January 18th, 2017

​Fences
 
Part of our family live in a suburb west of Dallas and north of Fort Worth.  I’ve learned that local residents call it the megaplex.  From my visits there I would agree that is an accurate description of the area.  Even the airport is called DFW (Dallas Fort Worth) – there is another airport closer to downtown Dallas – Love Field, that name must have been an oversight – DFW fits the area much better.
Our family lives in a gated community.  You can drive in the entrance without passing through gates or a guard posted on duty but every home – repeat EVERY home is gated.  It is a requirement to live in the subdivions.
Most fences are wood from four to more than seven feet tall.  The tall fences are called privacy fences because it’s impossible to see through or over the fence to whatever is going on in that space.  Some fences are three foot high decorative metal.  I guess those folks don’t mind if you spy on their daily living.
One home, just a few houses away from our family has a metal electronic gate on their driveway.  It’s quite elaborate and there are also cameras visible – guarding against possible intrusion.  Almost every home has a sign placed visibly by the front entrance that they are protected by security.  I’ve always thought it would be cheaper to build a fake sign and stick in the ground rather than paying for the expensive service.
So, walking around the neighborhood with my grandchildren I wondered what all these homeowners were afraid of.  Why do they want to live in a fenced off community?  Who exactly are they excluding?  Are they afraid of me?  Are they expecting terrorists?
No one in America should live in fear.  Do we really need gated communities?  If we do, we’ve got a problem.