and Benign Violations 

Everything changed when the screen eye brought the horror of the world to you. To get over it, begin your day with a critical listen to Bill Hicks’ “Sane Man” on absurdities of American culture via Netflix and as you realize much of it shouldn’t be funny anymore, or go to YouTube for little of Samantha Bee’s political satire and then to the radar brilliance of W. Kamau Bell for a rush of the ridiculous truth on CNN.  Finish the mental easing exercise with the “release” offered by John Oliver and then go see Hasan Minhaj if you can find him.

If you are encouraged to add humor to your interest in social change take a look at the benign violation theory presented by Peter McGraw on TED

Basics

When you ask architects for a joke, they say, “Sorry, I’m still working on it.” Urban planners, on the other hand, like acronyms. Here are a few examples:

• AICP: any idiot can plan,
• SLAP: space leftover after planning:
• SLAB: structure leftover after building
• MCIP: my career is painful (Member, Canadian Institute of Planners)
• BANANA: build absolutely nothing anytime near anything and to more favorites,
• DUDE: developer under delusions of entitlement and
• BOHICA – bend over here it comes again.

As far as urban design is concerned, I remember being told not to hurry around an old plotter because they can smell fear.