The article explores the contrast between the security culture of an exclusive gated community near Scottsdale, Arizona, and the plight of migrants facing perilous journeys. While residents reinforce their isolation with multiple layers of security, a volunteer working with migrants highlights the indifference to the suffering experienced by those fleeing desperate circumstances. The author, an anthropologist, reflects on unique conversations across America, emphasizing the deep cultural rifts that manifest in varying responses to security and humanitarian crises.
People shouldn't be able to just walk into where you live. You should be able to defend yourself against the rest of the world.
It's like talking to a wall, he replied. What I learned from an unlikely friendship with an anti-masker.
I have crisscrossed the United States as an anthropologist, trying to make sense of why the rifts in our national culture run so deep.
I recount those travels and their lessons, grappling with the contrasting worlds I've encountered, especially the stark divide related to security and humanitarianism.
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