Drawing lines

Some lines divide, some connect dots.  Some are solid, bold, difficult to miss, others are thin or broken.  We've been talking, at least indirectly, about drawing lines: lines to divide the members of social classes from each other, lines that define the difference between one race and another, lines that mark the physical boundaries of neighborhoods and the social boundaries of communities.

We have posed, if not plumbed, the issue of who has authority to draw the lines that give definition to social identities and relationships.

Yesterday we had a moment of facing the line between private space and public space and the behaviors deemed acceptable in each.  Of course this line is related to even having the concept of privacy.  Like these other concepts, privacy has a history.  With in the household, space and specialized use of it is a prerequisite of privacy.  Without those, members of the household may seek out other spaces in which to conduct their private business.

Also underlying the notion of private and public space is the conviction that not all spaces are the same.  If that distinction is not granted, then there is no possibility of designated some spaces private suitable for intimate, familial, or other activities suitable for public, civic, or other activities.  Beyond our discussion of this relative to gay male activities in 1930s New York, I'm interested in how Americans think about these issues today and how influences the ways behave and are perceived in other nations.

I have observed Americans in other nations treating public spaces such a museum lobbies and hotel restaurants as if they were in their own homes despite the more restrained behaviors of local residents.  I have wondered if this parallel to or even informed by the shifting notions of privacy fueled by internet use.  I'm pondering . . . .