Though not strictly a partisan phenomenon, the knee-jerk NIMBY ("not in my backyard") reaction is an impulse that wealthy liberals and progressives employ in many different contexts, whether to protect their coastline views from offshore wind farms or to shut down the siting of a homeless shelter or high-density housing in their urban neighborhoods. But where does this impulse come from, why is it so powerful, and what can be done to counteract its often pernicious effects? As Mark and Joe learn, it all goes back to how the primitive fear response sometimes triumphs over our ideological commitments in ways that are difficult—but not impossible—to remedy.
Though not strictly a partisan phenomenon, the knee-jerk NIMBY ("not in my backyard") reaction is an impulse that wealthy liberals and progressives employ in many different contexts, whether to protect their coastline views from offshore wind farms or to shut down the siting of a homeless shelter or high-density housing in their urban neighborhoods. But where does this impulse come from, why is it so powerful, and what can be done to counteract its often pernicious effects? As Mark and Joe learn, it all goes back to how the primitive fear response sometimes triumphs over our ideological commitments in ways that are difficult—but not impossible—to remedy.