Brad
These tidbits are fascinating (speaking personally). You bring up
another interesting facet of surveillance, objects of the public gaze,
and of superstitions/myth. The disabled person as a 'lucky charm'.
I imagine this would have been the subject of previous writing,
however it never ceases to amaze me how much there is to think
about and explore. My academic and research area is leisure
(particularly leisure and disability). Popular cultural phenomena and
sociological analysis provides an interesting avenue for exploring
behaviour within public spaces. The promenading of women (of
refinement) and their sensitivity to 'abhorrent sights' (causing
coniptions) and the general policing of streets to remove ugliness is
wonderful fodder. I believe Atlanta during the Olympics did remove
some of the unsightly aspects of their urban culture. It will be
interesting to see what Sydney does in 2000.
Thanks again
> A few historical tidbits for those interested in the so-called ugly laws.
>
>
> In my own research I have found evidence from one source that ugly laws,
> which existed not only in Chicago and San Francisco, but also in Omaha,
> Nebraska, and Columbus, Ohio, were frequently disregarded by police. Policemen
> apparently maintained superstitions which allowed them to view disabled
> beggars stationed on their beat as good luck charms. The source (from 1918)
> also claims that "naturally the police felt that the beggar, who never had
> harmed any one, was just being persecuted."
>
> Brad Byrom
Best regards
Laurence Bathurst
School of Occupation and Leisure Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Sydney
P.O. Box 170
Lidcombe NSW 2141
Australia
Phone: (62 1) 9351 9509
Fax: (62 1) 9351 9166
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Please visit the School's interim web site at
http://www.ot.cchs.usyd.edu.au
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Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious
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