ABSTRACT
A certain type of etiquette governs behavior, an etiquette that requires a reserved and impersonal style interpreted as aloofness. The constriction on personal expression takes the form of a non-involvement shield that, in turn, fosters a sense of tolerance for those acting in a nonacceptable manner. It allows strangers to deal with each other even without moral judgment or consensus. This chapter discusses this world of strangers and reviews the underlying rules that govern the city as “a world of strangers,” as Lyn Lofland has so dramatically described it, and the public realm, the city's “quintessential social territory”, that provides the setting for stranger interaction. It distinguishes three social realms- the private, the parochial, and the public. The necessity for strangers to interact while at the same time keeping their sense of anonymity and privacy is particularly interesting in understanding why people seem so indifferent to others even in situations where there seems to be a “natural” demand for intervention.
