Friday, May 30, 2008

I Buy My Crack from Sunshine Avenue

If you read this blog often, you know that I'm a huge fan of the TV show Cops. I'm watching it right now and noticing something. The nastier, more morally culpable the crime, the more cheerful the name of the neighborhood or street where the crime occurred.

For example, the cops just chased a murderer down Sunshine Avenue before turning onto Pretty Lane. A few minutes ago, they caught some hookers using heroin sitting on the side of Winning Road. Really? This can't be a coincidence.

I wonder if this is a tactic that neighborhood planners use. The seedier the place, the sunnier the given name, in hopes that the name will influence the tone of the neighborhood. In Charleston, the scariest street to walk down alone at night was America Street.

America the beautiful.

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