing so that the potential dissolution of the various societal constructs that are currently present can be prevented.
Experiencing the Power of Strangeness
For me, the best way in order to experience the power of strangeness would be to visit the Downsview station near the Spadina subway extension, fold my arms behind my back and watch as people come and go from one direction to another.
While this may seem a bit strange, the reason behind this is the fact that you get to see a lot of how a local society is like by the way they travel. They can either be as aggressive as the people in New York or as orderly as the people in Tokyo.
Combining this method of observance and experiencing the commute for myself would in a way help me to better understand the local people and for me this is truly a way of experiencing the power of strangeness (Mutrie, N.A.).
Sending a Post-tourism tourist to the city
Based on my experience, one of the more interesting locations that a post tourism tourist would enjoy would be Toronto city hall at night.
While a city hall may not necessarily be the most fascinating location the fact is that its illuminated windows, combined with its architecture and the view of the nearby illuminated body of water at night is truly a sight to behold and one which is normally neglected in the hustle and bustle of city life.
Works Cited
Mutrie, Eric. “This Must Be the Place: Travel Beyond Tourism.” Strand [Tronto] 11 03 2011, n. pag. Print.
Sennet , Richard. “Cities without connection.” New Stateman. 5 06 2000: 25. Print.