The Brave One: Jodi Foster, a gun, and New York City. It's happened before...

Most New Yorkers I know Rent movies from Netflix! I am no exception, and last night's rental was quite poignant for your average New Yorker. It's worth renting "The Brave One" if you wonder how it would feel to defend yourself in New York. It's not really based on a true story, but there is an oft referred to incident in which Bernie Goetz was about to be attacked by 3 young men, so he shot them.

If you spent any time here in the 80's, you'll remember that Graffiti abounded, you could buy drugs in any park just by looking out the corner of your eye, and the subway wasn't the safest place to be after midnight. The popular book: "The Tipping Point" talks about the power of context, and how naughty boys on the dirty old graffiti ridden subway wouldn't act as badly if their surroundings suggested more respect. The Graffiti is returning, has anyone else noticed?

New Yorkers talk about the 90's Rudy Giuliani in terms of his cleaning job. Some people I knew back then even felt that they themselves were being cleaned up. Nevertheless, the Graffiti dwindled, the police became more vigilant, and many of those dark corners were flood-lit as if to say in certain terms: "we are watching you".

Last month someone sat down next to me on the A Train and lit his crack pipe. Rude of him not to offer. This year two people I know personally have been beaten up, one so badly that he was bleeding from his eyes. It's hard to run in clogs.

So Jodi Foster's killing spree is kind of fun to watch if you walk with fear. If you roam the streets of New York like a Lion, you'll probably be much happier, but... in more danger. Perhaps the boring old middle ground should be advocated once again...