Manic Munich Monday: False Sense of Security

If I have said it once in this blog, I have said it twelve times (you can count): Munich is a nice, safe, homey place to live. So why am I complaining about this?  Munich has messed with my head, that is why! It has made me less wary. It has made me less paranoid. What is worse, it has made me believe in the brotherhood of man (except in queues). As someone who revels in her pessimism and cynicism, this is a disturbing turn of events. More importantly, seeing the world through Munich-colored glasses has recently cost me a chunk of money.

Let me set the stage.

Here I am my first day in Paris in the airport train station.

Notice that not only am I being silly and comfortable, but my iPhone is laying out on the table.It is just asking for someone to take it. Why am I not being more careful? First, even if a train is coming in two hours I need to check the time every two minutes so I need to keep my Handy handy. Second, Munich has made the idea of  someone coming along and stealing it unthinkable. It is so out of the ordinary that the guy working at the Munich Apple Store when he first heard my phone was ripped out of my hands didn’t believe it until I told him it happened in Paris.

Paris should have reminded me that this Munich view of the world is not accurate. I was just there three years ago. In that time it has gotten dirtier, the metro is covered in graffiti, and I generally felt less safe. I should have remembered Freshman English students’ interpretations of the “Broken Window Theory.” Someone just needs to break one window in a city, and all hell will break loose.  In my case, someone will rip your iPhone from your hands on a train to the airport.

[Real definition of this theory: Broken windows theory is a criminological theory of the normsetting and signalling effects of urban disorder and vandalism on additional crime and anti-social behavior. The theory states that monitoring and maintaining urban environments in a well-ordered condition may prevent further vandalism as well as an escalation into more serious crime.]

So, thanks a lot Munich! You are such a nice place to live I am now out a cell phone. (And no, in no way is this logic flawed). Due to my iPhone addiction, I had to buy a new one. And while the new iPhone has some nice features and is faster, I hate the way it feels in my hand. The design also seems like a step backwards. The edge reminds me of my Walkman headphones. (That is right, I just referenced a Walkman).

Still, I am trying to be positive (damn you, Munich!!!). When I look at the new iPhone, I try to be nostalgic for the design of my old Walkman.  In this I am channeling my inner Dax. If you have no idea what I am talking about, go to about the 3 minute mark in this clip.

In case you don’t want to watch, I will get all art historian on you and give you a slide comparison. See they are essentially the same.

Star Trek (the Original Series) tricorder.

 

The new iPhone. Note the ugly silver edge